History
"Adirondacks - bark-eaters!" was the Iroquois Indians' insult for the Algonquin. The name caught on for the entire region between Albany and the Canadian border. Today when you think Adirondacks, you think size. Adirondack, all 6 million acres of it, is the largest park in continental USA, accessible to New Yorkers in just a 5-hour drive. The park is a camping, backpacking, mountaineering and hiking paradise. Lake Placid and the high peak area was the site of the Winter Olympics of 1932 and 1980 and is now a winter sports training area.
Adirondack covers not just public but also privately owned land. Besides 105 towns and villages including winter resorts and the chic spa town of Saratoga Springs, the park has huge wilderness regions such as Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area, Sentinel Range Wilderness, Sawtooth Mountains, Santanoni Mountains and Dix Mountain wilderness. 2800 lakes and ponds, 1200 miles of rivers and 46 registered High Peaks that are over 4,000 feet. At 5344 feet, Mount Marcy towers above Gothic, Haystack, Upper Wolf Jaw, Lower Wolf Jaw, Algonquin, Saddleback and others in the 1.2 billion year old chain of Adirondack Mountains.
Besides the northeast's high peak wilderness areas, a gentler landscape of undulating hills and lakes makes the south and west approaches friendly. All across the park is fascinating wilderness- dense woods of balsam fir, beech, black cherry, pine, hemlock, and wildflowers by the bushel. Inhabiting these forests is an impressive range of wildlife- white-tailed deer, black bear, coyote, beaver, and a large number of birds and fish.
There are a host of exciting activities including boating, horseback riding, mountaineering, trekking, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, swimming, water skiing, scuba diving, ice skating, dog sledding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, downhill and cross-country skiing. The park has some splendid wildlife including moose, deer, black bear, coyotes, beavers and bald eagles. And when you tire of taking a walk on the wild side, visit the theater and art exhibitions, shop at artisan outlets, and take tours of museums, architectural and Olympic sites.
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