The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
By Phil Brown
Last winter Carol Fox and I skied from Averyville outside Lake Placid to Oseetah Lake outside Saranac Lake, following an old woods road that constitutes part of the northern boundary of the High Peaks Wilderness. We had a great time. You will be able to read about our adventure in a forthcoming issue of the…
By Phil Brown
The 22,560-acre Pepperbox in the western Adirondacks is one of the smaller Wilderness Areas in the Park, but it also is one of the wildest. It has no lean-tos and only two miles of foot trails. The State Land Master Plan observes that the lack of a trail system “offers an opportunity to retain a…
By Phil Brown
It may be April, but there’s still skiing to be had in the backcountry. On Tuesday morning I skied to the top of Dewey Mountain outside Saranac Lake and enjoyed a fun run down in virtually midwinter conditions. Last weekend, Carol MacKinnon Fox and I skied over the summit of Mount Van Hoevenberg and found…
By Phil Brown
You know winter is coming to an end when the state Department of Environmental Conservation closes rock-climbing cliffs where peregrine falcons are known to breed. Peregrines are on the state’s endangered-species list, and so each spring DEC closes cliffs to protect their nesting sites. Cliffs will be reopened if no nesting occurs on them. Those…
By Phil Brown
This has been a great winter for powder skiing in the backcountry, thanks to a two-month-plus stretch of cold weather without a serious thaw. Alas, that stretch ended last week, leaving me a bit apprehensive about ski conditions. On Sunday, I skied Mount Marcy with my neighbor, Tim Peartree, starting from Adirondak Loj. As it…
By Phil Brown
On Friday afternoon I checked out the cross-country trails at Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake. As expected, the groomed trails were in fine shape, but I was more interested in the ungroomed, rougher trails that lead to the top of the mountain as they more closely mirror conditions likely to be found on many backcountry…
By Phil Brown
It’s late January, but we’re still waiting for midwinter ski conditions. That said, you can find good skiing if you pick the right spots. At lower elevations, you want to stick to smoother trails—such as truck trails and old woods roads—as there might not be enough snow to cover big rocks and roots. At higher…
By Phil Brown
Backcountry skiing has improved in the Adirondacks since the Great Thaw in late December, but we still don’t have as much snow as we’d like for mid-January. Shortly after Christmas, Carol Fox and I “skied” the hill above Whiteface Inn Lane on the Jackrabbit Trail. There were so many exposed rocks and so much open…
By Phil Brown
Environmental groups are threatening to take to a higher court their battle against a mining company’s plan to drill for wollastonite in the Jay Mountain Wilderness. On Thursday, Earthjustice filed a notice of appeal with the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, a step that preserves its right to appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit…
By Phil Brown
A Mississippi company has purchased 112,200 acres of timberlands in the northern Adirondacks, making it the largest landowner in the Adirondack Park. Molpus Woodlands Group bought the land in December, greatly expanding its holdings in the Park. It now owns about 273,000 acres in the Adirondacks. Lyme Timber Company owns 239,500 acres, according to Managing…