Press release from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Effective immediately the trail to the summit of Owls Head in the town of Keene in the Adirondacks is closed to public access and use on weekends.

The trailhead and all but the last 0.1 mile of the trail are located on private lands. The large number of vehicles parked on the private road during the Memorial Day weekend blocked access for private landowners, and now the landowners are prohibiting the public to park on the private road between 4 p.m. Friday and 7 a.m. Monday and have posted signs along the road reflecting this decision.

The trail to the summit of Owls Head is not an official DEC trail nor does DEC have an easement for public use on the trail – the landowner has allowed the public to use the trail. However, the landowner has informed DEC the trail will be closed for public use at the end of this hiking season.

DEC is in the process of identifying an alternate trail route on Forest Preserve lands from the Molly Nye Road on the opposite side of the mountain, and will pursue an amendment to the High Peaks Wilderness Unit Management Plan which would be necessary to facilitate construction of a new trailhead and trail.