The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Snowshoers can enjoy a wild panorama from the newly restored fire tower on St. Regis Mountain. By Mike Lynch As we neared the summit of St. Regis Mountain this past January, the conditions changed dramatically. Tree limbs—caked in snow and ice—hung down over the trail, and as we walked crouched through the tangle of branches,…
By Phil Brown
Our editor and a friend revel in the powder on a ski trip to Avalanche Lake, Lake Colden, and Whale’s Tail Pass. By Phil Brown Avalanche Pass is probably the classic ski tour in the Adirondack Park. I’ve skied through the pass to Avalanche Lake more times than I can remember. Oddly, though, I never…
By Phil Brown
After the first snowstorm of the season, our editor visits one of his favorite sections of the Jackrabbit. By Phil Brown On a few occasions I have skied the Jackrabbit Trail the full twenty-four miles from Saranac Lake to Keene, but like most people I usually ski only a section of the trail on a…
The former Finch, Pruyn tracts offer many options for cross- country tours with spectacular views. By Tony Goodwin Over the past five years, the unprecedented addition of sixty-five thousand acres of former Finch, Pruyn lands to the Forest Preserve has opened up many new recreational opportunities. To date, the most publicized opportunities have been for…
Rock climbers scale cliffs on Ragged Mountain after state’s purchase of Boreas Pond Tract. By Phil Brown The newly acquired Boreas Ponds Tract has been touted as a destination for backpackers, paddlers, horseback riders, mountain bikers, and snowmobilers. As it turns out, some of the earliest users of the land have been rock climbers. Within…
Birdsongs welcome hikers on a jaunt in Keene Valley in May. By Tom Woodman Following a disappointing winter for skiing, I came into May looking forward to the next season of outdoor enjoyment. But spring turned out as contrary as winter, with the first days of warming sun followed by spells of bone-chilling cold. So…
Guidebook author discovers Snowy Mountain is much more enjoyable without black flies, fog, and rain. By Lisa Densmore Ballard I first climbed Snowy Mountain in 2008 while doing the field work for my guidebook Hiking the Adirondacks. Originally named “Squaw Bonnet,” Snowy Mountain (3,898 feet), near Indian Lake, is the tallest peak south of the…
Starting at Boreas Ponds, our editor journeys to a lovely backcountry pond and the headwater of a wild river. By Phil Brown Boreas Ponds is a gorgeous place to paddle, but not everyone owns a canoe and not everyone who does want to carry it seven miles, or three miles, or even a half-mile to…
Hurricane Mountain’s refurbished fire tower affords a panoramic vista from Lake Champlain to the High Peaks
Thanks to volunteers, Stillwater Mountain’s 47-foot edifice is open to the public again. By John Pitarresi Cathy Percy stands in the cabin of the Stillwater Mountain Fire Tower. She and her visitors are forty-seven feet above the footings set into the bedrock at the top of the mountain. The peak itself is a modest 2,264…