About the Adirondack Park

The Adirondack Park was established by the New York State Legislature in 1892. Originally conceived simply as an area in which additions to the Forest Preserve would be concentrated, the Park has evolved into an unprecedented blending of public and private lands where people live in a landscape whose historic character and natural environment are protected.

Of the 6 million acres encircled by the Park's boundary, or "blue line," nearly 3.5 million acres are privately owned. The Park's many towns and villages are home to 130,000 people. The lumber and paper industries, tourism, construction and mining are major sources of employment for Park residents.

Throughout the backcountry of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, DEC maintains over 2,000 miles of marked trails that are available for people of all interests and abilities. A family can take a short hike to a picnic spot near a waterfall or climb a mountain with a fire tower. Those intent on finding solitude can spend a week backpacking along the Northville-Lake Placid Trail or canoeing in the lake country of the central Adirondacks.

Equestrians can discover elevated views of Lake George, and many rugged trails in wild forest areas are open to mountain bicycles. In winter, opportunities include a snowmobile ride to Wilcox Lake, a weekend of downhill skiing at Whiteface Mountain, or a day of ski-touring in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Fall big-game hunting, brook trout fishing at ice-out, or warbler watching in May round out the list of experiences available on Forest Preserve lands.

If you are looking for beautiful trails without the crowds, try the western Adirondacks. They are less well known than areas like the High Peaks and Pharaoh Lake Wilderness areas, which often are heavily used.