Table of contents for Annual Outings Guide 2015 in Adirondack Explorer

Pinnacle may sound like a daunting destination for your two-year-old grandson’s first climb in the Adirondacks, but in fact it’s a short, gradual, forgiving ascent to a lookout with a fine view. Last summer, while he was visiting with his parents from Seattle, we decided this would be Charlie’s introduction to “summiting” in the Park. It served that purpose well, and in fact is an ideal hike for families with children of any age. It’s off the beaten path, however. A half-mile east of the Route 458 bridge over the Middle Branch of the St. Regis in Santa Clara, you turn north on a logging road. At the start of the road, you will see an open gate with a DEC sign indicating “Pinacle [yes, spelled wrong] trailhead 1.7 miles.”…

You’re on a grueling snowshoeing jaunt when you feel your energy levels dropping. You pause to enjoy a snack, your strength returns, and off you go again. All outdoor enthusiasts have their favorite foods when they’re on an Adirondack adventure. It could be a granola bar or a bag of trail mix. Some people nosh on sandwiches, while others prefer a candy bar. For many enthusiasts, however, energy bars are the go-to food of choice. In recent years, the market for all energy foods has exploded, driven largely by a passion for outdoor adventure and a preference for convenience. Nutrition Business Journal reports that U.S. sales of nutrition bars, energy gels, and chews grew 12 percent in 2010 to $2.5 billion. Evidence of the boom is on supermarket shelves: shoppers…

Soon after the state acquired the Essex Chain Tract, I accompanied state officials on a canoe trip down the Hudson River, starting in Newcomb. We traveled about six miles downriver, taking out near an iron bridge just below the confluence with the Goodnow River. I thoroughly enjoyed that trip, but I was surprised by the number of rapids, so I returned to the Hudson that July to see if the river had something to offer strictly flatwater paddlers. I’m happy to report that it does. My friend Lynda and I spent a delightful afternoon paddling the Blackwell Stillwater (a three-mile stretch of the Hudson) and the lower part of the Goodnow. This is a trip any paddler can do. The hardest part is getting your boat to the water. The…

I grew up in Saranac Lake but left the Adirondacks for school, work, and marriage. Three decades later I came back for its water. In 2009, I bought a small house on Lower Chateaugay Lake as my personal put-in. Since then, I’ve used this humble basecamp as my launching point for numerous fly-fishing forays and several canoe-camping trips, but I didn’t fully explore my home water until last summer. I was attracted to Chateaugay Lake partly due to its name, which I assumed was French for “happy castle” because of its proximity to the Quebec border. It fit. I was instantly happy there, though my tidy cottage is hardly a queen’s quarters. I’ve since learned that there are two theories on this waterway’s nomenclature. Some believe that it is named…

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. Removed from the more challenging terrain of the High Peaks backcountry, the trails allow the skier to settle into a soothing rhythm of kick and glide over level ground and rolling ridges. The occasional gully or steeper pitch is enough to rate the trail’s difficulty moderate or intermediate—but in a low-key way. It’s a good trip for looking around and appreciating the forest, and on a clear day in early January, I was accompanied by two skiers who were well qualified to be guides through these woods: Jamie Savage, professor at the Ranger School in Wanakena, and John Wood, senior forester…

I’m no Ron Konowitz. He’s skied all forty-six of the High Peaks. But I do like to ski backcountry peaks, whether great or small. Usually, I outfit myself in wide telemark skis and plastic boots. This winter, however, I skied a peak so gentle that it can be done with skinny boards and step-in bindings. We’re talking about Moose River Mountain in the Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness in the western Adirondacks. The 2,210-foot summit lies roughly a half-mile off the Big Otter Lake Truck Trail. The truck trail has long been a favorite destination for skiers in the Old Forge region. If you go all the way to Big Otter Lake, though, it’s a fifteen-mile round-trip—too far for many folks. In Ski and Snowshoe Trails in the Adirondacks, Tony Goodwin recommends as…

“The No. 1 strategy for wilderness survival anywhere is preparation and knowledge of the area being visited.” Tips on Survival in the New York Wilderness – eHow.com The Adirondack Park is a beautiful place that boasts more than 2.6 million acres of public land. That’s a lot of wilderness. You don’t want to get lost. Plan ahead With careful planning, you can avoid get-ting lost or at least be better prepared if you do get lost. Always let someone know where you’ll be and how long you expect to be gone. If you do get lost: Don’t Panic. If you panic and wander aimlessly. you may go deeper into the woods. Establish a home base. Mark your spot with something that is easily visible, such as a brightly colored shirt…

Some mountains call me back to them. Catamount Mountain, about six miles north of Whiteface Mountain as the crow flies, is one of them. There are five Catamount Mountains, one Catamount Peak, and several Catamount Hills and Knolls in New York State. This one is in the northeastern Adirondacks and the highest at an elevation of 3,173 feet. It’s also the most fun to hike if you like lots of blue sky above your head and scrambling on rock. Often overlooked due to its short mileage, 3.2 miles round-trip, and the fact that it’s less than four thousand feet in elevation, Catamount should be on everyone’s hikes-to-do list. Although I’ve climbed it only twice—in October 2008 while researching my guidebook Hiking the Adirondacks and last summer—the peak is among my…

Runners may prefer power gels, which are high in sugar, but most outdoors enthusiasts get their boost from energy bars. Since energy bars can be pricey—a dozen bars can cost $30—you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. Most bars contain the basic nutrients necessary for outdoor activities, but the exact mix of ingredients or nutrients varies. You’ll probably need to snack on something every three to four hours—the time it takes your stomach to empty. For advice on which bars are best, we turned to Laura Cipullo, a nutritionist and avid hiker from New York City, for her take on some of the most popular brands. Clif Bar: The high calories and carbohydrate content make these bars good for extra long hikes. But steer clear of bars…

My son Parker gave me a thumbs-up from atop the fifteen-foot cliff and then jumped. Briefly suspended, his arms and feet froze in mid-leap. A moment later, he plunged into the glassy surface of Long Lake. His entry into the calm dark water barely raised a splash. He surfaced, grinned with delight, then took several quick strokes toward the shore where his canoe was tethered. “Can I do it again?” he beamed, as his stepbrother and canoe-mate Micah bounded off the cliff into the spot that Parker had just vacated. “We’d better get going,” I replied, knowing we still had a couple miles of open water to cover before reaching the north end of the lake where we planned to camp that evening. Though the lake was exceptionally calm, as…

When there’s deep snow in your own backyard, you might be reluctant to venture off to someone else’s stash, but that’s what we did last January. And we’re glad we did. Caravaning from Keene on a sunny Saturday morning, we drove to North River on the edge of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Our goal was to try out the new Raymond Brook Ski Trail, among others. The ski trails here date to the 1930s, before the advent of lifts. In those days, people traveled to North Creek from downstate in ski trains. Once here, they’d ride uphill in trucks and ski down the rugged trails and old logging roads. The slogan was “Ride Up, Slide Down.” Over the past ten years, the Siamese Ponds Trail Improvement Society, whose members include…

Fritz Wiessner is a legend in the history of rock climbing, and he put up many stellar routes in the Northeast: in the Shawangunks in downstate New York, on Ragged Mountain in Connecticut, in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, and right here in the Adirondacks. All told, he pioneered some eighteen routes in the Adirondacks, including one of the earliest (in 1938) on Wallface, the region’s tallest cliff. His most famous route is the Empress on Chapel Pond Slab, which the guidebook Adirondack Rock awards five stars, its highest rating for a climb’s overall quality. But Matt Wiech’s favorite Fritz route is on Upper Washbowl, a vertical wall on the west side of Giant Mountain. He likes it not only for its historical significance and the variety of the…

Jessica Seem brought her two sons to the Adirondacks for vacation this summer after reading on the Internet about the Saranac Lake 6er challenge. They drove 260 miles from central Massachusetts and spent the next several days climbing six smallish mountains near the village of Saranac Lake. Thanks to a tourism initiative begun by the village in May, hikers who climb all six peaks earn a patch and the right to ring the 6er bell at downtown’s Berkeley Green. The peaks range in height from 2,452 feet (Baker Mountain) to 3,322 feet (McKenzie Mountain). In between are Haystack, Scarface, St. Regis, and Ampersand mountains. Seem and her sons—Elliot Walsh, ten, and Casey Seem, seven—finished their 6er round on Baker on the edge of the village. “Ampersand was my favorite,” Elliot…

After carrying our canoes a quarter-mile, paddling briefly across Deer Pond, and then carrying another half-mile, Sue Bibeau and I were eager to begin our exploration of the Essex Chain Lakes, a string of pristine ponds surrounded by wild peaks. As soon as we put in, though, we encountered another canoeist, and we had to stop for a chat. It was Mike Carr, executive director of the Adirondack Nature Conservancy. Without him, we wouldn’t be here. Thanks to Carr and the Nature Conservancy, the Essex Chain is now part of the forever-wild Forest Preserve and open to the public for the first time in more than a century. The conservancy purchased the 17,320-acre Essex Chain Tract in 2007 and sold it to the state in 2012. Part of the tract,…

Last winter, a former colleague got in touch to see if I wanted to go skiing in the Inlet area. Not one to turn down a chance to ski or catch up with a friend, I suggested we do the loop around Cascade Lake in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness. We agreed to meet for lunch at the Hard Times Café in Eagle Bay, a few miles west of downtown Inlet. When I arrived, just before noon, the restaurant was packed with snowmobilers. I felt a little out of place in my cross-country-ski boots. Tim, who lives south of Utica, walked in about ten minutes later. He couldn’t find a space in the lot, which was largely occupied by snow machines, so he had to park across the road. Love ’em…

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 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 winter. Its smooth trails don’t need a lot of snow to be skiable. What’s more, Paul Smiths lies in a weather pocket that always seems to have more snow than nearby places. In low-snow winters, the VIC becomes a refuge for cross-country skiers. “We had really great skiing most of the winter when nobody else had snow,” remarked Brian McDonnell, who…