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
By Tom Woodman Years ago my wife and I sat out a week’s vacation in our Adirondack cabin, watching a lovely snowscape evaporate into the dripping fog of a winter thaw. We tried to buck up our spirits by declaring that this scene was not really dismal. It was a different kind of beauty. This…
By Adirondack Explorer
The round trip to Raquette Falls is an ideal ski in winters with a dearth of snow. By Phil Brown By early January, we were desperate. We had enough snow to ski the Whiteface Mountain toll road, local golf courses, and a few easy trails, but that was it. As the ski-less days dragged on,…
By Adirondack Explorer
Adirondack Council voices support for huge resort in Tupper Lake, revealing split in environmental movement shortly before the APA approves the project. By Brian Mann The Adirondack Park Agency’s decision in January to approve construction of a massive new resort in Tupper Lake angered many environmental activists. David Gibson, one of the founders of Adirondack…
By Adirondack Explorer
By Phil Brown The spruce grouse is likely to vanish from the Adirondacks, perhaps within a decade, if the state fails to take steps to help the species, according to scientists. In a draft recovery plan issued in February, the state Department of Environmental Conservation recommends both manipulating habitat on private timberlands to favor…
By Adirondack Explorer
Despite lack of snow, most cross-country facilities manage to stay open. By Rick Karlin Donald Preuninger and Brian McDonnell have something in common: they both took over cross-country-ski centers before one of the warmest and driest winters in recent memory. But they aren’t complaining about the weather—not too much, anyway. “I can’t tell you we’re…
By Adirondack Explorer
By Tom Woodman For an inspirational speaker this guy was sounding like a downer. Climate change is more advanced than predicted just a few years ago. We are already seeing irreversible environmental effects from global warming. The United States remains dangerously dependent on fossil fuels even as energy companies resort to more expensive and environmentally…
By Adirondack Explorer
By Evan Williams On a brisk winter day, my dad and I set out for a snowshoe excursion up Mount Arab, a small peak with a restored fire tower west of Tupper Lake and a panoramic view of the northern Adirondacks. Because the climb to the 2,545-foot summit is only a mile, with an elevation…
By Adirondack Explorer
DEC’s decision not to rebuild the structure at Duck Hole raises questions about the future of other artificial lakes in the Forest Preserve. By Phil Brown Before Tropical Storm Irene, hikers had urged the state to repair the old logging dam at Duck Hole to preserve its impoundment, a charming brook-trout pond ringed by mountains…
By Adirondack Explorer
Secluded pass offers winter adventurers beauty, solitude, and a good run back. By Phil Brown When I was a novice backcountry skier, I once climbed to Klondike Notch, the pass between Howard and Yard mountains in the High Peaks Wilderness, and endured a frightful descent on the way back, falling on my butt a few…
By Adirondack Explorer
As Big Tupper debate enters final weeks, questions linger about wildlife impacts and financing. By Brian Mann The Adirondack Club and Resort project has been scrutinized and debated for seven years, and yet, although the Adirondack Park Agency may vote on the project in January, several important environmental and financial questions remain unanswered. One…