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Adirondack leantos

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I thought just the photos made this worth drawing attention to. Great collection.

 
There is a group of volunteer folks I belong to, called Lean2Rescue. Under the auspices and direction of NYSDEC forest land managers, we build new, reconstruct, deconstruct, move, and repair Adirondack leantos as needed. There is a BOCES school program led by one of our members where high school students take part in construction and assembly. Complete new leanto kits and large repair jobs are flown in by state helicopter, smaller repair kits are hauled in overland on carts or to water accessible locations in boats by the team, often dragging materials (new roofs are common) on sleds in winter. So many leantos, so little time.
 
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We used to use them in Virginia on the AT when I was a kid. Great in heavy rain storms. I did not like the mice running around all night.
The West has few equivalents. A few huts, some fire towers. Mostly you are on your own.
 
I have always had a love/hate relationship with lean-to's.

Love them when the rain is looming as ppine points out above, but the mice are annoying.

And since bears are creatures of habit and many people are slobs, I am always waiting for one to come around the corner at 3 am and chew my face off.

It's been awhile, but I recall on Isle Royale there were 2 sizes of mesh on the open side of the lean (with a door) for insect/critter control. I have not seen this is the ADK's. Is this a common practice in other places?
 
I thought just the photos made this worth drawing attention to. Great collection.

I get a kick out of the fact that in the Adirondacks they're Lean-tos, but down here in Maryland we call them Adirondacks!
 
It’s against regulations to erect any sort of enclosure in a lean to in the ADK’s.
Likewise no tents or hammocks allowed inside a lean to.
 
It’s against regulations to erect any sort of enclosure in a lean to in the ADK’s.
Likewise no tents or hammocks allowed inside a lean to.
You are also technically not allowed to set up a tent outside immediately in the vicinity of a leanto site. Although when a dozen lean2Rescue team members descend on a work site, the DEC Forest Manager in charge allows us to set up multiple tents during our old leanto destruction/ new leanto construction work stay.

Even though I am a member and have joined with the leana2Rescue team working on dozens of leantos, I can count on less than one finger the number of times I have stayed in one myself. My usual Adirondack backcountry trips normally involve remote bushwhacks where I legally set up a hammock or tent far from trails and pre-designated campsites.
 
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Growing up there was a lean to on the hill behind my house. At the time it was accessible by a half mile long grassy 2-track road crossing an old pasture, which was effectively my back yard. Spent my first night outdoors there in the mid to late 60s, and spent a lot of time just hanging out there as well. It is still there, but ruinate. My best guess is it was built as an Appalachian Trail shelter. Although as a kid the AT was routed well away from where it is, the current alignment goes almost right by it. Might have to find some old AT maps and figure that out, just for fun.

Regarding western "shelters", in college I skied in to Brown's Cabin, which was an old gold mine right on the continental divide in Colorado's Collegiate range, a couple of times. It was volunteer "maintained" and folks used is as a basecamp, including in winter for backcountry skiing. It has since been torn down due to worries about hantavirus, which I'm sure has been the fate of many western shelters. Not me, but someone posted some pics of it and the area.

 
Having lean-tos in the backcountry sounds appealing. I watched a YT Swedish cycle tourer using them from time to time along his route in northern Sweden. And last year I enjoyed Simon A Bloke In The Woods on his 7 day canoe trip in Sweden's Rogen Nature Reserve, where he and his fellow paddler missed out on their attempts to utilize these backcountry shelters, complete with saws, cut and split wood supply, firepit etc. You can see the first lean-to here at the 16 min. mark; however, the entire trip is worth watching.


I wonder what the results would be if a scant number of basic lean-tos were built along our more remote canoe routes?
Would they be used? Would they be abused? Would they be loved to death? Could they be respected and loved?
 
You are also technically not allowed to set up a tent outside immediately in the vicinity of a leanto site. Although when a dozen lean2Rescue team members descend on a work site, the DEC Forest Manager in charge allows us to set up multiple tents during our work stay.

Even though I am a member and have joined with the leana2Rescue team working on dozens of leantos, I can count on less than one finger the number of times I have stayed in one myself. My usual Adirondack backcountry trips normally involve remote bushwhacks where I legally set up a hammock or tent far from trails and pre-designated campsites.
yknpdlr
This is good information; I did not know regulation concerning tents inside lean to.
What is considered "immediately in the vicinity of a lean-to site"? Are these rules posted anywhere so people can read them?
 
yknpdlr
This is good information; I did not know regulation concerning tents inside lean to.
What is considered "immediately in the vicinity of a lean-to site"? Are these rules posted anywhere so people can read them?
From the NYSDEC official website:



Lean-To Use​

  • Tents are not allowed inside lean-tos and must be at least 150 feet from the lean-to.
  • Lean-tos are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved.
  • It is proper etiquette to share your tent site for one night if a second camper or group of campers arrives after dark, especially when it is raining, cold or windy. In the morning, the second group should pack up and leave to look for another location.
  • Lean-tos should be shared by multiple parties until filled to capacity (normally 8 people). These situations are rare, but can happen in heavily used areas, such as the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness.

Campsite Selection​


Primitive tent sites and lean-tos are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved. If you find a tent site or lean-to with no people or gear, then you can camp there.
  • If not using a designated primitive tent site, your tent must be at least 150 feet from a water body, road, or trail. Do not camp in areas posted with "Camping Prohibited."
  • Camping for more than three nights or with 10 or more people requires a permit from a Forest Ranger. Call 518-897-1300 to get the name and contact information for the local ranger. Please observe all State Land Camping and Hiking Rules.
 
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When I went to Paul Smith’s College back in 1974 I rented a room in a house with several other students. It didn’t take but a week and I was moving out. I slept in a lean-to a week or more till I found another place (my own apartment) in Saranac. The lean-to was near Smitty’s as I recall, I would hike in near dusk with my sleeping bag and alarm clock so I didn’t miss my early class. Pack up and hike out in the morning.
Jim
 
It’s against regulations to erect any sort of enclosure in a lean to in the ADK’s.
Likewise no tents or hammocks allowed inside a lean to.
Yes, I knew that. In fact, on Ice Age trail, we - adults - did set up tent next to a lean - part of Scout youth protection rules. If it hadn't been snowing - in April - we might have set up further away. Don't know if WI rules are same as NY.

Other one I was tenting close to lean was Alger State Park, where I think setting up tent close to lean is OK. Since those are reserved, not sure how it would be a problem.
 
I often avoid lean-tos, mostly to avoid other people, mice, and bugs (given the no tents thing).

However, one of my magical memorable backcountry experiences was staying in one on the CT section of the AT, my first or second night ever in the backcountry. The lean-to had a great vista out over the valley from one of the highest peaks in CT. Awaking in the lean-to at dawn, the valley was totally socked in with, leaving a sea of mist with a ridge rising from it like the back of a great whale, as dawn light colored the scene. So they are certainly nice for an unencumbered morning view.
 
Great collection of photos!
Stayed in one in WVa when my wife and I hiked in with another couple. That wife had never camped out. Woke up to 8” of snow and hiked back out. We each were driving Toyota Land Cruisers and his got stuck getting out of the parking lot (not easy to do as those things would climb a tree if asked). Luckily I had a tow rope….memories.
 
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Yes, I knew that. In fact, on Ice Age trail, we - adults - did set up tent next to a lean - part of Scout youth protection rules. If it hadn't been snowing - in April - we might have set up further away. Don't know if WI rules are same as NY.

Other one I was tenting close to lean was Alger State Park, where I think setting up tent close to lean is OK. Since those are reserved, not sure how it would be a problem.
Note: the Alger leanto burned to the ground and was completly destroyed on 2 Aug 2022. Total Carelessness. Pernaps caused by a tent set up too close :eek:
Herkimer County
Unattended Fire:
On Aug. 2 at 6:15 a.m., the Alger Island Caretaker contacted Forest Ranger McCartney to report a lean-to on fire. Ranger McCartney, Lieutenant Hoag, and the Old Forge Fire Department responded. Half an hour later, the fire was under control, but the lean-to was a total loss. Fire crews knocked the remaining structure to the ground and surrounded it with caution tape and fencing. The following afternoon, the fire was declared out. The fire began as an unattended fire that spread to the lean-to. Rangers remind all campers to never leave a fire unattended; it doesn't take heavy winds to spread fire quickly. When finished with a fire, it should be drowned with water to ensure there are no remaining hot spots.

charred remains of a lean-to after a fire
 
They say they offer lean-to sites and tent sites, but I thought from paddling around island they all had lean-tos.
 
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