The Adirondacks

National Lands

Adirondack State Park is a unique, beautiful and amazing place. At six million one hundred thousand acres it's larger than Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks combined. It contains denser forests, more flowing water, more hiking trails, more historical sites and more species diversity than any of them. It's also bigger than Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware and New Jersey combined.

Don't be misled by the altitude. The Rocky Mountains are much higher, but hikes there begin at 7000 feet and usually top out at 11,000 feet. Peaks here may be lower, but trails in the eastern sector begin at 300 feet, in the high peaks sector at 1800 feet. The High Peaks go to 5000 feet, with Mt. Marcy at 5343. So you may be climbing just as far or even further.

The Adirondacks also contain an astonishing range of ecosystems, from low boglands to boreal forests to mountaintop balds, from the mighty Hudson River to tight streams to huge lakes to small ponds.

The Adirondacks are also the world's greatest example of regeneration, of nature's ability to come back. In 1892, when the Adirondack Park was created, the land had been stripped. Timber companies had cleared the hills and valleys of trees. It was a desolate landscape. Every deep forest you hike through today has grown back in the 150 years since.

The water here is also phenomenal. These lakes and streams are among the purest in the world. Stringent water standards are rigorously enforced with continual testing and tracking. Anyone caught polluting or littering is hit with severe penalties.

That such a pristine wilderness exists within a few hours of New York City and somehow absorbs 13 million visitors a year is a miracle.

Unlike most national parks, several already existing small villages were grandfathered into the Adirondack territory. They were once service centers for the timber industry but today serve as service centers for hiking, backpacking, fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, canoeing and, in the case of Lake Placid, for the Olympics. Each one offers restaurants, bed & breakfasts, lodges and stores. Larger Lake Placid and Lake George offer art galleries, museums, boat rides and other attractions.

The Adirondacks are beautiful year round, but are most famous for their Fall Foliage, which is at its peak in late September through mid October. The bugs are gone then and it's ideal hiking weather, but you need reservations well in advance and should expect crowds. There are lots of tourist attractions based on the brightly colored leaves, and there are tour buses bringing groups in from everywhere.

The Adirondacks are rich in history. The Mohicans, Mohawk and Abenake tribes lived here for 12,000 years before the arrival of White Europeans and their influence is everywhere, from place names, canoes and pack baskets to routes and village locations. The French and English fought over this territory, and several forts sit intact today as popular historic sites. Famous writers, artists, scientists, politicians and industrialists vacationed here and some of their cabins, hotels and Great Camps remain today. Lake Placid has always been an important training center for U.S. Olympic teams and has hosted the Olympics twice. You can watch them training during your visit.

But the Adirondacks are too vast to take in on one visit. You need to return again and again to explore all the parts of the park and all of its attractions.