Photo by Evan Williams | PureADK.com
The Adirondack Land Trust works to conserve lands and waters for community benefit. We take great pride in the way we manage our lands and are grateful to the many partners with whom we work. Visit this page for current information about ongoing efforts to support free public access to the following special places.
Iconic Vista, Lake Placid
The Adirondack Land Trust purchased 187 acres at the corner of State Route 73 and the Adirondack Loj Road, just outside Lake Placid, to conserve an iconic view and adjacent forests. We are honored to manage and care for this place as a conservation and recreation area.
Glenview, Harrietstown
The Adirondack Land Trust purchased Glenview in 2016 to preserve its scenic vista, forests, and bog, with an eye toward providing public access in the future. As this work moves forward, we are providing project updates along the way.
Cobble Hill, Lake Placid
The Adirondack Land Trust is not the landowner in this case, but delighted to be partnering with community stakeholders to plan and implement trail improvements at this popular mountain in the Village of Lake Placid. Trail work begins in July 2023.
Three Sisters, Wilmington
Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA) stewards and maintains the trail system at the Adirondack Land Trust’s 98-acre property in Wilmington. Both the trails and property require ongoing care, stewardship, and maintenance.
Timeline
Eagle Mountain
Photo by Brendan Wiltse
Eagle Mountain Wilderness Preserve encompasses 2,434 acres of glacial-carved topography and unique water features in the foothills of the Northeastern Adirondacks, a landscape that is underrepresented in protected areas. The preserve is owned by Northeast Wilderness Trust, and Adirondack Land Trust will hold a forever-wild conservation easement on the property to ensure it is kept perpetually wild.
The preserve welcomes walking on rolling trails to a quiet pond, built by Champlain Area Trails. Off-trail recreation is not permitted.
Three Sisters Preserve
Photo by Jamie McGiver
The Three Sisters Preserve in the town of Wilmington hosts the Quaker Mountain Trail, a key link for mountain bikers, connecting Wilmington’s downtown to the popular Hardy Road mountain biking trails. The preserve was established by the Avery family and Lake Placid Land Conservancy in 2017 before coming into the Adirondack Land Trust’s portfolio in 2023. The trail system here is maintained by the Barkeater Trails Alliance (BETA).
Lows Lake
Photo by Elizabeth McLanahan
Named after Abbott Augustus Low and his erstwhile woodland empire of lumbering, sugaring, and bottling spring water, Lows Lake has 51 miles of shoreline, 6.1 of which is privately owned. The Adirondack Land Trust worked with the Knox family of the Sabattis Land Company to put 995 acres into State Forest Preserve and 805 acres into a DEC conservation easement (one of only three privately owned properties on Lows Lake). Investing $1.5 million in both deals in 2006 protected 4.5 miles of shoreline on the southern edge of the lake.
If you go: Lows Lake is a popular destination and it can be difficult to get a parking spot or a campsite on a summer weekend and even some summer weekdays. The put-in is at the Bog River’s lower dam, off CR 421 (Horshoe Lake Road) south of Tupper Lake.
Paddling
Distance
Up to 14.5 miles one way
Difficulty
Rigorous flatwater trip with two carries and prone to high winds
Bog River
Photo by Mary Thill/ALT
In the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest, south of Tupper Lake, the lower Bog River is a quiet alternative to crowded paddles and trails. The Adirondack Land Trust assisted the Trust for Public Land in negotiating the purchase of a 561-acre property and a mile of shoreline on both sides of the river above Bog River Falls. It transferred to New York State Forest Preserve in 1986, opening access to thousands of acres of public land.
Old river-driver trails provide quiet walking and tricky but fun cross-country skiing on both sides of the river, and there is more than a mile of flatwater above the falls to explore by canoe.
Canoe Carry East/Forked Lake
Photo by Susie Runyon
Tucked into the Sargent Ponds Wild Forest, Canoe Carry East, a former Whitney family holding, was purchased by the Adirondack Land Trust (ALT) in the early 1990s. ALT added the 377 acres to the New York State Forest Preserve in 1995 to flank a Forked Lake boat launch and a portage trail linking Raquette Lake to Forked Lake. This preserved a key linkage on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, 1.5 miles of unbroken shoreline on the south shore of Forked Lake, and 1,200 feet of the Raquette River.
If you go: Most paddlers put in at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Campground and Day Use Area at the east end of Forked Lake (there is a day-use fee). Accessible off Routes 28/30 between Long Lake and Blue Mountain Lake, the Forked Lake Campground offers mostly boat-access-only campsites.
Punkeyville State Forest
Photo by Larry Master
Punkeyville State Forest is a 518-acre natural area in the town of Forestport, in Oneida County, just outside the southwest boundary of the Adirondack Park.
The Adirondack Land Trust worked with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to help the public acquire the tract in 2012. Local schoolchildren selected the name; it comes from an early nickname for the area that is now Forestport, and punkies is a term for tiny biting flies. The property is managed for wildlife habitat, recreation, timber production and water-quality protection.
Trail to Stony Creek Ponds
Photo by Mike Lynch
The land surrounding the present-day trail has a rich history. Initially it was used as a portage between Upper Saranac and Stony Creek Ponds by Indigenous peoples in the area. In the nineteenth century, two guest lodges were built at either end of the carry, on sites where Abenaki settlements had grown corn. The late conservationist Clarence Petty lived in a cabin at Coreys, walking 13 miles to the Saranac Lake school and returning home on weekends.
The Adirondack Land Trust purchased 36 acres on the Stony Creek Ponds side of the carry in 1989, making it possible to build a portage trail that mostly avoided busy NYS Route 3. We worked with the Adirondack Mountain Club to build the portage and transferred the land to the New York State Forest Preserve. In 2015 the Northern Forest Canoe Trail rebuilt a carry bridge, greatly improving accessibility. The forest here is really wonderful, and the trail from Route 3 to the Stony Creek Ponds provides a gentle walk in the woods in search of birds for some, and a smooth portage for others.
Parking is available on a Route 3 pullout, across the road from the trailhead.
Hiking
Distance
1 mile round-trip
Difficulty
Easy
Poke-O-Moonshine
Photo by Nancie Battaglia
The 2,180-foot summit of Poke-O-Moonshine Mountain is topped with a fire tower and offers sweeping views of Lake Champlain, the High Peaks Wilderness and the Jay Range. The mountain is in the towns of Lewis and Chesterfield, close to Plattsburgh and just a few miles from I-87.
With one of the largest exposed rock faces in the region, Poko’s profile is distinctive. The name Poke-O-Moonshine is understood to derive from the Algonquin words “Pohquis,” meaning broken, and “Moosie,” smooth. East-facing cliffs provide habitat for peregrine falcons and attract rock climbers.
Hikers have two trail options. Both merge into a single trail at a site where a fire observer’s cabin stood in the early 1900s.
Observer’s Trail
In 2006 the Adirondack Land Trust purchased 200 acres enabling the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to establish the Observer’s Trail and a new parking area. This trailhead is approximately one mile south of the Ranger trailhead along State Route 9. The distance to the summit from here is 2.4 miles. The trail follows a gentler gradient than the Ranger Trail.
Ranger Trail
From the south end of the old campground at the base of the cliffs, the Ranger Trail is a short, steep climb.
Hiking
Distance
4.8 miles round trip
Difficulty
Moderate
BREIA (Black River Environmental Improvement Association)
Photo by Jess Grant
The Adirondack Land Trust and Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust each hold conservation easements at BREIA to ensure perpetual conservation of its beautiful forests and streams. With over 30 miles of maintained trails (many of which are accessible to people with limited mobility), this is one of the best places in New York State for cross-country skiing as well as hiking, mountain biking and snowshoeing.
The property also boasts gorgeous warming huts for skiers and snowshoers, and educational campuses for its sister organization, the Black River Outdoor Education Program. Through this program, kids learn about biology, ecology, geology and history in outdoor settings, gear provided. To top it off, you can visit the Potato Hill Farm to meet the alpacas, Welsh black mountain sheep, goats and donkeys, and (depending on the time of year) you can take a carriage or sleigh ride. All of BREIA’s amenities are available free of charge, thanks to the generosity of the owner.
Hiking
Mountain Biking
X-C Skiing
Snowshoeing
Distance
30 miles of trails
Difficulty
A variety of abilities
Coon Mountain Preserve
Photo by Lisa Godfrey
A steep but moderate .7-mile hike to the summit offers panoramic views of Lake Champlain, the Adirondack High Peaks, and Vermont’s Green Mountains. A gentler .9-mile loop, the Hidden Valley Trail, meanders through maturing mixed forest and crosses a small brook.
Coon Mountain’s south-facing slopes and rich soils provide conditions for spectacular spring wildflowers and trees usually found farther south, such as red and white oak and shagbark hickory. The trails also wind through hemlock stands, a craggy ravine and rocky outcrops.