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Hordes climb Algonquin each year, but far fewer hikers continue along the ridge over Boundary Peak to Iroquois. Most people don’t know what they’re missing. By Phil Brown Carol’s friend Emily wanted to do a big hike, something spectacular. It didn’t take me long to hit on the idea of climbing Algonquin Peak and Iroquois Peak and returning by…
On Rooster Comb cliffs, climbers immerse themselves in wilderness and history. By Phil Brown Each year hundreds of people hike to the summit of Rooster Comb for its great views. Far fewer reach the summit by scaling its cliffs, but the mountain has a long and storied rock-climbing history. Whether you hike or climb to…
Paddlers make the best of a two-day trip on lakes overrun by motorboats and jet-skis. By Lisa Densmore Ballard In 1977, the rock singer Meat Loaf released a love song in which he crooned, “I want you. I need you, but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you. So don’t be sad. ’Cause…
Three hikers set out on one of the most arduous and spectacular hikes in the Northeast—a traverse of the Great Range—but encounter a thunderstorm just a half-mile short of Marcy’s summit. By Alan Wechsler We had been on the trail for nearly eleven hours when the storm hit. We were so close to success, so…
Trail around pristine lake appeals to hikers, runners, and equestrians and is featured in the Adirondack Explorer’s new guidebook. By Phil Brown When I suggested to my girlfriend Carol that we jog around Cascade Lake in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness, she endorsed the idea without hesitation. Not only is Carol a trail runner, but she also…
With the acquisition of the MacIntyre East tract near Tahawus, the public now owns 12 miles of shoreline along the upper Hudson and the Opalescent. By Phil Brown Brian Mann and I had been on the water for several hours when we came to a fallen tree stretched across the river. We pulled over to…
Nature photographer finds much beauty during a short hike on the Oregon Trail. By Gerry Lemmo My wife Lynne and I pulled into the small parking area on a mild morning in June. We had been here before to hike to Cod Pond in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, but today we had a different destination: the…
Human history and wild nature coexist peacefully in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. By David Thomas-Train The Adirondack Mountain Club’s Guide to Eastern Trails describes the Sucker Brook Horse Trail east of Schroon Lake as a long, lonely, and little-used route, with farm ruins and a brook named Desolate flowing through a “dark, dank” valley. Although I…
The hike from Elk Lake to the state’s highest summit is not the most popular, but it is one of the most rewarding. By Lisa Densmore Ballard It was necessary to perform the whole journey on foot, the trail lying through the wildest and most inaccessible forests of the Adirondacks, portions of which were almost unknown.…
By Dick Beamish Governor Andrew Cuomo and bicycle riders please take note: the opportunity of a lifetime is staring us in the face! Bicycling is America’s fastest-growing outdoor activity and now second only to walking. The Adirondack Park can hugely benefit from this healthy national trend. A detailed map shows the exciting possibilities. Follow the…