This spring, when New York State was in a lockdown due to the pandemic, it was unclear what that meant for the Adirondacks. Would the outdoor tourism industry thrive or falter? Would people still be hitting the trails? Would small businesses survive?
As a new homeowner a few decades ago, I needed a ladder and foolishly bought a heavy-duty fiberglass 28-footer that could reach the highest point. That was a bad move; other than once I’ve never needed to reach that high; the ladder is unwieldy and even fully retracted it’s too long for most jobs. Later and a little wiser, I acquired a lightweight 16-foot extension ladder which I now use for almost everything.
Many of my friends make the same mistake when they shop for cross-country skis, buying for the most extreme conditions they’ll ever encounter. In the store they convince themselves they need wide, back-country skis with metal edges, in case of deep powder or an icy traverse. They ski-trudge that heavy-duty gear on ordinary trails and easy roads like the one to Great Camp Santanoni. They even take them to groomed Nordic centers. Instead, their primary pair should have been a light-touring setup that’s good for almost everything except the rare extremes.
This weekly report of outdoor recreation conditions in the Adirondacks is compiled each Thursday afternoon and updated on Friday.
Contribute Your Knowledge: Add a comment below, or send your observations, corrections, updates, and suggestions to [email protected]
Learn and practice the seven Leave No Trace principles. Plan ahead and prepare. Carry out what you have carried in. Do not leave gear, food, or other items at lean-tos and campsites. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.
BE PREPARED! Start slow, gain experience. Carry proper safety equipment and weather protection and bring plenty of water and lights, and a map. When on the trail, stay together, monitor the time, and be prepared to turn back. Be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. Accidents happen to the most experienced people. Always carry food, a space blanket, emergency whistle, first aid kit, fire making tools, extra clothing layers and socks, a map and compass, and the knowledge to use them. Inform someone of your itinerary and 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.
This weekly report of outdoor recreation conditions in the Adirondacks is compiled each Thursday afternoon and updated on Friday.
Contribute Your Knowledge: Add a comment below, or send your observations, corrections, updates, and suggestions to [email protected]
Learn and practice the seven Leave No Trace principles. Plan ahead and prepare. Carry out what you have carried in. Do not leave gear, food, or other items at lean-tos and campsites. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.
BE PREPARED! Start slow, gain experience. Carry proper safety equipment and weather protection and bring plenty of water and lights, and a map. When on the trail, stay together, monitor the time, and be prepared to turn back. Be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. Accidents happen to the most experienced people. Always carry food, a space blanket, emergency whistle, first aid kit, fire making tools, extra clothing layers and socks, a map and compass, and the knowledge to use them. Inform someone of your itinerary and 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.
East Mill Flow-Round Pond Trail, part of the Hammond Pond Wild Forest, extends 5.2 miles between Round Pond Trailhead and East Mill Flow Trailhead in the Sharp Bridge Campground. » Continue Reading.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has finalized the Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Sentinel Range Wilderness.
The Sentinel Range Wilderness is comprised of 23,874 acres of Forest Preserve lands in the towns of Keene, Jay, Wilmington, and North Elba, Essex County. The lands consist primarily of rugged, mountainous forest land with relatively few ponds and wetlands. Mountain views are one of the Wilderness Area’s main attractions, although a portion of the Jackrabbit Ski Trail also runs through the wilderness. The area borders the north side of Route 73 through Cascade Pass and includes a number of popular climbing areas. » Continue Reading.
While the grounds of Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb are open to visitors 365 days a year, the buildings are not typically open to the public during winter months.
The exception are designated Winter Weekends, when the rustic historic site is staffed with guides, and snowshoes are provided at the gate for the ten-mile round trip.
Three Winter Weekend events have been set this year: Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, January 18-20; Presidents’ Day holiday weekend, February 15-17; and the weekend of March 14 and 15.
Newcomb’s Camp Santanoni hosts three winter weekends each year, which provide an opportunity for people to have access to the Great Camp buildings that are not open year-round. The first winter weekend is January 18-20, with the next two set for February 15-17, March 14-15.
Don’t forget the Great Camp Santanoni is always open to the public, but these Winter Weekends provide public access to the interior of the remaining historic buildings on the property as well as historical educational information. » Continue Reading.
Gore Mountain has announced they are opening its professionally maintained cross-country trails to fat tire biking on non-holiday Wednesday nights. Bikers are welcomed to explore the Ski Bowl’s stadium layout, which features both grooming and snowmaking and includes a variety of inclines, flat stretches, and brief wooded routes.
Twilight trail passes for biking, snowshoeing, and nordic skiing are available for $12. » Continue Reading.
Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center provides visitors with 25 miles of trails, including six miles of interpretive trails on their 3,000-acre property.
The trail system weaves through diverse ecosystems allowing visitors to immerse themselves in nature. The trail system traverses every habitat type found in the Adirondack Park (with the exception of alpine vegetation) and includes extensive boardwalks through wetland ecosystems. » Continue Reading.
There is 4-8 inches of snow across most of the Adirondacks, with deeper snows – about 6-10 inches – across the Northern Adirondacks, and at higher elevations in the High Peaks, and nordic, downhill and some backcountry skiing has begun around the region.
Whiteface Mountain, in Wilmington, and Gore Mountain, in North Creek opened for the 2019-’20 season on Friday. They will remain open through the weekend, but may close during the week until Friday after Thanksgiving. Both mountains have begun using direct-to-lift radio-frequency identification (RFID) for Ski 3 Card holders. There’s a new cabin at the summit of Burnt Ridge Mountain at Gore. » Continue Reading.
Champlain Area Trails (CATS) has published two new trail maps that cover hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing opportunities in the Champlain Valley, from Ticonderoga and the nearby Pharaoh Lake Wilderness north to the Canadian Boarder.
The Central Champlain Valley Trail Map is the latest update of the trail map first published 12 years ago, which covers a geographic area from Peru south through Ticonderoga and into northern Warren County. New this year, the Northern Champlain Valley Trail Map expands north from Willsboro Point to Canada. » Continue Reading.
Champlain Area Trails (CATS) has announced plans to preserve 35 acres in the Town of Essex, NY, on land that features 400 million-year-old fossils — part of an ancient coral reef — as well as a type of forest considered globally rare and an historic stone quarry.
The Essex Quarry Nature Park will be located on the southern edge of the hamlet, a short distance from the Essex – Charlotte, Vt. ferry landing. » Continue Reading.
According to a press release issued by New York State Police, on June 9, 2019 the New York State Police received a call that an individual had caused damage to trails at the Cascade Ski Center with a vehicle. » 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.
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