Adirondack Mountain Club

Last updated
Adirondack Mountain Club
Founded1922
Membership
30,000
Website www.adk.org
Heart Lake from Mount Jo, Algonquin Peak at right. The Loj clearing is at lower left. Heart Lake from Mount Jo.jpg
Heart Lake from Mount Jo, Algonquin Peak at right. The Loj clearing is at lower left.
Henry Van Hoevenberg's original Adirondack Loj, that burned in 1903 Adirondack Loj - North Elba, NY.jpg
Henry Van Hoevenberg's original Adirondack Loj, that burned in 1903

The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1922. It has approximately 30,000 members. [1] The ADK is dedicated to the protection and responsible recreational use of the New York State Forest Preserve, parks, wild lands, and waters; it conducts conservation, and natural history programs. There are 27 local chapters [2] in New York and New Jersey. The club has worked to increase state holdings in the Adirondack Park and to protect the area from commercial development.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

The idea of forming the ADK was conceived by Meade C. Dobson, an official of the New York State Association of Real Estate Boards and the secretary of the Palisades Interstate Park Trail Conference, who felt there was need for a private organization that could help the State develop trails and shelters to make remote areas of the Adirondacks more accessible to hikers and backpackers. [3] Encouraged by support from George D. Pratt, Conservation Commissioner of New York State, and William G. Howard, Superintendent of Forests, Dobson invited other like-minded individuals to an organizational meeting.

The initial meeting, attended by 40 people, took place on December 5, 1921, in the log cabin atop the Abercrombie & Fitch sporting goods store in New York City. [3] An organization committee was formed, including representatives of outing, recreational, educational, government, and business interests. The club's objectives were to develop and maintain hiking trails, to construct and maintain campsites and permanent camps, to publish trail maps and guidebooks, and to educate the public regarding the conservation of natural resources and prevention of forest fires.

In its early years when there were few trails, ADK supplemented the work of the New York State Conservation Department by clearing and marking 140 miles of trails. [3] One of the first trails constructed by club members was the 133-mile Northville-Placid Trail which traverses the Adirondacks in a north-south orientation.

Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the U.S. Forest Service, [4] was an early member[ citation needed ], and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were life members of the ADK. [5]

In an introduction to the club's 20th anniversary Annual Report in 1942, then president Roosevelt wrote "[This is] an appropriate time to emphasize the Club's initial statement of policy, adhered to and acted upon vigorously throughout the years, that 'the Adirondack Forest preserve belongs to the people of the State of New York' and that 'we believe in a continuing policy that shall give the widest and wisest use of the Forest to all.' "[ citation needed ]

The Adirondack Mountain Club has worked to make sites more accessible. In August 2023, they opened two accessible sites at the Wilderness Campground at Heart Lake. [6]

Beginning in 2020, the group planned to work on the Long Trail up Mt. Jo, and in October 2023, they finished their work on the new trail. On October 14, the ADK had a ribbon cutting ceremony and 50 members hiked up the trail to celebrate. [7] The trail is near Lake Placid, and more than 18,000 visitors come to the trail annually, which le to the trail needing restored. [8] [7] The trail restoration was funded by the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund. [7]

Activities

The club maintains two lodges, the Adirondak Loj in North Elba and the Johns Brook Lodge in Keene Valley, which provide bunkrooms and private rooms, and communal meals as well as campsites. Johns Brook, at the foot of the Great Range, is accessible only by hiking, with the easiest route being a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) hike from Keene Valley. ADK offers extensive programming all across New York State all year around. Activities include hiking, biking, paddling, snowshoeing, skiing and much more.

Chapters

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adirondack Mountains</span> Mountain range in northeastern New York, United States

The Adirondack Mountains are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately 160 miles (260 km) wide and covering about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in New York at 5,344 feet (1,629 m). The Adirondack High Peaks, a traditional list of 46 peaks over 4,000 feet (1,200 m), are popular hiking destinations. There are over 200 named lakes with the number of smaller lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water reaching over 3,000. Among the named lakes around the mountains are Lake George, Lake Placid, and Lake Tear of the Clouds. The region has over 1,200 miles (1,900 km) of river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adirondack Park</span> Part of Forest Preserve in Northeastern U.S.

The Adirondack Park is a multi-use park in northeastern New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At 6.1 million acres, it is the largest park in the contiguous United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Marcy</span> Mountain in New York, United States

Mount Marcy is the highest point in the U.S. state of New York, with an elevation of 5,343.1 feet (1,628.6 m). It is located in the Town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain is in the heart of the Adirondack High Peaks region of the High Peaks Wilderness Area. Its stature and expansive views make it a popular destination for hikers, who crowd its summit in the summer months.

The Adirondack High Peaks are a set of 46 mountain peaks in the Adirondack Mountains of New York state. They have been popular hiking destinations since the late 1920s, when the list of peaks was published in Russell Carson's book Peaks and Peoples of the Adirondacks. Those who have climbed all 46 High Peaks are eligible to join the Adirondack Forty-Sixers club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ausable River (New York)</span>

The Ausable River, also known as AuSable River and originally written as "Au Sable", runs in the U.S. state of New York, from the Adirondack Mountains and past the village of Lake Placid and Au Sable Forks to empty into Lake Champlain. It has an East and West branch that join at Au Sable Forks. The river forms a partial boundary between Clinton County and Essex County. The Ausable River is known for its gorge, Ausable Chasm, located a few miles east of Keeseville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adirondak Loj</span> Historic lodge in North Elba, Essex County, New York

The Adirondak Loj is a historic lodge in North Elba, Essex County, New York. It is near Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains. The current facility, located on the shore of Heart Lake, was built in 1927 and is owned and operated by ADK. The Loj property hosts the trailhead of the popular Van Hoevenberg Trail, which leads to Mount Marcy and Algonquin Peak, the two highest points in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algonquin Peak</span> Mountain in New York state, United States

Algonquin Peak is in the MacIntyre Range in the town of North Elba, in Essex County, New York. It is the second highest mountain in New York, and one of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks in Adirondack Park. Its name comes from its reputedly being on the Algonquian side of a nearby informal boundary between the Algonquian and their Iroquois neighbors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whiteface Mountain</span> Mountain in New York, United States

Whiteface Mountain is the fifth-highest mountain in the U.S. state of New York, and one of the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. Set apart from most of the other High Peaks, the summit offers a 360-degree view of the Adirondacks and clear-day glimpses of Vermont and even Canada, where the skyscrapers of Montreal, 80 miles (130 km) away, can be seen on a very clear day. Located about halfway between the town of Wilmington and Lake Placid, the mountain's east slope is home to a major ski area which boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies, and which hosted the alpine skiing competitions of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Unique among the High Peaks, Whiteface features a developed summit and seasonal accessibility by motor vehicle. Whiteface Memorial Highway reaches a parking area at an elevation of 4,600 feet (1,400 m), with the remaining 267 feet (81 m) being obtained by tunnel and elevator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Path</span> Hiking trail from George Washington Bridge to Mohawk River valley in upstate New York

The Long Path is a 357-mile (575 km) long-distance hiking trail beginning in New York City, at the West 175th Street subway station near the George Washington Bridge and ending at Altamont, New York, in the Albany area. While not yet a continuous trail, relying on road walks in some areas, it nevertheless takes in many of the popular hiking attractions west of the Hudson River, such as the New Jersey Palisades, Harriman State Park, the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains. It offers hikers a diversity of environments to pass through, from suburbia and sea-level salt marshes along the Hudson to wilderness and boreal forest on Catskill summits 4,000 feet (1,220 m) in elevation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Colden</span> Mountain in New York, United States

Mount Colden is the eleventh-highest peak in the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains, New York, United States. The peak was named after David S. Colden, an investor in the McIntyre Iron Works, in 1836. The peak was briefly renamed "Mount McMartin" the next year, but the older name persisted. The mountain is known for its distinctive Trap Dike, a large crevice running up the center of the mountain, which can clearly be seen from Avalanche Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Jo</span> Mountain in New York, United States

Mount Jo is a 2,832-foot-tall (863 m) mountain in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains of New York. It is in North Elba, New York on land owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club. The Adirondack Loj and Heart Lake are at the foot of Mount Jo. There are two trails that lead to its summit.

The Blue Ridge Wilderness Area, a unit of New York's Forest Preserve in the Adirondack Park, is located in the towns of Arietta, Lake Pleasant and Indian Lake in Hamilton County. It is roughly bounded on the north by NY 28; on the east by Route 28 and private lands immediately west of this route; on the south by private lands immediately north and west of Cedar River Flow; and on the west by the Lake Kora and Sagamore Lake properties and the South Inlet of Raquette Lake. It contains 19 bodies of water covering 275 acres and features 15 miles of foot trails and three lean-tos.

The High Peaks Wilderness Area, the largest Forest Preserve unit in the U.S. state of New York, is located in three counties and six towns in the Adirondack Park: Harrietstown in Franklin County, North Elba, Keene, North Hudson and Newcomb in Essex County and Long Lake in Hamilton County.

The Silver Lake Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of the Forest Preserve, is located in the towns of Lake Pleasant, Benson, Wells and Arietta in Hamilton County and is roughly bounded on the north by NY 8 and private lands near Piseco Lake, Oxbow Lake, Hamilton Lake, Sand Lake and Lake Pleasant; on the east by NY 30; on the south generally by the Hamilton County line; and on the west by NY 10, the West Branch of the Sacandaga River and the Piseco Outlet.

The West Canada Lake Wilderness Area is an Adirondack Park Forest Preserve management unit in the State of New York, USA.

The Northville–Lake Placid Trail, also known as the NPT, is a lightly travelled foot trail that runs 138 miles (214 km) through the Adirondack Park in northern New York State. It was laid out by the Adirondack Mountain Club in 1922 and 1923 and is maintained by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. From 2014-2016 the southern section of the trail was re-routed to remove most of the road walk into the town of Northville. The southern terminus is Waterfront Park in Northville, NY and the northern terminus is Averyville Rd in Lake Placid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitchoff Mountain</span> Mountain in New York, United States

Pitchoff Mountain is a 3,600-foot (1,097 m) mountain opposite Cascade Mountain on NY 73 west of Keene Valley in Essex County, New York, in the US. There are two summits; the higher summit is viewless, but the northern summit, at 3,323 feet (1,013 m) offers 360 degree views of the nearby Cascade Lakes, the High Peaks of the Adirondacks, and, in clear weather, the Green Mountains of Vermont. There is a 5.2-mile (8.4 km) hiking trail that starts on Route 73 west of the Cascade Lakes, climbs 2.0 miles (3.2 km) to the blind summit, then traverses the nearly two-mile summit ridge to the northern summit before descending 1.4 miles (2.3 km) to Route 73 east of the Lakes, 2.7 miles (4.3 km) east of the starting point.

The Shaker Mountain Wild Forest, an Adirondack Park unit of the Forest Preserve, is located in the towns of Northampton, Mayfield, Bleecker, and Caroga in Fulton County and the Town of Benson in Hamilton County. The southern terminus of the Northville-Placid Trail (NPT) is located at the trailhead in Waterfront Park in the Village of Northville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Hoevenberg Trail</span>

The Van Hoevenberg Trail is a hiking trail that leads southward from Adirondak Loj to the peak of Mount Marcy, the highest point in New York State. Located in the High Peaks Wilderness Area, it is the shortest and most frequently-used route to get to the peak of Mount Marcy. It spans 7.4 miles (11.2 km) to the summit, a lengthy 14.8-mile (22.4 km) roundtrip which can be completed in a day. A large section of the trail is suitable for alpine skiing and snowboarding. Hiking the trail is considered at least moderately difficult. The trail passes over Marcy Dam.

Adirondack Fire, the Great Fire of 1903, was a wildfire comprising 643 fires in Adirondack and Catskill region, New York, that started on Monday, April 20, 1903. The fire lasted for six weeks. It burned a total area of 600,000 acres, mainly in Adirondack Forest. There were no human deaths, but it killed fish, trees, and deer and damaged properties.

References

  1. "About Us". ADK: Adirondack Mountain Club. Adirondack Mountain Club. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  2. "Chapter Information". ADK: Adirondack Mountain Club. Adirondack Mountain Club. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Finding Aid to the Adirondack Mountain Club Records, 1922-". New York State Library. New York State Library . Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  4. Collomb, Jean-Daniel (2019-10-07). "Pushing for Efficiency: Gifford Pinchot and the First National Parks". Miranda (19). doi: 10.4000/miranda.20268 . ISSN   2108-6559.
  5. "My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt, October 14, 1959". www2.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  6. "Moving forward in the backcountry | News, Sports, Jobs - Adirondack Daily Enterprise" . Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  7. 1 2 3 "Mount Jo Long Trail rebuilt with sustainable trail design". suncommunitynews.com. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  8. Hallock, Thom (2023-11-17). "Work Wraps on a New Adirondack Hiking Trail". Mountain Lake PBS. Retrieved 2023-12-07.

44°10′58″N73°57′59″W / 44.18278°N 73.96639°W / 44.18278; -73.96639