Hurricane Mountain: Fire tower and 360-degree view
Hurricane Mountain’s refurbished fire tower affords a panoramic vista from Lake Champlain to the High Peaks
Hiking
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A newer section of the Northville-Placid Trail eliminates miles of road walking
The Adirondack Mountain Club completed a segment in the summer of 2015, realizing their goal of bringing the Northville-Placid Trail closer to the trail’s southern terminus. By Bill Ingersoll I knew we were going to have no problems fording West Stony Creek the moment I saw it from the summit. The waterway snaked its way…
Vanderwhacker Mountain
The author, her husband, and a reluctant teenager make a steep climb to a fire tower only to find the view obscured by clouds. By Lisa Densmore Ballard With a name like “Vanderwhacker,” I had to climb it, again. Vanderwhacker Mountain, elevation 3,386 feet and located between Newcomb and Minerva, is the highest point in…
Grace Peak: Honoring a hiking legend
Four hikers pay tribute to an Adirondack legend while climbing the peak newly renamed in her honor. By Susan Bibeau Shortly after moving to the Adirondacks in 1996, I climbed Giant Mountain. Not only was it my first High Peak, it was the first time I’d climbed anything higher than the hill in the back yard where I grew up. While…
Family adventure on Debar Mountain: A quest for rejuvenation amidst the Adirondacks
After days of rain, a family beats the blahs by climbing Debar Mountain, a former fire-tower peak in the northern Adirondacks. By Lisa Densmore Ballard SOME DAYS I need to go hiking. I don’t want an epic outing, just some time in the woods to clear my head, enough of a climb to exercise my body,…
Saranac Lake 6ers guide to hiking six Adirondack mountains
The Adirondack Explorer staff hiked the Saranac Lake 6 and prepared this guide containing trail descriptions, maps, and photographs.
Longtime hikers pen Northville-Placid Trail guidebook
No one knows the Northville-Placid Trail better than Jeffrey and Donna Case. They have hiked it each spring for more than 20 years, so it’s only natural that they would be called on to rewrite the Adirondack Mountain Club’s guidebook for the 132-mile trail.
Black Bear Mountain: A seldom-traveled low peak
If you’re looking for a longer hike, to a summit that sees less traffic in the busy Old Forge region, Black Bear Mountain is a solid choice.
3 great backpacking trips
By Bill Ingersoll One early spring, I embarked on my first backpacking trip, to Mud Lake in the Silver Lake Wilderness. The place attracted me because it had a lean-to and the walking distance seemed reasonable. Thus, I set off into the wilds with a brand-new pack and sleeping bag. By the time I reached…
Panting and painting along the Northville-Placid Trail
By Phil Brown
Hiking the Northville-Placid Trail inspired an artist to create a suite of paintings depicting scenes along the 133-mile route. He loved it.