Hikers May Be Unintentionally Polluting The Adirondacks

There's not many places in America more beautiful than Upstate New York's Adirondack region. The region is home to mountains, lakes, and rivers, running from their home up north into the Hudson River.

Over the past few years, however, microplastics have been found in increasing quantities in the Hudson watershed, and local scientists are doing everything they can to figure out what's causing this pollution.

How to Measure Pollution in the Hudson

In 2023, researchers made their way down the entire length of the Hudson by foot, measuring the concentration of microplastics along the way. In that study, they'd found a frightening level in the Adirondack's Lake Tear, and vowed to return to measure the progress.

Well, in 2025, the team returned, and found something shocking: the amount of microplastics in Lake Tear had almost doubled in two years. The question became "what's causing these levels to rise so rapidly", and it seems we finally have an answer.

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Hikers are the Problem (Just Not Intentionally)

In those same studies, they'd noticed that Moss Pond (located in the same area of study) saw much lower amounts of microplastics. The difference between Moss Pond and Lake Tear? Foot traffic.

As such, the most reasonable conclusion is that the microplastics found in the area are caused by the clothes worn by hikers, specifically rubber-soled shoes that are slowly disintegrating. The group hopes to raise awareness for this issue, by getting the word out to outdoor clubs, retailers, and stewards in the area. If these groups can focus on pushing synthetic clothing with no-shed layers and more durable footwear, this pattern can be reversed, and we can continue to take care of the Hudson and Adirondacks.