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.
Always check weather and trail conditions, regulations, and advisories before heading out on an outdoor adventure.
Know before you go:
People 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.
The 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.
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 adklmanack@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. 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. Accidents happen to the most experienced people. Be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. 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.
Charles Bryan, in The Raquette, River of the Forest (1964), argued that Long Lake played a major role in the development of the Adirondack Guideboat. That legacy got a local revival recently, when Long Lake resident Colleen Smith re-launched a guideboat on Long Lake built there by her grandfather George W. Smith in the early 1900s.
A neighbor, Gordon Fisher, spotted an advertisement for the boat and recognized it was made in Long Lake, but was unsure of the builder. Fisher contacted Long Lake boat builder Bunny Austin about brokering the vessel on behalf of the owner, who was living on Lake Champlain; it had been in the seller’s family since the 1950s. Austin turned the job over to his nephew Keith Austin, also a boat builder. His wife Debbie Austin spotted the signature of Geo W. Smith on all three of the seats she was re-caning. » Continue Reading.
The nonprofit Adirondack Hamlet to Huts (AHH) has announced they are accepting registrations for their first ever trek from Old Forge to Inlet and back as well as a trip from Old Forge to Raquette Lake and back.
These are pilot trips which are guided test runs of future AHH routes that are expected to be self-guiding. » Continue Reading.
Hoel, Turtle, Slang, and Long Pond are part of a route known as the Nine Carries located in the St. Regis Canoe Area.
Beginning at the parking area for Hoel Pond, paddle approximately one mile across the pond until you reach the train crossing. A culvert passes under the tracks into Turtle Pond. Carry over the tracks or pass through the culvert if there is enough water flowing through. Turtle pond is a much smaller narrower body of water. At about eight tenths of a mile long, paddling this pond can be much less demanding. There is no carry between Turtle and Slang Ponds. The two are connected by a winding narrow waterway. Paddlers should be cautious of downed branches, beaver dams, and low water through this passageway. » 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 adklmanack@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. 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. Accidents happen to the most experienced people. Be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. 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.
The North Warren Chamber of Commerce has announced the return of the Great Brant Lake Canoe Race has been set for August 17th. Paddlers of canoes, kayaks, SUPs and guide boats will begin at the north end of the lake and paddle 5.5 miles into the outlet, finishing just above the Mill Pond dam in the Hamlet of Horicon. » Continue Reading.
The 7th Annual Adirondack Challenge Festival in Indian Lake has been set for, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 19 – 21.
Governor Andrew Cuomo inaugurated this annual event in Indian Lake seven years ago to highlight recreational tourism in the Adirondack Park. The annual event has become an opportunity for Indian Lake businesses, organizations and the Town to showcase themselves with a variety of visitor activities. » Continue Reading.
The Indian Lake Poker Paddle has been set for Saturday, July 20th. Attendees will start and finish at Byron Park, on Lake Adirondack. Check in starts at 10:30 am, with the paddle and card drawings from noon to 3:30 pm.
The Indian Lake Poker Paddle is an annual event sponsored by the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce. Attendees explore the shores and bays of the scenic Lake Adirondack. Anything that floats and is propelled by a paddle qualifies including canoes, kayaks, SUPs, rowboats, guideboats, and rafts. » Continue Reading.
The Lake George Land Conservancy’s (LGLC) annual event, the Lake George Hike-A-Thon, took place on July 5, 2019, with nearly 550 hikers, paddlers, and volunteers taking part. Organizers say that seven years in, the event continues to show strong support from participants as well as sponsors.
The LGLC put out a survey after the event to get feedback from participants. Of 70 entries received to date, 96% said they were “very satisfied” with the Hike-A-Thon, and 97% said they are “very likely” to participate again. » Continue Reading.
Baldface Mountain (2,230 feet), part of the Jessup River Wild Forest, is located in Indian Lake and is a great sunny day adventure that includes paddling and hiking. » Continue Reading.
Divers, amateur geologists, anglers and anyone with curiosity about what lies beneath the waves, will enjoy the new water depth map of Blue Mountain Lake. The printed contour map reveals dramatic underwater terrain. Sharp cliffs tumble into cavities, giant glacial erratics are scattered about, and unseen underwater ridges link some islands while deep holes separate others.
Blue Mountain Lake straddles the divide between the Saint Lawrence and Hudson watersheds and is ringed by mountains whose slopes continue below the surface. An enormous northeast to southwest glacial groove runs under West Bay and includes the lake’s deepest spot. That low point is 102.7 feet down where there is a huge erratic. » Continue Reading.
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