I’m sure that ADK4Life never expected to touch off such a long thread with a simple question about the Ausable Lake Road bus. Given that the first reply had the right answer, I probably didn’t need to weigh in; but I have a hard time resisting a chance to relate some history to clear up some misconceptions. Although not a member of the AMR myself, as a long-time Keene Valley summer resident and now director of ATIS I have been close to this scene for many years. I first sent copies of this post to several of those who had posted replies, and one suggested that others would benefit from this brief history.
AMR HISTORY: When it was founded in 1886, the AMR was one of about a dozen large private preserves in the Adirondacks, but it was the only one not created for hunting. Hence the public was not kept out. At that time dogs were used to hunt deer, hence that prohibition. By 1920, the AMR consisted of 40,000 acres including the upper Johns Brook valley, Indian Falls, the summit of Marcy, and the upper part of the North Fork of the Boquet in addition to the Ausable lakes. At this time, the State first became interested in actively purchasing land, and the AMR was willing to sell off 24,000 acres - all but the Ausable Lakes and surrounding summits. At the same time, the State used the threat of eminent domain to obtain Lake Colden from the Tahawus Club – the only time I believe that threat has been used to add land to the Forest Preserve. Public use of the trails continued as established by earlier tradition. Up until 1960, there were so few hikers that those not riding the bus could park at the gate. When the club built the three small parking lots for the golf house, the third one was for hikers; but this lasted only a few years as the mid-60’s saw a tremendous increase in the number of hikers. This is when the parking was moved to its present location.
By the 1970s, higher property taxes caused the AMR to approach the State, resulting in the 1978 sale of 9,000 acres along with the current trail easements. Percious is right that the founders of the AMR preserved the land because they themselves were hikers, and they have been careful to keep it pretty much as it was in 1886. Absent AMR ownership, there could even have been a road up Marcy as there was at least one initiative to build one to better compete with the White Mountains for tourists.
BUS HISTORY: When the number of hikers was relatively low, public use was no problem. Although the posted schedule said members had priority, most members were reluctant to exercise that privilege if public hikers had filled the bus before they got there. By the late 80’s this had become more of a problem with the additional complaints that hikers would often wander around to “check the place out” as though it were some kind of museum. In 1989, the first move by the trustees was, in the middle of the summer, to increase the fare to $10 each way in the erroneous belief that bus use was included in the trail easement. This move split the membership virtually in half with the older families generally wanting to keep the tradition, while newer members wanted the exclusivity they felt their membership dues paid for. This led to the compromise next year of the public boarding at the gate or the top of the hill (after members had boarded at the club or boathouse) and paying $3 each way. This system lasted until 1995. Putting the bus stop where every hiker passed by had the effect of increasing the demand for seats, and often resulted in hard feelings after someone had waited but couldn’t ride. There was furthermore the problem of, for instance, the bus leaving the club with, say, six places left. The crowd at the gate might consist of a group of four first in line, then a group of five. The group of five then had to debate who rode or if they all stepped aside – meanwhile leaving the crowded bus idling in the hot sun. I think you get the picture.
I don’t believe the statements that hikers could ride mid-week in 2002 are correct. Someone may have asked a member who cheerily passed on that misinformation, and the desk staff didn’t bother to check the person’s credentials. The bus service runs during July and August, and sometimes for a few weekends in the fall or spring if there is a wedding or other special occasion such as a conference. In winter, the road is used by snowmobiles to haul supplies to the Upper Lake camps.
I always wave and sometimes I am told I am to friendly 
