Posts Tagged ‘Paddling’

Friday, August 7, 2020

What’s on your Adirondack summer bucket list?

Phil Brown canoes Shingle Shanty Brook in 2009People all over the country are flocking outside during this pandemic summer. And recent top stories from AdirondackExplorer.org and AdirondackAlmanack.com reflect the strangeness of recreating amid Covid-19, I as wrote about in my weekly “Adk News Briefing” e-mail newsletter. (Click here to subscribe to it.)

I’m curious to know what’s on your Adirondack summer “to do” list. Have you tried something new this summer? Have you joined the crowds or ventured into more remote territory? Feel free to leave a comment or share an email: [email protected]

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Paddling and Covid-19

I have such gratitude for the Adirondack woods and waters during this Covid-19 pandemic. Paddling my solo canoe is the best. When I’m with friends, we easily keep our social distance as we float on the open waters and maneuver up a stream bed. 

Keeping six-feet away from the crowds at canoe access sites this summer is another matter. Often it’s difficult finding a parking spot with enough room to keep clear of others walking around their cars while lifting canoes and kayaks. My friends and I wear our masks, but not all do. Families are relieved that their kids can run around, which they do in the parking lots and beaches that serve as canoe and kayak put-in and take-outs. I stick with water access points that are maintained for use by cartop water craft, rather than launching sites appropriate for motor boats.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, February 23, 2020

DEC Proposes More Recreation Access In Croghan Tract

Croghan Tract Map 2020The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the release of a draft Recreation Management Plan (RMP) for the Croghan Tract Conservation Easement in Lewis County in the Western Adirondacks.

DEC is now inviting the public to share comments and ask questions about the draft plan at a public meeting and/or to submit comments on the draft RMP during the 30-day public comment period. » Continue Reading.


Monday, February 3, 2020

Plans Afloat For New Ownership of 90-Miler, Other Races

90 miler Adirondack Canoe ClassicThe Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) and the Adirondack Watershed Alliance (AWA) are working towards a transfer of AWA events and activities, including the Adirondack Canoe Classic, to NFCT’s care before the launch of the 2021 paddling season.

AWA, managed by Brian and Grace McDonnell for over two decades, currently coordinates the ‘Round the Mountain Canoe and Kayak Race and the Celebrate Paddling Invitational in Saranac Lake, the Long Lake Long Boat Regatta, and the Adirondack Canoe Classic, known more commonly as the 90-Miler. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Upper Saranac Shoreline Protected Along Canoe Route

newly conserved land on Upper Saranac Lake courtesy Adirondack Land Trust The Adirondack Land Trust purchased five acres of forest along the shore of Upper Saranac Lake to ensure that a mile-long stretch of shoreline between Indian Carry and Indian Point remains forever wild.

The tract features 570 feet of rugged lakeshore edged by boulders and northern white cedars. The Adirondack Land Trust is expected to work with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to transfer the land to the state to close a gap in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest, which is protected under the “forever wild” clause of New York’s constitution as part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. » Continue Reading.


Monday, December 23, 2019

The Longest Adirondack Rivers

Hudson River near the Blue Ledges by Paul Schaefer, c. 1968How many times have we seen the Adirondack mountains ranked by height, the tallest 46 separated into a revered category of their own?

There’s a club and way of life dedicated to hiking the 46, and a Lake Placid restaurant offers 46 different sandwiches named for the peaks.

For a change, today we list the largest streams in the Adirondack region.* » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Dealing with the Environmental Effects of Flooding

Heavy rain has led to historic flooding in parts of the Adirondacks.  Waters are receding, but the clean up and repairs will continue for some time as Adirondackers return to flooded homes and camps.  Some will return to flooded outbuildings, destroyed docks and shoreline changes.

Building owners with flooded basements should check for sheens or odors from gasoline, oil or substances that may have leaked from fuel oil storage tanks, furnaces or motorized equipment before pumping out water. » Continue Reading.


Saturday, October 19, 2019

Lorraine Duvall: A Visit to Paddle Boreas Ponds

mountains and trees at Boreas Ponds“I’m from Canajoharie, the others from Albany and Catskill,” a women said when I saw her with two friends on Boreas Ponds last week.

“We met through the Facebook page ‘Paddling in the Adirondacks’ and we’ve been going on trips together ever since,” she said, “often driving hours, as we did today.”

These three middle-age women in their colorful kayaks were among the twenty or so paddlers I saw on the a trip to Boreas Ponds on a partly sunny, 60-degree Fall day. » Continue Reading.


Monday, September 30, 2019

Battles Over Boreas Ponds Brought Access to Wild Lands

four corners parking area sign provided by peter bauerJust after Labor Day weekend this year, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) completed its work to fully open up public access to the Boreas Ponds, in the southern High Peaks Wilderness Area. These beautiful ponds are now easily accessible for people to either canoe or to hike.

New state facilities were constructed over the past two years to rehabilitate the six-mile-long Gulf Brook Road, build parking lots, public education kiosks, a canoe carry and canoe launches to make this extraordinary natural wonder fully accessible to the public.

The reconstructed road and new access points opens a new southern gateway to the High Peaks Wilderness Area and makes easily reachable one of the most scenic and visually dramatic areas in the Adirondacks. Paddling through the network of three inter-connected waterways gives one the sensation of paddling through mountaintops. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, September 11, 2019

90-Miler Adirondack Canoe Classic Results for 2019

90 miler Adirondack Canoe Classic

The three-day 90-Miler Adirondack Canoe Classic starts in Old Forge and ends in Blue Mountain Lake on day one; starts in Long Lake and ends near Tupper Lake day two; and starts at the NYSDEC Fish Creek Campground Day 3 and finishes on Lake Flower in Saranac Lake.

This year, of the 250 boats that started the event on Friday, 235 finished on Sunday. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Nicks Lake Campground In Old Forge Gets Upgrades

Nicks Lake Day Use Area provided by DECNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation has recently completed of upgrades to Nicks Lake Campground on Bisby Road in Old Forge, Herkimer County.

The campground is known for it’s wildlife friendly surroundings and abuts a 205-acre shallow lake closed to motor boats for quiet water canoeing, kayaking, or swimming. » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Several 70-Year-Olds Rescued in the Adirondacks

forest ranger logoNew 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.


Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Planning A Safe Backcountry Adventure

hiking essentials Always check weather and trail conditions, regulations, and advisories before heading out on an outdoor adventure.

Know before you go:

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, August 25, 2019

Canalway Challenge Racks Up Big Miles

canalway challenge logoPeople from 24 US states, Puerto Rico, and Canada have pledged to walk, run, cycle, and paddle 300,000 miles along New York’s canals and Canalway Trail this year as part of the Canalway Challenge. The new program invites people to trace history while tracking miles to discover all they can do along New York’s canals, including the nearby Champlain Canal. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, August 22, 2019

A 90-Miler Adirondack Canoe Classic Watcher’s Guide

90 miler Adirondack Canoe ClassicThe 37th Annual Adirondack Canoe Classic, the 3-day, 90-mile paddling event from Old Forge to Saranac Lake, will take place September 6 – 8, 2019. Here is what you need to know:

The 90-Miler attracts a full contingent of solo, tandem, 4 person and 8 person canoes, solo and tandem kayaks and one and two person guide boats. More than 600 people, from 22 different states, are expected to take part during the fall foliage season. » Continue Reading.



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