The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Mike Lynch has been the Explorer's climate reporter since January 2025 and has worked for the publication since 2014. In addition to writing about climate change, he covers issues related to wildlife. Mike has also worked as a licensed outdoor guide and thru-paddled the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. He is the author of 12 Short Hikes on Preserves near Lake George. He can be reached at [email protected].
By Mike Lynch
Exhibit Features Rare Adirondack Artifacts and “Blue Line” Maps of Adirondack and Catskills Parks New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos recently unveiled a new exhibit featuring rare Adirondack and Catskills artifacts, including historic maps, antique survey equipment, field notebooks, and photographs that tell the story of creation of the Adirondack…
By Mike Lynch
Spencer Morrissey’s goal is to hike all of the Adirondacks mountains that are open to the public, or that he’s allowed to do through permission of the landowners. He’s counted 1,817 possible peaks.
By Mike Lynch
SARANAC LAKE — A new partnership aims to support charitable projects in Cycle Adirondacks host communities. Cycle Adirondacks is a fully supported road cycling tour of the Adirondack region, founded in 2015 by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Adirondack Program. This year, WCS and Cycle Adirondacks are teaming up with Adirondack Foundation’s crowdfunding platform, Adirondack…
By Mike Lynch
The state Department of Environmental Conservation has been grappling with how to deal with the increasing number of hikers in the High Peaks in recent years. I wrote a series of articles about the subject last year, and we will continue to report on the issue again this summer. Above are some photos that illustrate…
By Mike Lynch
In May, I met up with Dave LaMountain at the Flume on the West Branch of the Ausable River in Wilmington. LaMountain demonstrated how he uses drones to showcase the beauty of the Adirondack Park. He is a believer that drones can co-exist with the Adirondack Park if their usage is limited to noisy frontcountry…
By Mike Lynch
Here are some photos that I took in mid-April along the Saranac River. The photos were taken from a few miles downstream of the village of Saranac Lake to Union Falls Dam. This past winter the northern Adirondacks received a significant amount of snow, much of it in mid-March during a storm that dumped more…
By Mike Lynch
In late May, I joined Explorer publisher Tracy Ormsbee and Brendan Wiltse for a hike to Cobble Lookout in Wilmington. During the 2.2-mile round trip hike, Tracy interviewed Brendan for her new Trailblazer column that features people around the Park who are taking leadership roles related to important causes. Brendan is a scientist and an…
By Mike Lynch
This winter, I visited the St. Regis Fire Tower in Paul Smiths with Doug Fitzgerald, who is co-chair of Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower. The highlight of the trip – which included skiing and snowshoeing – was being on the frosty summit, where the trees and fire tower were covered in a layer…
By Mike Lynch
In my observation, there’s been steady increase in the popularity of outdoor recreation. As I travel through the Adirondacks, hiking trails and canoe launches that were once empty are now constantly flooded with cars and people heading out into our great state park. The most obvious spot to see this change is the parking lot…
By Mike Lynch
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…