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.

Rondaxe Firetower

Click below to download or print this map up.

 Ice Sheets

Rondaxe-Bald Mountain Firetower.

Rondaxe-Bald Mountain Firetower

Most of the mountains and pull offs in the Adirondacks are very well signed, complete with brown and yellow DOT reflective signage.

Fourth Lake.

Fourth Lake and Plains Behind

Rondaxe Tower.

Rondaxe Tower

Fourth Lake and Plains Behind.

Fourth Lake and Plains Behind

Before It Cleared Out.

Before It Cleared Out

East from Rondaxe.

East from Rondaxe

North.

North

Popular Tower.

Popular Tower

First Lake.

First Lake

Hikers.

Hikers

Bald Top of Mountain.

Bald Top of Mountain

Corner.

Corner

Looking at First Lake.

Looking at First Lake

Fourth Lake.

Fourth Lake

Ridge.

Ridge

Please Do Vandalize.

Please Do Vandalize

Lakes Along Trail.

Lakes Along Trail

Hikers Enjoy the Purty Lake.

Hikers Enjoy the Purty Lake

Bald Ledge.

Bald Ledge

Clouds and Trees.

Clouds and Trees

Untitled.

Untitled

Hiking Up Bald Mountain.

Hiking Up Bald Mountain

Foot Bridge.

Foot Bridge

Towards Cascade Mountain.

Towards Cascade Mountain

Stormy Clouds.

Stormy Clouds

Renovated Tower Base.

Untitled [Expires July 27 2024]

Tower Windows.

Tower Windows

Fourth and Fifth Lakes.

Fourth and Fifth Lakes

Kayaking Barnum Pond, July 2011

Barnum Pond, right behind the Adirondack Vistors Intreprative Center, offers some great views, and can be accessed for free from NY 30, one mile north of VIC and one mile south of Mountain Pond Camping Area. Click on the map below, to display a full-size version, perfect for printing and slapping in a plastic bag, to strap on your kayak.

Here are some pictures I took while was paddling around this lake, proceeding from NY 30, along the Southern shore until I got to the Barnum Pond outlet, which you can continue on for about a mile until a beaver dam. You can portage around the beaver dam, if you choose, however a 1/2 mile below that is a series of man-made dams in Paul Smiths you must go around, to get down to Lower St Regis Lake.

Rainy Tuesday Morning

Edge of Barnum Pond

Adirondack VIC Observation Deck

Barnum Pond Outlet

 Treeline

Through the Marshlands of the VIC

Clouds Over Barnum Pond Outlet

Lighthouse Stairway Window

Splader Dack and Boreas Forest

Heading Back to Barnum Pond

Boreal Trees

Reflections

Southern Edge of Barnum Pond

Untitled

Spatterdock

South West on Barnum Pond

West Kill Valley

St Regis Mountain Across Barnum Pond

If you visit here, consider camping at Mountain Pond.

Land Use Classifications in Adirondack Forest Preserve

These definations are from the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan.

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Wild Forest.

A wild forest area is an area where the resources permit a somewhat higher degree of human use than in wilderness, primitive or canoe areas, while retaining an essentially wild character. A wild forest area is further defined as an area that frequently lacks the sense of remoteness of wilderness, primitive or canoe areas and that permits a wide variety of outdoor recreation.

Towards Indian Lake

To the extent that state lands classified as wild forest were given or devised to the state for silvicultural or wildlife management purposes pursuant to statutory provisions specifying that these lands will not form part of the forest preserve (if such provisions are constitutional), the following guidelines are not to be interpreted to prevent silvicultural or wildlife management practices on these lands, provided that other guidelines for wild forest land are respected.

Those areas classified as wild forest are generally less fragile, ecologically, than the wilderness and primitive areas. Because the resources of these areas can withstand more human impact, these areas should accommodate much of the future use of the Adirondack forest preserve. The scenic attributes and the variety of uses to which these areas lend themselves provide a challenge to the recreation planner. Within constitutional constraints, those types of outdoor recreation that afford enjoyment without destroying the wild forest character or natural resource quality should be encouraged.

Many of these areas are under-utilized. For example the crescent of wild forest areas from Lewis County south and east through Old Forge, southern Hamilton and northern Fulton Counties and north and east to the Lake George vicinity can and should afford extensive outdoor recreation readily accessible from the primary east-west transportation and population axis of New York State.

Snowy Mountain

Wilderness.

A wilderness area, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man–where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.

A wilderness area is further defined to mean an area of state land or water having a primeval character, without significant improvement or permanent human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve, enhance and restore, where necessary, its natural conditions, and which:

(1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable;

(2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation;

(3) has at least ten thousand acres of contiguous land and water or is of sufficient size and character as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and (4) may also contain ecological, geological or other features of scientific, educational, scenic or historical value.

Crane Pond from Pharaoh Mountain

Significant portions of the state lands within the Park are in a wilderness or near-wilderness condition today. These areas constitute nearly 20% of all designated federal and state wilderness east of the Rocky Mountains and 85% of the designated wilderness in the eleven northeastern states. At the time of the original enactment of this master plan, a majority of these areas contained some structures and improvements or were subjected to uses by the public or by official personnel that were incompatible with wilderness. However, the extent of these non-conforming uses was very modest from the standpoint of the total acreage involved. Since 1972 all but a few of those non-conforming uses have been removed by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Gothics

Primative Area.

A primitive area is an area of land or water that is either:

1. Essentially wilderness in character but, (a) contains structures, improvements, or uses that are inconsistent with wilderness, as defined, and whose removal, though a long term objective, cannot be provided for by a fixed deadline, and/or, (b) contains, or is contiguous to, private lands that are of a size and influence to prevent wilderness designation; or,

2. Of a size and character not meeting wilderness standards, but where the fragility of the resource or other factors require wilderness management.

Northeast Tip

The definition recognizes two basic types of primitive areas: (i) where the ultimate goal is clearly to upgrade the area to wilderness at some future time, however distant, when the non-conforming uses can be removed and/or acquisition of private tracts is accomplished, and, (ii) where eventual wilderness classification is impossible or extremely unlikely.

An example of the first type would be the existence of a fire tower and associated structures and improvements (observer cabins, telephone lines, etc.) whose precise date of removal cannot be ascertained until the new aerial surveillance program of the Department of Environmental Conservation is fully implemented and communication systems modernized. Another example would be a private or minor public road traversing a tract otherwise suitable for wilderness designation or separating such an area from a designated wilderness. Finally, an extensive private inholding or a series of smaller private inholdings whose eventual acquisition is desirable but cannot now be provided for, might so affect a potential wilderness area as to require primitive designation.

Lows Ledge

The second type includes smaller tracts that are most unlikely to attain wilderness standards, such as a small island in close proximity to a highly developed shoreline, or larger tracts with non-conforming uses, such as a railroad or major public highway, that are essentially permanent, but where in each case the high quality or fragility of the resource requires wilderness management.

The definition recognizes two basic types of primitive areas: (i) where the ultimate goal is clearly to upgrade the area to wilderness at some future time, however distant, when the non-conforming uses can be removed and/or acquisition of private tracts is accomplished, and, (ii) where eventual wilderness classification is impossible or extremely unlikely.

Wakley Fire Tower

An example of the first type would be the existence of a fire tower and associated structures and improvements (observer cabins, telephone lines, etc.) whose precise date of removal cannot be ascertained until the new aerial surveillance program of the Department of Environmental Conservation is fully implemented and communication systems modernized. Another example would be a private or minor public road traversing a tract otherwise suitable for wilderness designation or separating such an area from a designated wilderness. Finally, an extensive private inholding or a series of smaller private inholdings whose eventual acquisition is desirable but cannot now be provided for, might so affect a potential wilderness area as to require primitive designation.

The second type includes smaller tracts that are most unlikely to attain wilderness standards, such as a small island in close proximity to a highly developed shoreline, or larger tracts with non-conforming uses, such as a railroad or major public highway, that are essentially permanent, but where in each case the high quality or fragility of the resource requires wilderness management.

Lows Ledge

Canoe Area.

A canoe area is an area where the watercourses or the number and proximity of lakes and ponds make possible a remote and unconfined type of water-oriented recreation in an essentially wilderness setting.

The terrain associated with parcels meeting the above definition is generally ideally suited to ski touring and snowshoeing in the winter months.

Long Pond Entrance

Cap Adirondack Wilderness at One Million Acres

The State of New York has too much legislatively-designated wilderness, or lands designated as wilderness by the act of a bureaucrat, but not necessarily true wilderness. Legislatively defined wilderness typically has:

  • Remains of former logging and farm roads with graded embankments cutting into hillsides.
  • Former ruins of houses and barns, long burned down, but visible on the landscape.
  • Non-native trees and plants planted by earlier settlers.
  • Lands that lack old-growth timber and the diversity expected in lands not previously timbered or mined.

Many if not most wilderness parcels in New York State have old woods roads, the remains of farm fields and logging operations. While it’s certain that old growth forests and areas with unique or endangered species deserve special protections, wilderness status need not be granted so haphazardly in the park.

All of these traditional land uses is contrary to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan which requires Wilderness Areas to…

…generally appear to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable.

This would suggest that lands subject to timbering, agriculture, hunting camps, or other types of development in previous years should not be subject to wilderness rules.

Giants Washbowl from Above

Currently there are 1,016,979 acres of wilderness. I propose:

  • Capping forest preserve lands in the Adirondack Park to no more then 1 million acres.
  • Prohibit wilderness designation from any lands within a 1/4 mile of any public highway or intensive use area.
  • Requiring wilderness designation to show that any lands receiving such designation are truly untrameled by man and are authentic wilderness — such as old growth or close to at least hundred year or older forests.
  • Reclassify all lands above the 1 million mark as Wild Forest.

It’s pratically impossible to repeal existing lands with wilderness overlays, and convert them back to wild forest. Wilderness forever locks up land and limits what the public can use the land for. Therefore, there should be no material increase in wilderness ever again in our state.

Capping wilderness would have both strengthen the concept of wilderness in our state and improve the wilderness quality and scenic beauty. Capping wilderness at a certain level would have the following benefits:

  • Limit wilderness area would concentrate the wilderness designation to the most environmentally significant areas — such as old growth forests and the High Peaks.
  • Ensure that wilderness designation not be applied to places where it’s not appropriate.
  • Concentrate enforcement of wilderness designation to this limited 1 million acres within the Adirondack Park.

We already cap snowmobile trails and roads at their 1972 limits in the Adirondack Park’s State Land Master Plan. Even if the state obtains new parcels of lands, there can be no net increase in road milege, even if the lands increase. For the sake of fairness, we should also cap wilderness growth, or at least repeal the existing arbitrary caps on roads and snowmobile trails.

… excessive wilderness protections makes NO sense in public lands that where traditonal timber lands once stood.

Aldrich Pond Wild Forest

The Aldrich Pond Wild Forest Wild Forest Unit Management Plan mentions the following about Roadside Camping in the area…

“Most of the camping on this area occurs during the hunting season and much of this is along the Streeter Lake Road. Sixteen campsites have been designated along this corridor and two pit privies established to accommodate this use.”

— NYSDEC Aldrich Pond Wild Forest UMP.

Roadside Campsite.

Road Number of Sites
Streeter Lake Rd. 16

More Resources…


View Street Lake Campsites in a larger map