The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued a recreational use advisory for back country areas of the Catskills and Adirondacks.
The DEC says warmer temperatures and rain have led to conditions where key winter routes are impassable due to washed out bridges and flooding. Trails that are usable may have hazards including compacted snow that looks like a solid surface but isn’t and could lead to sinking into the snow.
The DEC says its staff has “encountered up to two feet of standing water on frozen lake surfaces, damage to high water bridge crossings, and snow slides on steep terrain.” The agency suggests any back country hikes be reconsidered or rerouted while conditions are unstable.