This 3.4-mile roundtrip hike in the Horseshoe Wild Forest summits 2,178-foot Goodman Mountain. The hike is over easy to moderate terrain and offers spectacular views of Coney, Tupper Lake, and Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest. » Continue Reading.
Featured Hike: Goodman Mountain, Tupper Lake
Rangers Make Rescue at Sleeping Beauty Mtn
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.
» Continue Reading.
Grants Support Winter Sports Athletes
The Uihlein-Ironman Sports Fund, a component fund of Adirondack Foundation, awarded $41,650 in grants this year to 17 athletes and nine organizations in the Tri-Lakes region.
The awards were handed out at a ceremony for recipients and their families and friends on October 14 at Heaven Hill Farm in Lake Placid. » Continue Reading.
2018 Cycle Adirondacks Community Projects Funded
Cycle Adirondacks, in partnership with Adirondack Foundation and the Cloudsplitter Foundation, have donated over $5,000 to community generated projects in Speculator, Inlet and North Creek as part of its CycleADK Gives program.
The three communities served as overnight hosts for CycleADK’s 2018 Ultimate Cycling Vacation, which drew over 230 cyclists from across the United States and Canada to the Adirondacks from August 18-24 for a week-long bicycle tour. » Continue Reading.
Featured Hike: Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain, Essex County
Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain (2,162 feet), part of the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, provides 360-degree views of the surrounding area and may be accessed by either of two trails. » Continue Reading.
Dave Gibson: Push for DEC Personnel Increases, Again
I listened to NCPR’s Brian Mann recent report about NYS DEC Forest Ranger staffing, and the great pressures on the static ranger staff resulting from so many emergency incidents. DEC Commissioner Seggos’ remarks appeared to be resistant to the need for additional Forest Rangers. He was quoted as saying that the entire DEC staff must rally to help to relieve the pressures on the Rangers and – I would add – on all natural resource professionals at the DEC. In other words, don’t worry members of the media, members of the public, we always do more with less.
In my experience, this Commissioner is very responsive to issues facing him and pays attention to detail. I also know he supports his people in the field. However, it was important for him to hear the support for more DEC Forest Rangers from local government representatives, like Wilmington Town Supervisor and Essex County Board of Supervisors chair Randy Preston. The supervisor was persistent because he knows what we all know: that the DEC Commissioner has no authority to increase the number of rangers, or foresters, or wildlife or fisheries, or operations or campground professionals. The urgent message that DEC natural resource and lands and forests and ranger personnel are at the breaking point must get to the Governor. Local government officials make excellent messengers. » Continue Reading.
Lake Placid’s Olympic Sliding Track Begins Season
The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) opened the combined bobsled, luge and skeleton track at the Olympic Sports Complex for U.S. national team training on Monday, October 15th.
Workers chilled the concrete and laid ice on the 20-curve, mile-long chute on Mt. Van Hoevenberg, just five miles east from the two-time Winter Olympic village. Athletes from USA Luge as well as USA Bobsled and Skeleton will hit the ice to begin preparations for their World Cup campaigns. » Continue Reading.
Adirondack Forest Rangers Report Searches and Rescues
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.
» Continue Reading.
Tim Rowland’s Takeaways From the Cascade Shuttle
There’s nothing quite like autumn in the Adirondacks — the brilliant reds, vibrant oranges and pulsating yellows. And that’s just the construction barrels, road cones and flashing signs warning people to find someplace other than the shoulder of Rt. 73 in Keene Valley to park their Subarus.
Welcome to the wilderness — not to be confused with the Scranton/Wilkes Barre stretch of Interstate 81. » Continue Reading.
Featured Hike: Bear Den Mountain, Wilmington
The Bear Den Mountain Trail in the Whiteface Mountain Intensive Use Area, Wilmington Wild Forest ascends 1.6 miles and 1,160 feet from a trailhead near the parking area for Kids Campus of the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area to the 2,400-foot summit of Bear Den Mountain. » Continue Reading.
Snow In The Mtns: Current Adirondack Outdoor Conditions (10/11)
This weekly report of outdoor recreation conditions in the Adirondacks is compiled each Thursday afternoon and fully updated by Friday afternoon.
Contribute Your Knowledge: Add a comment below, or send your observations, corrections, updates, and suggestions to adkalmanack@gmail.com.
Learn and practice the seven Leave No Trace principles. Carry out what you have carried in. Do not leave gear, food, or other items at lean-tos and campsites. Do not litter. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.
BE PREPARED! Start slow, gain experience. Always carry proper safety equipment – including plenty of food, water, flashlights, space blanket, emergency whistle, first aid kit, fire making tools, extra clothing layers and socks, and a map and compass – inform someone of your itinerary, and be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. Just before entering the backcountry or launching a boat check the National Weather Service watches, warnings, and advisories here. Follow Adirondack weather forecasts at Burlington and Albany and consult the High Elevation, Recreation, or Lake Champlain forecasts.
Winter Sports: Upcoming Whiteface Lake Placid Events
Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has announced the list of events on the Whiteface Lake Placid fall/winter 2018-2019 calendar. Dates and schedules are subject to change.
The list of events as follows: » Continue Reading.
Newest CATS Trail Map Now Available
The Champlain Area Trails (CATS) new 2018-2019 Trail Map shows 87 hikes in the Champlain Valley, as well as new features designed to make it even more useful than the previous maps for hikers, snow-shoers, and cross-country skiers.
The first thing map users will notice is the increase in size and detail. Other new features include topographical detail so hikers will know the physiographical context of the trails they’re hiking. All trails are now listed in an easy-to-read chart form showing descriptions of each trail, length, degree of difficulty, directions, and special features such as overlooks and suitability for cross-country skiing or bicycling. » Continue Reading.
Frontier Town Campground, Paradox Brewery Update
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos and Office of General Services Commissioner RoAnn Destito joined local elected officials and other partners at a ribbon cutting event last week in North Hudson. They were there to unveil the first phase of the former Frontier Town theme park site development on the Schroon River at the corner of Route 9 and Blue Ridge Road, nearly adjacent to I-87 Northway Exit 29.
The completed project is expected to feature a 91-acre universally accessible state campground, an equestrian campground, along with two day-use areas (Riverside and Trail Side). The project’s official name is Frontier Town Campground, Equestrian and Day Use Area. The two day use areas are now open; the new campground is expected to open for the season in the spring. » Continue Reading.
Featured Trail: Lewis Clearing Bay Trail, Westport
Lewis Clearing Bay Trail, part of the Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest, is a 1.7-mile trail from the Lewis Clearing Bay Trailhead on Lake Shore Road to its namesake bay on Lake Champlain. A 0.2-mile spur trail at the 1.4-mile mark leads to the Snake Den Harbor Overlook. The trail climbs 200 feet in the first 0.7 mile before dropping 450 feet down to the lake. » Continue Reading.
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