Start planning your ADK vacation where skiing, birding, and delicious food await.
Sunny, Snowy Days Ahead
1.
A ski at the VIC
Located off of state Route 30 just north of Paul Smiths, the VIC offers environmental education, naturalist-guided walks, art, music, recreation, and a 25-mile trail system. Paul Smiths is known locally as being in a “weather pocket” that always seems to get more snow than other places. That makes the VIC a great winter destination for both skiing and snowshoeing, even when conditions aren’t so good elsewhere.
2.
Pop-up supper bliss
Imagine an intimate space filled with friends, some new and some old. All visitors are welcome here. Each table is adorned with a colorful display of pickled vegetables served in rustic, hand-shaped pottery, perfect for the peak of an Adirondack winter. This is what I entered into when I attended a Cookee Boy pop-up supper at Bliss & Vinegar in mid-February. Cookee Boy Brand pop-up suppers are a collaboration between chef Zach Clemans and cheesemaker Casey Galligan (of Sugar House Creamery). Their collaborative effort also extends to local farmers whose products are featured at these family-style pop-up suppers.
3.
Snowshoe Schroon
Schroon Lake has an abundance of great snowshoe trails. From short, level, and flat, to challenging peaks with incredible winter wonderland views, there are plenty of trails to meet that longing for gorgeous winter scenery and that crisp, pine-scented air.
4.
Bird in the North Country
While my outdoor activities have been centered on winter for the past few months, it is not too early to begin thinking about spring. After all, March is the month when winter begins to show chinks in its armor thanks to longer days and warming temperatures. Soon the grasses begin to poke through, offering a promise that leaves will follow them later in the season.
5.
Life is sweet in Keene
When driving on Route 73 in Keene you will pass an unassuming shack on the side of the road. Look for the giant sign shaped like a maple syrup bottle. This is Black Rooster Maple, and inside this shack you will find local, delicious maple syrup products, produced behind this shack. If you look a little further you will see the sugarhouse where the magic happens. I met with Kirk Bassarab on one of the sunniest days in March, the onset of maple season, to talk about his maple business, which has successfully ballooned from a twelve-tap, one-gallon project he shared with his partner in their first home into 3,500 taps and a 6,500 gallon project in nearly ten years. You can find Black Rooster Maple products on the side of the road, at farmers markets, and online. Read on to learn more about the sweetness behind the syrup.
6.
An OK hike
I easily get the travel bug. After moving to Saranac Lake at the beginning of January, I have been longing for a new adventure. I have visited many of the local hiking trails near Saranac Lake and I was in need of a secret spot that would keep me sane.
Craving a waterfall hike, I contemplated driving to Ithaca to embrace the beauty of Taughannock Falls, but that was a bit of a drive for one day. Instead I decided to search “waterfalls in the Adirondacks” on the computer and I found a list of hikes that I never even heard of before. This list included OK Slip Falls, which was about an hour and a half away from Saranac Lake. Not only is it in the Adirondacks, it is one of the tallest waterfalls in the region. I had to go see it!
7.
What's up in Tupper Lake
While snow currently dominates our landscape -- much to the glee of me and my cross-country skis -- the longer days and warming sun tell us that spring is on the way. It will just take a while in arriving. But once it's here it will come with an entourage of birds at it heels.
8.
Angler paradise
Lake Champlain anglers already have spring fever to get out and try for some of the lake's top sporting fish; lake trout, salmon, and northern pike. Abruptly following ice out, generally by mid-April, you will find early season anglers trolling the waters near the Lake Champlain Bridge. Later in the season these fish will head north to deeper water and cooler temps, but early on there is some great laker, salmon and pike fishing to be had in this more southern location.