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Showing posts with the label hikes

Adirondack Coast Hikes: Pointe Au Roche State Park Nature Trail, Museum, Playground and Beach

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Pointe Au Roche State Park Trail Map We have been traveling to Plattsburgh to visit two friends of ours on a weekly basis. In order to have a calm beneficial visit I take the advice of a woman I know who raised six sons. “Run them like dogs,” she said when I would wonder how to manage two kids. So, now quite a few years later, I still think of that advice and am always looking for a place to expel their excess energy. Not so surprising it is usually the adults that need to indulge in some old-fashioned play and use the kids as an excuse to do it. Pointe Au Roche State Park is just a short drive from Plattsburgh and an easy jaunt for anyone visiting the area. With over 800 acres it is a unique combination of forest, marsh and shoreline. It has an interesting history that still can be seen skulking in the landscape. The land was first cleared and used agriculturally and then during WWI as a training site (similar to ROTC) for young men. The parcel then became a variety of businesses

Hunting Season in the Adirondacks! Spring Turkey Season

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Just a reminder when spring Turkey hunting season starts in the northern Adirondacks. This type of hunting season does not have the intensity of Big Game season, that takes place in the fall. Spring Turkey Youth Hunt is April 21-23, 2012 eligible to youth 12-15 years of age. Even though my family does not hunt, I always feel it is a good idea to know who I am sharing the woods with. Have a wonderful, active time! Early Bear: September 19 - October 17 Archery Big Game: September 27 – October 23 Black Powder Big Game: October 17-23 Regular/Rifle Big Game: October 24– December 6 Late Black powder (limited DMU’s): December 7 – 13 Turkey: Spring: May 1 -31, Fall: October 1 – 23  Other small game seasons: (Squirrel and cottontail rabbit) open on October 1 but some WMU’s open earlier than others.   The same goes for Grouse hunting which starts as early as September 20 in parts of the Adirondacks. Waterfowl seasons vary by region and a separate stamp is needed to hunt w

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Azure Mountain between St. Regis Falls and Paul Smiths

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Azure Mountain is about 2518 feet in elevation,  with beautiful views of the High Peaks region to the south and east and the St. Lawrence River to the north. Located off the Blue Mountain Rd., take NYS Rte. 458 to the Blue Mountain Rd. and travel approximately 6 miles to the trailhead. The parking lot is to the west. Our friends are going to climb Azure Mountain so we invite ourselves along for the hike. I am told it is an easy mile up . Not to underestimate my abilities but upon hearing the magic words, “one-mile” I am all for it. I can conquer a mountain; rest on top and still return for naptime.

Lake George for Kids : Fun Facts:Lake George's Prospect Mountain

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Prospect Mt trail follows the path of an old funicular Hike Prospect Mountain in Lake George , NY • Elevation= 2,041’ • Ascent= 1,600’

Adirondack Family: FREE Wildlife Awareness Day

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Steve Hall gives a raptor demonstration By Diane Chase Labor Day weekend in the Adirondacks is a perfect time to be able to have kids get up close and personal with the wildlife that surrounds  them as we hike, walk and play.  Not so long ago my children discovered a baby robin out of its nest and floundering near our front stoop. The mother robin circled nervously. It was a difficult decision to stand back and let nature take its course. My husband and I were operating with a barrage of opinions, a few old wives tales, two crying children and a curious dog. The baby was a fledgling and managed to seek refuge under the deck while its mother continued to feed it. We assume that it flew away one morning like it was supposed to, with no help from us. The most challenging part of those few days was keeping overzealous children from creating a bird sanctuary as the dog whined for a nibble of Robin Red-Breast Tartare. Cree the Wolf This Saturday, September 4, 2010, childre

Long Lake NY for Kids: 13 Easy Short Hikes in Long Lake

Here are some ideas for parents, Adirondack (ADK) kids, retired or seniors and anyone wishing to go for a hike around the Long Lake area. Sargent Ponds Start from Lower Sargent Pond for a walk of 1.5 miles on the Northpoint Road to make the loop. Upper Sargent Pond —1.3 Miles, well marked, about 1/2 hour each way. Well marked trail markers. Lower Sargent Pond via Grass Pond —2.1 miles, well marked. Lower Sargent Pond is less than 20 minutes beyond Grass Pond. There is a lean-to overlooking Lower Sargent Pond. Lower Sargent-Upper Sargent by way of Middle Pond —1.7 miles between Upper & Lower. Sargent Pond Loop —9 miles includes distance between the trail heads. It is possible to make the Upper and Lower Ponds into a loop by way of the trail by way of Middle Pond. Owl's Head Mountain —3.2 miles to summit, well marked trail, relatively difficult after about 2 1/4 miles, scenic views of the Fishing Brook Range with the High Peaks in the distance. The trail head is

Adirondack Hikes: Baker Mountain and the shoulder season

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The last of the ice and snow clings to the edges of the road, covered in a filthy coat of sand. We are packing up the skis and snowshoes and putting away the winter boots. We are optimistic that spring is here to stay. My children chirp on and on about spring because the calendar says it’s so. With that comes a few disagreements and dessert dangling (similar to the proverbial carrot) that winter coats, hats and gloves do still need to be worn if the temperature drops. I explain the shoulder season. Grumbling commences with accusations of mothers that make up seasonal names to insure children wear coats. They will eventually learn that the passing of the spring equinox doesn’t mean that the change of season is an immediate one. We now have to search for snow. It is hiding deep off the trails where the sun and heat won’t find it for months. Our search leads us up Baker Mt. The summit of Baker is only .9 mile from the base. It’s just the beginning of the main trail that looks like a froz

Adirondack Hikes: Skipping stones on Lake Champlain

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By Diane Chase Skipping stones. I wouldn’t think that would be enough to keep my child entertained but I am proven wrong. We enter Pont au Roche Park and follow signs to the playground. It is officially off-season so parking is free, a bonus we didn’t expect. I try to get the kids to walk the one-mile bicycle path to the nature center, but they see the unoccupied beach and want out. The car is hardly in park when they start running to the beach as if wild dogs were chasing them. What is the hurry? I just sit and watch the water lap over the sand in its season finale. I turn to get the lunch. I am in charge of the food. Everyone wants to eat it but it has become my role to worry about having it. Perhaps it’s a mother’s obsession but like some kind of magician I have been known to pull the makings for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich out of my bag. So it’s certainly no surprise my family expects me to have provisions on demand. The kids are in a self-made competition to contrib

Hiking Noonmark in the Adirondack's Keene Valley

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“You’re a fast hiker,” my daughter says to me on our way up the trail from the famed Ausable Club toward Noonmark (3,556’). I can say with complete assurance that no one has ever said that to me before. I have always been the last in the pack. I enjoy hiking and backpacking and my family knows that I will eventually show up on top. My camera will be filled with pictures of tracks, plants and trees to identify once I get home. Now that my daughter is able to amble up the trails I am no longer left wandering alone. We are starting up Noonmark via the Stimson Trail, named for Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of War under Roosevelt and Secretary of State under Hoover. We split the group letting the faster hikers park the car at the hikers’ parking lot on the Ausable Club property off of NY 73, while the slower ones (my daughter and myself) are dropped off at the trailhead opposite the golf course. This is all private land so we are respectful and stay on task. When the trail begins we fol