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
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…
By Adirondack Explorer
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…
By Adirondack Explorer
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 Adirondack Explorer
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…
By Adirondack Explorer
DEC creates a trail for skiers that loops through former Finch, Pruyn timberlands near the Goodnow and Hudson rivers. By Phil Brown Since the state purchased the Essex Chain Lakes a few years ago, I had been meaning to try out the ski touring in that region. My initial idea was to ski on old…
By Adirondack Explorer
A key to successful protection of the Adirondack Park is wise oversight of privately owned lands within the Blue Line. Such properties make up roughly half the acreage in the Park and include wild lands that are important both for ecological integrity and the natural, park-like character of the Adirondacks. Unfortunately, the state agency responsible…
By Adirondack Explorer
A winter trifecta Owen, Copperas, and Winch ponds offer skiers and snowshoers an escape into wilderness just a short drive from Lake Placid. By Phil Brown It’s little wonder that Owen, Copperas, and Winch ponds are popular hiking destinations in summer: for little effort, you can walk through quiet woods to visit these pretty ponds, take…
By Adirondack Explorer
The Adirondack Park’s frozen cliffs offer some of the best ice climbing in the country. By Phil Brown The Adirondack Park has thousands of rock-climbing routes, many of them stellar, but it will never rival such climbing destinations as Yosemite Valley in California, New River Gorge in West Virginia, or the Shawangunks in downstate New…
By Adirondack Explorer
Taking a new hike Purchase of MacIntyre West Tract opens up Lake Andrew as a destination, though the state has yet to mark the route. By Phil Brown After writing about the state’s acquisition of the MacIntyre West Tract for the last issue of the Explorer, I was eager to explore it, and Lake Andrew seemed like…
By Adirondack Explorer
An old favorite in winter If you’re heading up St. Regis Mountain, bring your skis and your snowshoes. By Phil Brown Last winter, my daughter Becky and her fiancé, Joe, wanted to climb one of the Saranac Lake 6, so we snowshoed up St. Regis Mountain. Although I like St. Regis—with its marvelous views of ponds and lakes—I am not an…