An Adirondack Wilderness All Your Own

As a native Tupper Laker who has spent decades hiking and canoing and backpacking and camping in the Adirondacks, I cannot begrudge anyone the opportunity of experiencing its uniqueness and majesty, but what really breaks my heart is when I read about trail overuse in the High Peaks area. My wish is that every person who ventures into this precious wilderness possess the mindfulness and respect to leave as little a footprint as possible.

As one who has contributed both funds and time to the preservation of the Adirondack wilderness, I find that one of the great incentives are the limitations on motorized access into wilderness areas. I realize that Helms, the sea plane service, is a long time resident business and they provide many useful services but not when it comes to the deafening sound of a sea plane taking off in the pristine area.

I have been going to the ADKs for over 30 years. I believe "canoes that are stashed in the various camping areas" are illegal under the DEC... if they would only enforce their own rules rather than looking the other way. The ADKs are not what they used to be. If only the APA and DEC would do their jobs and not bow to a certain few...how those agencies have changed. They are also now pushing for some 27 miles of snowmobile trails while cutting down thousands and thousands of trees. What ever happened to "forever wild?" I hope there will be something wild left for my grandchildren and their children.

"Observing Fungi on Trees" would be a good name for a band.

The author goes to the Adirondacks for isolation and wilderness, never appearing to think that flying into it ruins the isolation and wilderness for the animals who live there and the hikers who have quietly walked their way there. He prizes "some of the most secluded frontiers of the Adirondack Park" while ruining that very seclusion. He likes the calls of loons and hoot owls, while chasing them further away. The author didn't have a wilderness experience -- he merely flew his kitchen and living room to a distant pond. His experience seems the only one that matters to him. Some parts of the world all around us need to remain wilderness. That means not flying a floatplane into them and shattering the very tranquility that is the essence of wilderness. The practice should not be allowed in state and national forests and parks.

When I saw the first photo in this article I smelled the damp rot of the deep woods of the Adirondacks, where I went to camp beginning in 1950, for four 8-week-long summers. The marvelous photos that accompany this article bring it all back so vividly; the forest looks the same, as do the streams and lakes and, I’m sure, the beaver dams, the tall trees, the deep woods I explored when I was little, the trails, the deer families I would come upon, the intense silence. This is where I learned about Thornton Burgess and all the creatures in his books and in the forest and streams around me in this magical, ancient forest with pure, clean water lakes and streams. This tale begins in Long Lake, as did mine, and with references to Helms Air Travel and its seaplanes. Herbie Helms was alive and flying people up and down Long Lake in the early 50’s and his flight service is apparently still going. One of the magic moments of my brother’s childhood was getting a ride with Herbie Helms in his seaplane from the town of Long Lake up and above a sea of endless trees. So exciting! And I expect it remains so today. How else to travel to an old camp site 14 miles up a very long lake where one can be alone with virtually-untouched nature during the day and under the vast sky of stars at night. I have wanted to somehow get back to Long Lake and the Adirondacks when we lived in NH but it was never to be. Now, so many decades later, I still long to return. Perhaps I shall!

For shame! Taking a noisy airplane into a pristine wilderness with a large carbon foot print is the height of laziness and indulgence, not to mention reckless disregard for the future of our planet. Hike in or paddle in like everyone else. Earn your wilderness.

Here happens to be the foothills of the Adirondacks. Just came from a midweek adventure at one of those water-access only campgrounds. The experience goes beyond words, even when it's becoming a monthly outing to various lakes (kayakers) every summer. (One of the benefits of living here) Please, should you go, respect the environment you unwind in (and who wants to rewind when they return?) leave no trace, ensure your fires out and don't park on rte73 (I've seen it happen). Do your part to keep this blessed wilderness wild. We need it more than ever for more reasons than you may recognize.

As usual with the travel section in the NYT, I am torn between two reactions: one is "ooh, I'd love to go there," and "oh no! Now the place will be swarming with Manhattenites and Brookliners!"

Great. Let's get even more people up there to spoil things.

The usage of the term “outdoorsman” is laughable when you are transported along with all your equipment via aircraft. Really roughing it aren’t you. The fact that these loud aircraft are being further restricted from landing on these lakes is a good thing, lest they be over run by people reading this article. Also the comment that the aircraft service helped restock the fish was implied they did it out of the goodness in their hearts, more likely they were contracted by and paid by the state.

Life jackets folks - no canoeing without them.

Are there any guided options for this kind of trip there?

The landscapes these various photos capture are indeed lovely. Yet I can just imagine them vibrating with mosquitoes. For myself, I'll take the arid, and thus largely bug-free, forests of New Mexico.

A well-written piece on just on of the many beautiful regions in the US, that this European wants to eventually visit!

Beautiful photos and lovely essay --- but I've been going to the Adirondacks for three decades each summer and I see the crowds getting bigger and the over-use of the back country trails, dirt roads and lakes is alarming. Balancing the desire to experience the delights of the wilderness with the need to keep the wilderness pristine is hard, and requires great care and respect for the unspoiled parts of the forest and land.

The Adirondacks are truly the crown jewel of the northeast. After many years of backpacking the High Peaks, our old knees graduated to one of those remote Saranac Lake campsites, accessible only by canoe. A couple of weeks ago we took another step into 'luxury,' staying at one of those old, very rustic hunters cabins that one of our group just leased. We'll be back next week and for many more years to come. I'm heartened by the continued addition of land to the park system and the continued removal of structures. Too many parts of the Park are so crowded now that the experience of solitude is harder and harder to find. What an interesting way to find yours! I just might have to try a plane ride one year, if for nothing more than to support the local outfits that remain.

While I am by birth and rearing a Westerner, I spent most of my adult life in the gridded off, pragmatic, unnatural Mid-west. One Chicago summer, in need of a getaway, my wife, daughter and I decided to decamp for Montreal. After a few days in that quite wonderful Canadian city we realized that what we were in need of was not a "busman's holiday" of trading one urban experience for another, but rather an immersion in something opposite--the natural unknown. We dragged out our maps and decided that maybe NY's Adirondacks were just the ticket. And wow-oh-wow, did we ever hit the intuitive sweet spot. We settled for a few days in the Saranac Lake area, hiking, canoeing, and eating at wonderful seasonal roadside eateries. Our eventual trip out took us through most of the rest of the wild preserve, heading towards the Finger Lakes and then back to Chicago. As admitted Western landscape snobs (who have lived in the East--NYC 1980-83), that trip into the Eastern wilderness remains an eye opening experience for us all. Would go back in a second!

That's great. Making the inaccessible accessible to the masses is always a win for nature, right? Ferrying people by plane to remote campsites does not show an appreciation of nature. It's just another example of manifest destiny, of man disrupting the last few spots on the globe where ecosystems and non-human animals are allowed to live without the violent encroachment of sapiens. Flying is an environmental disaster, emitting far more carbon into the atmosphere than driving. The Adirondacks are a park inundated with carbon emissions thanks to the midwest's coal-fired power plants. Before that, they were the dumping grounds of industries along upper New York. Since there, acid rain and air pollution has plagued the park for decades. Now the park will enjoy, along with lakes devoid of fish, trash left over by the fly-in/fly-out urbanites who want a scenic place in which to stare into their phones and laptops. This is not something that should be encouraged.

Contrast the success of NY state’s “forever wild” policy with the “multiple use policies” at work on sensitive western public range and forest lands under which the Interior Dept rewards mining, livestock and energy industries and the politically connected with economic control of hundreds of millions of acres, keeping the public out and gutting environmental and wildlife protections.

Beautiful scenery, but one thing I am certain of is that I will never partake in camping. Bugs, bears, more bugs. Looks somewhat enjoyable but not my idea of fun or relaxing. I am a beach person.

Thanks for a beautiful piece about the ‘Daks. It captures the feel of the wilderness well. I’d like to offer a point of clarification for those who are less familiar with the Adirondacks. I was born and raised in Lake Placid which is described as one of the “more crowded regional hubs.” That’s true by Adirondacks standards, but most people will still find Placid a rather small and uncrowned town. The permanent population still hangs around only 2500. Granted, a hike up nearby Cascade Mountain can feel like a line at a Disney park. But the park is so vast that it’s really quite easy to get to places with no people and no plane required. Thanks for reminding us that right there in the crowded northeast there is vast and true wilderness. And with the removal of old camps and structures, it’s actually getting wilder.

The idea is more appealing than the reality. There are plenty of camping experiences to be had without the trouble of boarding a plane. It sounds like it's for people who want to brag about something, rather than enjoy.

Is it really a good idea to encourage millions of people to fly into a wilderness that has only survived because it’s difficult to reach. Honestly. Mt. Everest is littered with expedition refuse (and bodies), do we really want to fill the ADK with cast iron pans and camping chairs?

The author is worried about the float plane pilots, and their ability to make a good living due to conservation efforts. Myself, I am worried about my grandchildren having a good planet, due to the lack of conservation efforts, particularly of people who clearly appreciate natural beauty. That "loud, choppy flight" inevitably disrupts the birds, animals and humans, in addition to the obvious use of fossil fuel. Wealthy humans must curb their desires to enjoy the far reaches of the earth, in order to save it. It may sound totally radical, but doesn't the current state of climate change demand that we respond radically? Stop flying. Period.

What a cool revelation that this exists! Thank you for the lovely piece and for your memories. Something I’ll now hope to do with my own kids! But hope it does continue; seems shortsighted that the NY State policies that helped to create and maintain such marvelous wilderness are now curtailing the ability to see it...

Thanks for this article on the float planes. I'm a native New Yorker that lived within an hours drive of the Adirondacks. I miss the peaceful sounds of the mountains, the loons, owls and lush scenery. Reminded me very much of the summers my family spent visiting friends' camps, going to the numerous resorts and just enjoying our "country" homes. Brought a tear to my eye...I miss it!

In 1954 we moved from the South Bronx to Glens Falls NY in the Adirondacks. As a Cub Scout and Boy Scout I enjoyed many days in the woods and lakes of that region. The winters were long and brutal but the snow was beautiful and never stopped us from any activity. In Glens Falls the whole community would come out and ice skate in Crandall Park. Taking a ride in the winter through all the small communities was a treat. The land was sparsely populated and it was always picturesque and serenely quiet. I loved it. In the summer we'd often head to Lake George and we enjoyed fireworks at the lake near Fort William Henry. Often it was still cold at night on July 4th and a jacket was required. We'd also camp at Crown Point / Fort Ticonderoga. It was even cooler up there. The cool wind would come off the lake at night and we'd need extra blankets. Never needed air conditioning. There were other lakes and also deep creeks with very deep pools of clear water. As kids we would go horseback riding in the summer and often we'd stop to water the horses and skinny dip in the deep pools. I've always loved my time in NYC and Glens Falls/Lake George. I'm in my early 70s now and retired to Florida. If it was solely up to me I'd rather be living in the Adirondacks and beautiful upstate New York. I miss the deep snow, the smell of the pine trees and the comfortable summers. I miss the beauty of the mountains. I miss NY. It is always splendid. It is always very special. Time for a trip!

Can humans not just leave things alone - untouched and truly wild. Surely nature can be enjoyed by the knowledge that it is 'there' and that it is at its best if left alone and untouched by us (yes, in spite of the best-behaved and best-intentioned camper, the human touch is polluting) . . .

Your beautiful article made me want to jump on the next plane to Albany, and drive up to our place in Long Lake. We’ve known the Helms family, (our next door neighbors), since my parents built their home there in the 1980’s. I enjoy looking at the photos on the window of that airport”terminal”you describe. You can see the different generations of the Helms family, and if you look carefully you’ll see a young Mick Jagger walking away from a recent floatplane trip.

I love that you wrote this article and published the information so that more people can experience the grandeur of such an incredible piece of the earth. I also can’t stand that you wrote this. The trails up there are jammed with people and popular campsites are getting over run and loved to death. The old days of climbing the 46ers was left to a wild and adventurous bunch. Now it’s a thing and challenges like Santonini are less so. I digress a bit but I think a lot of folks agree its all one interconnected ecosystem.

Ah, yes. The quiet of the forest and the serenity of the lakes. Then the roaring engine of a floatplane landing and taking off, so that the camper can bring in his cast iron skillet. Does the author notice the grotesque contradiction involved? Maybe leave the skillet at home and hike in next time. The loons and wildlife and any nearby wilderness enthusiast will appreciate it.

Great article! Points up one of the many reasons why New York is called the Empire State.

I hate to bust your bubble, but three of the lakes you mention - Tirrell, Pine, and Sargent Ponds - can be reached by trail. I would bet the rest of the fifteen 'only reachable by float plane' also have trails. You really want to experiene the wilderness? Try it under your own power with only what you can carry.

Stunning and gorgeous, judging by the photos. One question: Why not skip the plane and travel under one's own power, i.e. walking, backpacking or paddling in? It's not that hard, as the nearby Appalachian Trail amply demonstrates.

I suppose if you value these sorts of accessibly remote places, the first order of business is to avoid broadcasting their location on just about the largest platform imaginable. Lonely Planet (the travel guidebook series) writer Joe Cummings used to avoid writing about some of his favorite spots in South East Asia in order to preserve those most sensitive to a large influx of travelers. I appreciated that he protected them, and only let word trickle the old fashioned way - by word of mouth.

The writer trots out the same tired arguments for continued motorized use in the Adirondack Park, some that I'm sure he heard from the floatplane operator - including accessibility for the elderly and disabled. There are robust adaptive paddling programs and opportunities, people of all ages and abilities can enjoy paddling; we don't need motors on the lakes. A little research or experience in the area tells that there are few opportunities for motor-free experiences on the most accessible lakes. Motor boats and float planes disrupt wildlife, shorelines and make a lot of noise. There are plenty of motor-boat camping opportunities, if that's what you want, as well as a good number of canoe-in campsites, served by outfitters that deliver a similar wilderness experience responsibly and without breaking the rules of the park. For the airfare quoted in the article, any number of area outfitters would have rented this group lightweight canoes, camping gear and directed them to secluded campsites with pit toilets. The float planes should give sightseeing tours, and stop helping inexperienced, ill-informed campers who want to skirt the rules and avoid hiking or paddling in remote areas. I hope the State can find the resources for an enforcement action against the operators for the violations that were exposed here. I'm concerned how they handled their human waste. I don't expected they packed it out, my surmise is that their campsite is badly contaminated, and disgusting.