The Garden is the second most frequented Adirondack trailhead despite the $5.50 per day parking fee (2004) charged by the Town of Keene Valley which owns the site.  I'm sure it has gone up since then.

The Garden provides very convenient access to the Johns Brook area including all peaks bordering the Johns Brook Valley.  

Not that many years ago the Garden was unattended and parking was free.  These were known as "the good old days".  There were no Porta-Potties and the parking was about as you see it now.  In the 70's and 80's, the The Johns Brook Trail (the principal trail leading out of the Garden) had become a quagmire due to over-use and neglect.  Today, through the efforts of DEC and the Town of Keene Valley, the trails out of the Garden are excellent and the parking lot is attended.  In addition there is a large overflow lot located about 7 miles away for high-use periods with transportation to/from the trailhead.

Further information at this site: 

http://www.keene-keenevalley.com/Hiking%20Links/hikeshuttle.htm

Good Advice
This is a very busy trailhead.   To get a spot and avoid the necessity of being transported by bus to/from the overflow lot seven miles away, arrive early (< 9 am) or arrive in the mid-to-late afternoon when a lot of the cars belonging to those taking short hikes will be departing.  

If you arrive when the attendant is not on duty, a self sign-in procedure is in effect which requires that you fill out a blank sign-in form.   Instructions regarding payment are included.... we think.                                                                                                                 

The area shown is about 90% of the parking area at The Garden.  The
 registration for hikers is  barely visible just left of the turquoise Porta-Potty at the far end.  The custodian shack is  over the photographer's  left shoulder.  

Access to the Trails of the Johns Brook Valley  
Two trails, the Johns Brook Trail (ADK #1, McM #108) marked with YELLOW markers and the Southside Trail (ADK #3, McM #111) marked with RED markers, follow the north and south banks of Johns Brook to a major convergence of trails in the proximity of Johns Brook Lodge (JBL), a wilderness lodge owned and operated by ADK.  Johns Brook Trail starts at the Garden.  Southside branches off Johns Brook Trail a short distance from the trailhead, and crosses to the opposite side of Johns Brook.  It then follows the brook to the JBL property.   

Direct access provided by The Garden and its trails: 

• Mt Marcy, Mt Haystack, and the Panther Gorge Cirque

Hikers have access to trails to the Marcy-Haystack regions which comprise the SW end of The Great Range.  These are the Phelps Trail (ADK #1, McM #124) marked with YELLOW (at start) and RED (at finish) markers  and the Hopkins Trail (ADK #2, McM #123) marked with YELLOW markers.  Note that this is not the  shortest route to either peak.

• Central and East Sections of  The Great Range.

Also, the Range Trail (sometimes called the Great Range Trail), starts at JBL with the ADK Trail to Upper Wolf Jaws, Armstrong, and Gothics Mtns  (ADK # 4, McM #117-118), which is marked BLUE among the peaks of the Upper Range and RED in the Lower Range .  The Ore Bed Brook Trail (ADK #8, McM #119), marked BLUE, runs from JBL to the Saddleback-Gothics col.  These two trails from JBL have the effect of dividing up the Range Trail into the digestible bits that most hikers can deal with.  Few seek to hike the Range from end to end in one shot. 

• Yard and Big Slide Mtns, Klondike Pass  

A loop from JBL around Yard and Big Slide Mtns (ADK #13 & 14, McM 113 & 114 & 115), RED markers, intersects the Klondike Pass Trail (ADK #12, McM #130), also RED.   Another route to Big Slide is the Brothers Trail (ADK #15, McM #112), RED trail markers, which is the only other trail that starts at The Garden besides the Johns Brook and Southside Trails.  The aforementioned Klondike Pass Trail connects the South Meadow, a trailhead in the vicinity of Adirondack Loj, to JBL and the Johns Brook Valley.

The Garden:  Getting There and Parking There 
The Garden is located west off Rte 73 in Keene Valley.  Heading north on Rte 73, at about the center of this very small town, you will find a large DEC sign that reads "High Peaks Wilderness Area and Johns Brook".  It is adjacent to the Ausable Inn (see first photo below) on the left side of the road.  Follow the DEC sign 1.5 miles to the Garden, crossing Johns Brook en route.  The parking lot holds on the order of 50 vehicles.  A parking fee of $5.00/day is charged as of 2002.  This rate is volatile, but worth the price.

The Garden is generally full on weekends, even on rainy days. Weekdays and after Labor Day parking there is less of a problem.  Be prepared with an alternate plan if the Garden is full because parking on the highway anywhere on the access road to the Garden will very definitely result in being towed.  This is absolutely guaranteed since the road is private land and its owners live on-site.  You have the following decent options if you find the lot full.  

• First, if the lot is open and the attendant is on duty, you can wait in line until a car leaves and makes a space.  Allowing that getting to the overflow parking and back may occupy as much as an hour of your time, this is worth trying, particularly as cars are exiting the lot frequently. 
• If that fails, use the overflow parking at Marcy Field.  The attendant can give you instructions which are basically these, as she told me.  A bus runs from the Gardens to Marcy Field (and back), which is a big empty field/airport just north of Keene Valley on Rte 73.  It carries just hikers and their gear.  You should call to get the hours.  The question is, who do you call?  Try "The Mountaineer" outdoor gear store in Keene Valley first, since they seem to be up on everything that's happening vis-à-vis hiking.  If that fails, you might try the Keene Valley Town Hall or Adirondack Loj.  To get to Marcy Field, drive back down to Rte 73 and turn north.  The field is a few miles on your left once onto Rte 73.  You'll see it.  The bus runs Sat-Sun and Holidays.  
• A very good option if your primary destination is JBL and/or the mountains in that vicinity, is to change trailheads.  Drive to South Meadow near Adirondack Loj (off Adirondack Loj Rd.) and hike in via the Klondike Pass Trail (ADK #12, McM #130), marked RED, to JBL.  Quite frankly, Klondike Pass is a much more interesting trail, particularly if you've hiked the Johns Brook Trail before.  It is a little longer, but it's a better hike with better scenery.  

Be sure to set your printer on "landscape" when printing maps.

 Johns Brook Trail and Southside Trail from  he Gardens (small black rectangle at
upper rt. of map) to  JBL

To get to The Garden, leave Route 73 right here at the Ausable Inn in the
 center of the town of Keene Valley.  Look for the DEC sign on  the post right at the corner---it points the way. 

Registering At the Trailhead 
Register.  It's the law now and has been for a number of years.  Check the latest from DEC.  There is now a requirement that when you sign in at the trailhead (any trailhead) you must fill out one of the tags that is stocked there, tuck the flimsy into the slot provided, and carry the other part with you.  No tickee, no hikee.  You pay fine!!!