History, Natural History & the Arts
“For The Sheer Joy Of Climbing”
These words will likely sound familiar to anyone who has undertaken the journey to become a 46er, as they are inscribed on a plaque at the summit of Esther Mountain, High Peak #28. The plaque was placed on the summit in 1939 by The Adirondack 46ers to honor “the indomitable spirit” of the peak’s namesake, Esther McComb. [Read more…] about A Mountaintop Plaque Recalls Teenage Adventurer Esther McComb
The Whiteface Landing Trail in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness, in Wilmington, Essex County, ascends 6.0 miles and 3,320 feet from the trailhead on State Route 86 to the 4,867-foot summit and its 360 degree views. [Read more…] about Featured Adirondack Hike: Whiteface Mountain
This 2020 Columbus Day Weekend, peak use of parts of the High Peaks and Giant Mountain Wilderness areas in the Adirondack Park have again be exceeded.
Now is the time to consider a permit reservation or limited entry system for key points of entry into these wilderness areas as necessary, helpful, practical, and practicable, says Adirondack Wild: Friends of the Forest Preserve. [Read more…] about Adk Wild: DEC Should Test High Peaks Online Permit System
A Siena College Research Institute poll of New York voters in September showed that by 68% to 22% they want New York State officials to protect overused public lands in the Adirondack Forest Preserve from further abuse by enforcing resource capacity limits, rather than building bigger and bigger parking lots to accommodate the surging crowds. [Read more…] about Siena Poll Shows Support For Limits on Hiking, Camping in High Peaks
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to explore less-traveled destinations instead of crowded hotspots while following the principles of Leave No Trace. [Read more…] about Hidden Gems For Upstate Hiking
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the around New York State. 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.
What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Another Busy Week For Forest Rangers: Carry-Outs, Copter Hoist
Whiteface Landing in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness, in Wilmington, Essex County, can be accessed via the waters of Lake Placid or a 2.5-mile trail which is also the first portion of the Whiteface Mountain Trail to the Mountain’s Summit.
In winter, that distance is 3.7 miles due to seasonal road closures. [Read more…] about Featured Adirondack Hike: Whiteface Landing
This trail system located on the southwestern shore of Lake Placid, in Essex County, consists of three trails loops – Boundary Trail, Ridge Trail, and Lakeshore Trail – bisected by an old dirt roadway.
The trails wind over gently rolling terrain and are self-guided nature trails that may be explored using the brochures provided at the trailhead by the Lake Placid Garden Club. [Read more…] about Featured Adirondack Hike: Brewster Peninsula Nature Trails
Temperatures have taken a decided turn. We’re expected to see some 20s at night in colder mountain valleys this weekend.
If you’re headed into to the woods or onto the waters, now is the time to be sure you’ve got some extra clothing and be prepared to spend an unplanned night in cold temperatures.
Summit temperatures are not expected to rise out of the 30s this weekend. [Read more…] about Cold Temperatures, Dry Conditions In The Adirondacks This Weekend
The Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced that a series of projects aimed at improving public access at its historic, 212-acre Adirondac Upper Works property in Newcomb in the Adirondacks, are near completion. The property serves as a southern entrance to many popular High Peaks Wilderness Area trails. *
OSI acquired the 10,000-acre Tahawus tract in 2003. OSI then transferred most of the property to DEC, but retained 212 acres for educational, historic, and recreational purposes. Since then, OSI and partners have invested nearly $900,000 in improvements at Adirondac Upper Works, including site planning; the initial stabilization of the blast furnace; the creation of an interpretative trail with educational panels that guides visitors from the northern parking area, through the former Village of Adirondac, to the historic 1854 Blast Furnace; and the structural preservation of MacNaughton Cottage. Built in 1845, MacNaughton Cottage is the site from which then Vice President Theodore Roosevelt began his midnight ride to the presidency in 1901. [Read more…] about Historic High Peaks Trailhead Area Getting Makeover