On the Peavine Swamp trail system in the northwestern Adirondacks near Cranberry Lake I found a tranquil route through open forest, culminating on a knoll overlooking the Oswegatchie River.
A plan for 69,000 acres
DEC’s proposals for managing the former Finch, Pruyn lands kindle a debate over motorized use. By Phil Brown More than five years after the Nature Conservancy bought all 161,000 acres of Finch, Pruyn & Company’s timberlands, the state has acquired eighteen thousand acres for the Forest Preserve and intends to open up some of the land to the public this spring. As a result of the state acquisition in December, canoeists and kayakers will be able to paddle south on the Hudson River from Newcomb to a takeout just south of the confluence with the Goodnow River. Wayne Failing, a >>More
Park Perspectives: Culverts as a common cause
The Ausable River is a far-reaching system, fed by dozens of streams dropping out of the eastern High Peaks, moving water into the major courses of the East and West Branches before the rivers join to tumble out of the foothills and into Lake Champlain. At some point in its travels much of the flow from this great gathering of water is funneled through one or another of hundreds of culverts, man-made tunnels placed in streambeds to carry the flow beneath roadways. Not many of us are aware of the culverts hidden below as we tool along the highway, but >>More
A sure thing for skiers
Paul Smiths VIC offers more than just good snow: it has doubled the mileage of ski trails since taking over the facility from the state in 2011. By Phil Brown Winter started slowly, so after we received a few small snowfalls in late November, I jumped at the chance to go on my first ski of the season. Since we still had no base, I figured my best bet would be the Adirondack Visitor Interpretive Center in Paul Smiths. The VIC is fun to ski anytime, but it’s a particularly good choice early in the season or in a low-snow >>More
Judge weighs canoer’s fate
Lawyers deliver arguments in trespassing lawsuit filed against Adirondack Explorer editor. By Kenneth Aaron Was Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown trespassing in 2009 when he paddled through private land abutting state-owned wilderness? Or did he have a right to be there because the waters he canoed are navigable and provide a useful link between parcels of public land? The question rests with State Supreme Court Justice Richard T. Aulisi, who heard arguments this past November in the Fulton County Courthouse, the oldest courthouse in the state. The trespassing suit against Brown was filed in 2010 by the Friends of Thayer >>More
Town’s skeptical of train
Officials in Tri-Lakes region urge state to study the benefits of converting rail corridor to a recreational trail or to just go ahead and tear up the tracks. By Brian Mann The battle over use of a historic railroad corridor through the heart of the Adirondacks escalated this fall, with a growing number of local government leaders questioning the value of an excursion train that would operate from Old Forge to Lake Placid. Regional development officials, meanwhile, affirmed their support for the Adirondack Scenic Railroad, describing it as an important tourism attraction and suggesting that the entire line could be >>More
A rafter’s rocky ride
Once a hero to Adirondack rafters, Pat Cunningham has become a pariah among his peers, and the state is seeking to shut down his outfitting business following the accidental drowning of a customer. By Mary Thill On March 30, 2012, Hamilton County Court gave Patrick Cunningham a second chance. It came with conditions and a warning. Judge S. Peter Feldstein told the defendant: “My goal in this matter, as I said at the beginning, was to affect how you do business. Now, I understand, Mr. Cunningham, through your attorney, that you do not feel that you’ve committed any crimes and >>More
What makes this a park?
Environmentalists want the state to do more to protect and enhance the region’s identity as a special place. By Kim Martineau The Adirondack Park is more than double the size of Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks combined, but its greatness is not always apparent. Silver lakes and dark woods beckon from some roadsides, while lawns and driveways interrupt the wild scenery from others. With its mix of private and public land, the Adirondacks have always had something of an identity problem. Four decades after the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) was created to oversee development on private lands, the Park is >>More
Park Perspectives: A day on Bald Mountain
By Tom Woodman It’s mid-morning and the trail up Bald Mountain just outside Old Forge is already hopping, with hikers embarking on the ascent and others already returning from the top. A dad with a son and daughter who look to be on either side of ten years old, run down slanted rock edges, giggling. Mom follows at a more sensible pace. They pass another set of parents and their teenage kids who have paused at rock ledges to catch their breath and snap pictures. Different peaks have their own personalities and excursions have distinctive characters. A climb up Mount >>More
New trail a scenic treat for hikers
Hikers will delight in one vista after another while climbing Moxham Mountain. By Phil Brown I have driven past Moxham Mountain in Minerva many times and admired its cliffs from afar. Back in the seventies and eighties, rock climbers put up more than a dozen routes on these steep slabs, but because the approach crosses private land, Moxham was omitted from the most recent climbing guidebook. That must be frustrating for climbers, especially since most of Moxham Mountain lies within the public Forest Preserve. But even though you can’t scale the cliffs, you can enjoy the view from the summit, >>More
