 |
New York's Adirondack State Park
The Adirondack Park was created in 1892 by the State of New York amid concerns for the water and timber resources of the region. Today the Park is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States, greater in size than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Park combined. The boundary of the Park encompasses approximately 6 million acres, nearly half of which belongs to all the people of New York State and is constitutionally protected to remain "forever wild" forest preserve. The remaining half of the Park is private land which includes settlements, farms, timber lands, businesses, homes, and camps.
The Adirondack region boasts over 3,000 lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and a wide variety of habitats, including globally unique wetland types and old growth forests. The heart of the Adirondack Park is the Forest Preserve, which was created by an act of the Legislature in 1885 which stated, "The lands now or hereafter constituting the Forest Preserve shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be sold, nor shall they be leased or taken by any person or corporation, public or private." The state of New York owns approximately 43 percent, or roughly 2.6 million acres of land within the Park's boundaries. The remaining private lands are devoted principally to forestry, agriculture, and open space recreation. The Adirondack Park is unique in its intricate mixture of public and private lands. About 130,000 people live here year round in its 105 towns and villages. The harmonious blend of private and public lands give the Adirondacks a diversity found nowhere else - a diversity of open space and recreational lands, of wildlife and flora, of mountains and meadows, and people of all walks of life.
|
Places of Interest |
Adirondack History Center Museum - In Elizabethtown, 9 miles west of Westport, the Adirondack History Center Museum displays artifacts from over two centuries of life in Essex County and the central Adirondacks.
Adirondack Museum - At Blue Mountain Lake, twenty buildings on 32 acres of grounds and gardens, house exhibits on logging, boats and boating, mining, outdoor recreation, transportation, rustic furniture…, offer a variety of interesting activities for the whole family.
Ausable Chasm - Ausable Chasm is as breathtaking now as it was 400 years ago when Samuel De Champlain first explored the Champlain Valley. Formation of this spectacule gorge began 500 million years ago. Today a tour is an educational and recreational vacation rolled into one!
Fort Ticonderoga - Of all the fascinating and noteworthy historic sites to see in the Lake Champlain, Fort Ticonderoga is probably the most well known. However, the story of Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys is just part of the story of this place.
High Peaks - The Adirondacks, especially the High Peaks area, are perhaps the most consistently high, wild, and remote mountain area in the eastern United States. The "High" in High Peaks refers to the 46 mountains originally measured at over 4,000 feet (there are actually only 42 such peaks).
Lake George- The southern end of Lake George is alive with events, cruise ships, arcades, mini-golf, wax museums, hiking and biking, shopping, night life & the famous Fort Wm. Henry Historic Museum. The northern end is a quiet respite in the heart of the Adirondacks.
Lake Placid Village - The Olympic Region is one of the great playgrounds of North America, offering year-round fun and excitement. The rugged mountain scenery, heavy winter snows, and a pleasant summer climate combine to make it a popular year-round resort.
|
|
