The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
The Adirondack Explorer is a nonprofit magazine covering the Adirondack Park's environment, recreation and communities.
By Adirondack Explorer
Guidebook author lures her hiking-averse brother up one of the southern Adirondacks’ most scenic mountains. By Lisa Densmore Ballard My brother, Wayne, claimed he was allergic to hiking. A decade ago, I coaxed him into climbing modest Baker Mountain by Moody Pond in Saranac Lake, a mile from his home. In a moment of weakness,…
By Adirondack Explorer
Bald Mountain may be the region’s most popular summit, but I prefer Black Bear Mountain located between Eagle Bay and Inlet.
By Adirondack Explorer
Of course, all of the hikes in 12 Short Hikes Near Old Forge are short, but some are shorter than others. One of the easiest of the shorties is the 0.7-mile walk to Remsen Falls on the South Branch of the Moose River. This hike begins on Wolf Landing Road, a gravel road that leads…
By Adirondack Explorer
In the summer of 2015, while driving my beat-up Toyota truck through the back roads of northern Clinton and Franklin counties documenting the Great Dannemora Prison Break, I kept thinking that I had been swallowed whole by a tabloid news story, or maybe a trashy pulp novel, that refused to end. The setting was the…
By Adirondack Explorer
A 6.4-mile round trip to Middle Settlement Lake lies in the heart of the Ha-de-ron-dah Wilderness. Except for two very short climbs, the route is fairly flat, so you should be able to make good time. If you’re into trail running, this is a great outing. The hike begins on Route 28 southwest of Old…
By Adirondack Explorer
In your review of the Colvin film, you are absolutely wrong about the pronunciation of Colvin’s name. Phil Terrie is correct in calling Colvin’s name as CALLvin. I grew up in a North Country farming community where a prominent family named Colvin existed in the early I900s; it was pronounced with a short “o.” When…
By Adirondack Explorer
I was pleased to see the review by Betsy Kepes in your March/April issue about Lorraine Duvall’s books and wanted to add a comment about what for me makes In Praise of Quiet Waters so engaging. The way Duvall interweaves history, advocacy, and personal story kept each aspect from bogging down the narrative. Her questions…
By Adirondack Explorer
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 Adirondack Explorer
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…
By Adirondack Explorer
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…