Adirondack Family Time™

How to make a paper chain: Materials : paper*, scissors, pen/pencil, Adirondack Family Time Christmas Template The paper can be as heavy or fancy as you wish. I used the comics as it was colorful and we could dig out something from our recycle bin. Kids of all ages can do this indoor activity. I made the template a bit large so that little hands could help with cutting. This is a good exercise for eye-hand coordination.

Mt Van Hoevenberg  Distance  = 2-2-miles Vertical ascent = 799' Elevation = 2, 940'  Hiking the Adirondack High Peaks isn't always an option, but hitting the trail for a beautiful day hike can always be squeezed into our agenda  When my children were younger we looked for those hikes where they could finish on their own with a feeling of accomplishment   The children are now able to take longer and longer hikes. For me it is with great pride and slight sadness that my daughter no longer requests the baby carrier.    She enjoys being on the trail and boosts my own confidence by elevating me to superhero status. If she feels lost, I find her. If she cries, I heal her. I open my backpack and provide her with ointments to sooth her ills and snacks to appease her hunger.               I am attempting to extend our trips with the eventual goal being a backpacking trip into the woods. Not like our first camping trip where I spent more time on the road th

View of Rocky Peak Ridge from Mt Gilligan, New Russia, NY We are a family that is always on the go. I don’t over schedule my children, but they are involved, active kids. Though we may be going in different directions a lot of the time, one activity that always gives us a positive attitude adjustment is to get outside. Since we are such a busy family, we’ve always migrated to those shorter hikes that we can squeeze in on our way to another activity. (I also find these shorter hikes are a great way to see a beautiful view and still be back in time to have a nice dinner or take in a show.)  Adirondack Family Time: Champlain Valley Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga:58 easy hikes, 33 swimming holes, 300 seasonal activities, snowshoe/ski trails, maps trivia and more!  Mount Gilligan in New Russia (near Elizabethtown, NY) is just one of 58 easy hikes around the Adirondack Champlain Valley from my second Adirondack Family Time guidebooks. With an elevation of 1,421’ and a vertical ascen

An easy hike or walk along the access road to Lake Lila Exploring Lake Lila: The William C. Whitney Wilderness Area Everyone that I know who has spent any time at the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area comes back expounding about the beauty of Lake Lila. With all the autumn colors nearing peak, it is our turn to explore the lake named for William Seward Webb’s wife, Lila Vanderbilt Webb. The drive into the Lake Lila is beautiful and a bit isolated. We are fortunate to arrive at a time of year when it’s not the height of camping season. There are a few cars in the parking area, but I’m told that if the Lake Lila parking area hits its 30-car capacity, people must drive back out the 5.6-mile dirt road to park on Sabattis Rd., or come back another time. Lake Lila Rd. is bordered by private land and parking is only available at the parking area. The trail register is located right at the parking area. There is a Canoe Access Trail (0.3-miles) available for an easy walk right to

Henry Woods gazebo offers trail map and covered seating near the parking area Henry's Woods Trails in Lake Placid (NY) is one of my favorite places to take family and friends for a short easy hike, snowshoe or cross-country ski. It is also the place where I go to walk my dog, trail run and just relax. Henry's Woods is a great place for all level hiker and its the perfect place for people of all ages and abilities. There is one main trail loop with three offshoots from it. It is truly a great community preserve. The Connector Trail:   (green marker) is 0.3-mile Loop trail: (darker green marker) 2.0-miles The Loop trail has moderate elevation gain for this maintained community preserve.  Plateau trail : (yellow marker) .09 miles The Plateau trail is accessed via the Loop trail. At the junction between the Connector trail and Loop trail bear left onto the Loop trail. At about 0.5-mile, turn right at the yellow marker for the first access to the Plat

Project Feeder Watch is a winter-long bird feeder watch program involving nature centers, individuals, backyards and other organizations. Join in the fun and help  Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada track bird movements. Scientists relay on people of all skill levels to participate to help them track data of winter bird populations and long-term trends.     There is a fee involved ($18/nonmembers, $15/members) Kits are shipped between October and February. The current season is  November 14, 2015  through April 8, 2016 New project participants  receive a bird-identification poster, bird-feeding information, and instructional materials.   New and renewing participants  receive a calendar, a tally sheet, and paper forms.  Just count the birds that come to your feeder. You report only the highest number of each species you see in view at one time.  This is a fun winter projects for all families. It brings nature to your window, strengthens observat

Wilmington (NY) Cobble Lookout (Ledge) I was recently emailed about Adirondack (ADK) hikes to do with a three-year-old kid and wanted to share my suggestions with you! Keep in mind any of the suggestions below are good for people of all ages and abilities. Even if you used to climb the Adirondack High Peaks or still do, but just don't have the time. Enjoy! These are just 8 of the 33 easy short hikes available in my guidebook, Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks: A four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities (with GPS coordinates.) .  1) Wilmington Flume . There are a lot of new bike trails and walking trails all along and around. Be careful there is poison ivy along the trail somewhere. There are warnings posted. There are a variety of options that vary from about one-mile. The Flume is located off of Route 86, west side of bridge on Route 86 (past Hungry Trout Restaurant) 2)  Wilmington's Cobble  Lookout (Ledge): This trail is about a 1.4-mile RT hike.