What follows is certainly not an exhaustive list, but highlights some of my favorite activities in the park, plus a few that I have had my eye on for a long time. I have intentionally left out the subject of mountain climbing as that will be the topic of a future entry.
So without further ado, here are some of my suggestions for free-time activities in the Adirondacks.
1. The Adirondack Museum
Location: 9097 State Route 30, Blue Mountain Lake, NY
Open: Open May 23 to October 13 7 days a week, including holidays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
From White Pine Camp: 100 km south, 1:20 driving time
This is without a doubt my favorite museum in the park, and quite possibly among my favorite museums anywhere. This museum focuses on the people living in the park and gives a historical perspective of the park's use over time, from the trappers going back to colonial times, to logging, mining, attempts at farming, to the evolving recreational use of the park. The evolution of the park from a playground to the rich and famous complete with luxuriously appointed train coaches and guided wilderness expeditions to a family oriented summer vacation and camping destination as well as the home to many overnight summer camps for children is meticulously exhibited here. You will find exhibits exploring "outdoor recreation, boats and boating, transportation, the fine arts, work and industry, tourism, and community life." The museum's many interactive exhibits and regularly scheduled hands-on activities make the experience fun for young and old alike.
The only downside to this museum is that you will want to have several hours at your disposal to take in the many excellently presented topics plus well over 2 1/2 hours driving time round trip from White Pine Camp. Accordingly, our recommendation is to plan a visit to the camp either on your inward or outbound journey if you happen to be traveling via the southern part of the Adirondacks. If you do travel this route and don't have enough time to visit the museum itself (or if the $18 admission is more than you want to spend), take a quick pit stop in the museum's Visitor Center. You will be greeted by a beautifully displayed historic sailboat and have the opportunity to peruse the museum's extensive shop which has everything from T-Shirts and apparel to books, local arts and crafts and even local food items and more. You can get a further visual impression of the museum at their flickr photo stream.
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| Foto from the Adirondack Museum http://www.adkmuseum.org |
2. The Wild Center
Location: 45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake, NY 12986
Open: Memorial Day–Labor Day: 10AM–6PM, 7 days a week
From White Pine Camp: 47 km south, 45 min driving time
The Wild Center can be thought of as a complimentary museum to the Adirondack Museum. Here the focus is very much on flora and fauna as well as the geological makeup of the Adirondack park. We tend to feel that the museum's name is a bit unfortunate as it gives the false impression of some kind of thrills-and-chills amusement center. What you will find is a strong focus on education with a combination of live exhibitions - including otters, fish and birds - multi-media shows, guided tours and nature walks.
This museum is quite a bit closer to White Pine Camp, and at roughly 25 minutes beyond the village of Saranac Lake, could be combined with a trip into town to do some shopping for food and supplies.
3. Seaplane Tour
Location: The Village of Long Lake, at the intersection of NY Routes 30 and 28N
Open: Clear days, seven days a week May through October, call (518) 624-3931 for a reservation
From White Pine Camp: 80 km south, 1 hour+ driving time
As a child, I have passed the seaplanes docked on Long Lake many times and dreamt about going on one of these tours. It always seemed like such an extravagance, getting a "private" plane ride just to have a look around. A private website describing the experience estimates the cost at $60 for two people for a trip of about 15 minutes airtime. A nearby hotel gives some more information on their website, including the info that the planes can carry 5 adults plus the pilot.
In truth however, I am quite conflicted about such adventures as they are a bit at odds with why I love to come to the Adirondacks in the first place: to be close to nature, enjoy being away from motor vehicles, relax and generally slow down from the faster pace of day-to-day life. I also think of it as a bit extravagant, loud and anything but environmentally friendly. Still, the child in me says loudly "I-WANT-TO-GO-FOR-A-RIDE-IN-THAT!"
I have yet to take the plunge, but my wife hints at the idea that she MIGHT be willing to accompany me on such an outing. Stay tuned.
Location: Route 30, one mile north of Paul Smith's College
Open: Daily in the summer months from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, interpretive trails from dawn to dusk
From White Pine Camp: 4 miles, 10 minute drive (Actually, if there is a public outlet from Osgood pond's west side, it would be a nice canoe trip then a short walk from there.)
We have been here a few times to visit the butterfly house and a few of the Bird Walks and Nature Walks. It is a great outing for those who want to experience nature without going in for a long hike. The extensive 3000-acre grounds contain "every habitat type found in the Adirondack Park with the exception of alpine vegetation." Also, the center is practically at the doorstep of White Pine Camp.
While researching for this entry, I discovered that the VIC has a lot more to offer that I realized.
Here is what the VIC website has to say about their programs:
"The 3,000-acre Paul Smith's College VIC (Visitor Interpretive Center) in Paul Smiths, New York, offers a wide variety of free and fee-based arts, sports, and educational programs throughout the year, including bird walks and nature walks, trail runs,children's educational programs, art exhibits, concerts, lectures, workshops, andnaturalist-led paddles. The VIC also hosts the annual Great Adirondack Birding Celebration on the first weekend in June. An adjacent Butterfly House featuresbutterflies and moths in all stages of development. The VIC has also developed amaple sugaring operation and participates in the New York State Maple Producers Association's Maple Weekends during the spring sugaring season."
5. Whiteface Mountain Veteran's Memorial Highway
Location: NYS Route 431, starting at NY 86
Open: July 1 - September 1: 9:00 am - 5:30 pm daily
From White Pine Camp: 52 km, 50 minutes drive
Here you can get the high-peaks experience with out the hard work. The 7.96 mi (12.81 km) toll road takes you to an elevation of 4610 ft (1405 m). The remaining distance to the summit of 4865 ft (1483 m) can be traveled on foot, or via the in-mountain elevator. At the top, you are at the bald peak summit of the 5th highest peak in the Adirondacks, Whiteface Mountain, which follows Marcy, Algonquin, Haystack and Skylight.
6. The Adirondack Scenic Railroad
Location: 42 Depot St., Saranac Lake, NY
Open: Scenic Tours on Sat & Sunday, different themed tours on Wed - Friday, round trip tours start at 1:00 PM and have a 45 minute layover in Lake Placid see schedule
From White Pine Camp: 22 km / 22 minute drive
These tours offer a unique way to enjoy the Adirondack scenery and give a taste of the area's history. There were grand plans to connect the Adirondacks to the regional railway system which were achieved with limited success, at best. A significant function of this railway was to carry members of society to their great camps in luxury. The scenic railroad now runs as a not-for-profit corporation primarily by volunteers and enthusiasts.
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| Foto from Adirondack Scenic Railroad http://www.adirondackrr.com |
Location: State Route 86, just south of State Route 186, Saranac Lake, NY
Open: Daily in the summer months 11:00 - 9:30 or until they run out!
From White Pine Camp: 15 km / 15 minute drive
If you only leave Camp once during your stay, it has to be for Ice Cream at Donnelly's. We make a habit of stopping here every time we drive by and make a detour to this destination when our travels don't put this stop between points A and B. You won't find any fancy Italian ice cream here and no cookie dough, sprinkles, chocolate sauce or any of that stuff, no. You have your choice of one flavor of soft ice cream each day, always twisted with vanilla (Monday - nut surprise, Tuesday - Red or Black Raspberry, Wednesday - Chocolate, Thursday - Fruit Surprise, Friday - Strawberry, Saturday/Sunday - Chocolate). And, its good! In a future post, I'll explain why I refer to this place as the "Snake Pit."
Operating churning Ice Cream out of the same machine for 60 years as of 2013, this landmark is listed in the Register of Very Special Places.
Location: 2144 Route 9, Ausable Chasm, NY 12911
Open: Summer hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
From White Pine Camp: 108 km west of camp, 1:30 drive time
As I previously mentioned, Ausable Chasm is a fascinating geological feature of the Adirondacks. Here you can go hiking, rafting, tubing or take a tour on the Adventure Trail. I have mixed feelings about all this. While these are all fun things to do, Ausable Chasm is one of the more visibly commercial enterprises in the park, and a bit pricy at that. If you stop here, don't be disturbed by the tour buses and the admission fees. Rest assured, most of the Adirondacks is not like this at all. And, please don't let me stop you from going on one of the tours. Believe me, this region is grateful for every source of revenue that it has.
It is a bit of a journey from White Pine Camp. If you are interested in this destination, plan on making your inward or outbound journey via the east. Ausable Chasm is not far from Lake Champlain which connects the Adirondacks with Vermont with a ferry service, which is an adventure in and of itself.
9. Jumping off Tommy's Rock
Location: Upper Saranac Lake, near to Saranac Inn and Country Club
Open: Subject to availability of a rental boat - consider daylight hours!
From White Pine Camp: 24 km south / southwest, 25 minute drive
When I was a camper at Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp, overnight canoe trips and the super-special one day sailing trip started off at Upper Saranac Lake. The first significant landmark passed was Tommy's Rock, where we got to take a break and jump off the cliff side into the lake. This is the stuff of legendary childhood memories. From a logistical point of view however, we would need to find a rental boat and navigate our way to the island to relive this experience.
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| Foto From Local Wiki http://localwiki.net/hsl/Tommy's_Rock |
This activity is one that can be done without leaving the immediate White Pine Camp area, but my focus here is on off-camp activities. Osgood Pond is connected to the Osgood River to the north, a series of canals leading to Church Pond to the southwest and a river leading to Jones Pond to the East.
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| Graphic from http://adirondackexplorer.org |
A friend recently asked about swimming "au naturale" in the Adirondacks, aka skinny-dipping. For my European friends, the first piece of cultural information is that public swimming areas and lakes in resort areas with public traffic generally don't have accommodations for clothing-optional or nudist swimming areas. And, Americans are a lot more squeamish about bearing all, even among young children. Even very young girls are typically expected to keep their chests covered as well.
Having said that, this typically doesn't apply to the wild, remote areas of the vast park. When I was a camper at Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp, their official policy was that the early morning "polar bear" swim, the evening "midnight dip" (read that: just before dusk) and the weekly wash-up bath in the pond were all clothing-optional. Washing in the pond (using a biodegradable soap) was later cancelled out of environmental concerns. Keep in mind we were a boys-only camp. In later years, the camp had a female swimming director. To encourage the campers not to be uncomfortable about skinny dipping when she was on duty, she explained to the campers (ages 8 - 14), that they could ask her to turn around while they disrobed, jumped in or got out of the pond, and she also presented to us a retrofitted pair of sunglasses which had the bottom half covered with masking tape so she could perform her lifeguard duties without seeing our "sensitive areas." Also, when we went on overnight trips climbing mountains or canoeing, we were gently reminded that anyone wishing to go skinny dipping was free to do so. Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp is no longer a summer camp for boys, but rents their cabins out in a similar fashion to White Pine Camp. It is still run by the same family that ran the camp when I was a child, and they are the most dominant presence on Jones Pond (there are only a very few other cabins on the pond). So, if you care to go for a skinny dip but are concerned about offending the sensitivities of the other guests at White Pine Camp or the other residents along Osgood Pond, you need go no further than the next body of water, Jones Pond. You can get there either via canoe or a public parking space on Jones Pond Road. Anyone who sees you swimming as-nature-intended there typically won't be alarmed.
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