Primary Trailhead: The shortest and most popular route leaves from the The Garden parking lot in Keene Valley. To reach The Garden parking lot from Lake Placid on Route 73, continue through Keene and into Keene Valley and turn right after the Ausable Inn and continue for 1.6 miles, the last 0.2 mile follows a narrow dirt road. The Garden parking lot (operated by the town of Keene) costs $10 per day ($13 Canadian) from mid-May through the end of October. An attendant is on duty 1 p.m.-7 p.m. Fridays and 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Town employees and DEC rangers monitor the lot during the week. Space in this lot is limited and almost always full early on weekend mornings.
When The Garden lot is full, free overflow parking is available at Marcy Airfield 2.5 miles north of Keene Valley. From the Marcy Airfield lot, hikers can plan to be shuttled to the trailhead via a shuttle bus. There is a $10 round-trip charge to ride the shuttle the 3.5 miles to The Garden trailhead. The shuttle operates from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from late May to mid-October. Depending on the hike you’ve planned and your start time, you could run the risk of completing your hike after the last scheduled bus pickup returning to the Marcy Airfield parking lot. Please plan accordingly.
More information about The Garden parking lot and shuttle information.