Adirondacks

The Adirondack Park is a publicly protected, elliptical area encompassing much of the northeastern lobe of Upstate New York. It is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark. The park covers some 6.1 million acres (2.5Γ—106 ha), a land area roughly the size of Vermont and greater than the National Parks of Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains combined.

The Adirondack Park boundary, commonly referred to as the ‘Blue Line,’ contains the entire Adirondack Mountain range, as well as some surrounding areas, all within the state of New York. The park includes all of Hamilton and Essex counties, as well as considerable portions of Clinton, Franklin, Fulton, Herkimer, St. Lawrence, and Warren counties and small portions of Lewis, Oneida, Saratoga, and Washington counties as well. (The Clinton County towns of Altona and Dannemora, despite being entirely within the park boundary, are specifically excluded from the park by statute, due to the large prison facilities in both towns.)

Not all of the land within the park is owned by the state, although new sections are frequently purchased or donated. State land comprises 2.7 million acres (1.1Γ—106 ha), about 45% of the park’s area, including the highest peaks in New York State, as well as Mount Marcy, the highest elevation in the state. About 1 million acres (400,000 ha) of this is classified as wilderness, with most of the remainder managed under the somewhat less stringent wild forest classification. Villages and hamlets comprise less than 1% of the area of the park; the remaining area of more than 3 million acres (1.2Γ—106 ha) is privately held but is generally sparsely developed.[3] There is often no clear demarcation between state, private, and wilderness lands in the park. Signs marking the Adirondack Park boundary can be found on most of the major roads in the region, but there are no entrance gates and no admission fee.

Backcountry Information for the West Central Adirondacks – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Backcountry Information for the West Central Adirondacks – NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

DEC intends to open the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road (aka Moose River Plains Road) on the Wednesday prior to Memorial Day weekend depending on the weather and the ability to repair and rehabilitate the road. (5/15)

The Cedar River Flow Road is open to public motor vehicle use. (5/15)

The primitive tent sites around Cedar River Flow are open and can be accessed by the public. (5/15)

Rock Dam Road will remain closed to public motor vehicle use until further notice. (5/15)

Due to a large washout beyond Otter Brook Gate, Indian Lake Road will remain closed to public motor vehicle use. (5/15)

Highest Peaks in the Adirondack Park.

This is a list of the highest peaks in each Adirondack Park Unit.

Peak State Land Feet
Mount Marcy High Peaks Wilderness 5304
Whiteface Mountain Whiteface Mountain Ski Center 4808
Giant Mountain Giant Mountain Wilderness 4625
Esther Mountain Wilmington Wild Forest 4241
Kilburn Mountain Sentinel Range Wilderness 3877
Lyon Mountain Chazy Highlands Wild Forest 3828
Blue Mountain Blue Mountain Wild Forest 3749
Wakely Mountain Wakely Mountain Primitive Area 3749
Hurricane Mountain Hurricane Mountain Wilderness 3677
Lewey Mountain West Canada Lake Wilderness 3664
Saddleback Mountain Jay Mountain Wilderness 3549
Puffer Mountain Siamese Ponds Wilderness 3437
Cellar Mountain Moose River Plains Wild Forest 3405
Vanderwhacker Mountain Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest 3388
Metcalf Mountain Blue Ridge Wilderness 3303
Gore Mountain Gore Mountain Ski Center 3198
West Canada Mountain West Canada Mountain Primitive Area 2988
West Mountain Pigeon Lake Wilderness 2922
Crane Mountain Wilcox Lake Wild Forest 2850
Saint Regis Mountain Saint Regis Mountain Fire Tower Historic Area 2837
Kate Mountain Debar Mountain Wild Forest 2831
Little Blue Mountain Sargent Ponds Wild Forest 2795
Potash Mountain Jessup River Wild Forest 2647
Black Mountain Lake George Wild Forest 2640
Mount Whitney Saranac Lakes Wild Forest 2637
Arab Mountain Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest 2532
Starbuck Mountain Hudson Gorge Wilderness 2532
Pharaoh Mountain Pharaoh Lake Wilderness 2532
Polaris Mountain Polaris Mountain Primitive Area 2506
Bear Mountain Cranberry Lake Wild Forest 2496
Baxter Mountain Hammond Pond Wild Forest 2424
Wolf Mountain Five Ponds Wilderness 2401
Bottle Mountain Fulton Chain Wild Forest 2371
Tolman Mountain Taylor Pond Wild Forest 2368
Woodhull Mountain Black River Wild Forest 2358
Long Pond Mountain Saint Regis Canoe Area 2345
Antediluvian Mountain William C. Whitney Wilderness 2312
Moose River Mountain Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness 2207
Terry Mountain Terry Mountain State Forest 2060
Prospect Mountain Prospect Mountain Parkway 2017
Thomas Mountain Hudson River Special Management Area 1938
Tooley Pond Mountain Grass River Wild Forest 1781
Huckleberry Mountain Unclassified 1729
First Brother First Brother Primitive Area 1666
Mount Tom Independence River Wild Forest 1597
Burnt Hill Burnt Hill State Forest 1502
Split Rock Mountain Split Rock Wild Forest 1033

Keene Valley

Minor earthquake shakes southern Adirondacks early Saturday morning | NCPR News

Minor earthquake shakes southern Adirondacks early Saturday morning | NCPR News

A minor earthquake shook the southern Adirondacks over the weekend. The 1.8 magnitude quake hit near North Creek in Warren County around 3 a.m. Saturday.

Residents in both North Creek and Johnsburg reported feeling the quake to the US Geological Survey.

While earthquakes are less frequent in the Eastern US compared to west of the Rocky Mountains, the Adirondack Park is one of the more seismically active regions in the Northeast.