August has just begun, so there is plenty of time to get in a weekend of camping at one of New York State’s Adirondack campgrounds.
Attendance at State Park campgrounds and DEC campgrounds and day use areas is up almost eight percent so far this season according to DEC, and 2018 looks to be a record-breaking year – so where can you camp with all the facilities of a State campground, but with a little more peace and quiet? » Continue Reading.
Bill had been driving all over the Adirondacks since early Friday morning. I was in my car heading north to meet him. I’d get occasional calls from him about the wintry conditions and iced-over lakes that he found. Ice-out was late this year, so our original plan to canoe into the St. Regis Wilderness Area for a few days of fishing was scrapped. Instead, we decided on fish Rock Pond, in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness.
Bill had been wanting to fish the pond for years, and he was sure we had a chance for some big brook trout. From the DEC boat launch in the campground on Putnam Pond we paddled about two miles to the carry at the other end of the lake, about three quarters of a mile from Rock Pond. » Continue Reading.
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.
Lake Lila is found entirely within the William C. Whitney Wilderness area and is located west of the Village of Long Lake.
This remote lake has both excellent warm and cold-water fishing. Lake Lila is a large, windswept wilderness lake where motor use is prohibited. » Continue Reading.
Hikers should avoid camping at Slant Rock Lean-to area in the High Peaks this weekend and beware of a nuisance bear with an ear tag that has been active in Eastern High Peaks Wilderness recently.
The bear is approaching hikers and campers in an attempt to obtain food. The bear has been seen in the Slant Rock area, which is located along the popular Phelps Trail in the Johns Brook Valley. » Continue Reading.
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 unwanted or unneeded items at lean-tos and campsites. Do not litter. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.
There are still a few spots open in the Northern Forest Explorers program, which sends children aged 10-14 years old on five-day paddling trips in the Adirondacks.
The trips are organized by Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper Lake, in collaboration with the nonprofit Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Participating children are provided all of the essential camping and paddling gear. » Continue Reading.
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 unwanted or unneeded items at lean-tos and campsites. Do not litter. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.
New York State is hosting free “Outdoors Day” events across the state on Saturday, June 9.
Outdoors Day events are planned for New Yorkers of all ages and abilities to try out a wide range of recreational activities. » Continue Reading.
With the start of camping season, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is reminding campers that New York State’s firewood regulations are still in effect.
Untreated firewood may contain invasive pests that kill trees, and to protect New York’s forests, it may not be moved more than 50 miles from its source or origin.
Homeowners should not move firewood from trees that died on their property for use while camping. Moving untreated firewood is one of the main ways tree-killing invasive pests hitch rides to new areas, spreading these pests faster and farther than they would have on their own. A variety of invasive species can be transported on firewood, from wood boring beetles and defoliators to fungi and diseases. » Continue Reading.
As we made forays out from Mateskared, our family’s cabin in Baker’s Mills, most often Schaefers were the way-showers and Zahnisers their eager followers. On their 1946 backpacking trip to Flowed Lands and Hanging Spear Falls on the Opalescent River in the High Peaks with Ed Richard, Paul Schaefer went so far as to carry my father on his shoulders across one difficult and hazardous approach by narrow ledge to the falls themselves up through the boulder-strewn canyon of the Opalescent. Paul’s accounts of the trip never mentioned that fact, gleaned from my father’s journal. But it set a suitable tone for our families’ joint wildlands outings. » Continue Reading.
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.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) have announced that New York will again provide free First-Time Camper weekends this summer.
Families that have never camped before will have the opportunity to see if they enjoy sleeping under the stars before investing in their own gear by registering for a fully stocked campsite at select state campgrounds one weekend from July 13 through August 17. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has launched a new program to encourage volunteer Campground Ambassadors to assist state campground staff at six locations in the Adirondacks.
An announcement from DEC said they hope the Ambassadors will help introduce new campers to state facilities and outdoor activities such as hiking and fishing. It’s also hoped Ambassadors will help connect campers and day users to nature via environmentally themed activities and programming. » Continue Reading.
Last summer my wife Amy and I took a trip to Norway. During part of our trip we camped at Lysefjord, famous for its sheer cliffs including Preikestolen, about which I wrote previously. Lots of Norwegians and visitors from other European countries car camp as their preferred mode of tourism, meaning those facilities see a brisk business.
Preikestolen is one of Norway’s most famous destinations, so we were glad to catch a spot at the nearby campground. It was well-run, with charming Dutch hosts, and we were quite happy with our stay. But by late morning of our departure our mood had changed to regret. That’s because twenty minutes after leaving we stumbled upon the most remarkable place for camping I’ve ever seen. It’s called Landa Park and its conception is brilliant. It left me thinking someone ought to try a similar thing here in the Adirondacks.
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