New York officials are putting a stop to hikers parking along a busy road near the popular Roaring Brook Falls trailhead in Keene.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will permanently ban parking on the shoulders of both lanes of Route 73 near the Roaring Brook Falls trailhead starting Friday, September 21.

Parking will be prohibited on the shoulder of the northbound lane from the entrance to the Roaring Brook Trailhead Parking area north to the bridge over Putnam Brook. Parking will be prohibited on the shoulder of the southbound lane between the guiderails south of Putnam Brook Bridge.

The New York State Department of Transportation will install “No Parking” signs along these sections of the road. DEC and DOT agreed to prohibiting parking in these two sections of this heavily used state highway due to limited sight distance because of the curve in the road and the road’s shoulders are narrow. Legal parking is not available where guiderails prevent vehicles from parking along the road to the right of the white line.

On busy weekends, dozens of vehicles typically park in these sections. Due to the narrowness of the shoulder, occupants of vehicles open their doors into the lane of traffic and hikers have to walk in the highway to reach the trailhead.

The Roaring Brook Falls Trailhead is located in the town of Keene, Essex County. The trailhead provides access to Roaring Brook Falls, Giant Nubble, Giant Washbowl, and connects to the Ridge Trail for access to the summit of Giant Mountain.