Looking for homes for sale in the southern Adirondacks? Take a step back from scouring school districts and parsing through Zillow/Redfin listings, and find out what the Adirondack Park is all about. The 14 frequently asked questions below dive into fun facts, history, the wildlife, the winters, pros and cons on living in the Park, and more.
Find Out What Makes the Adirondacks Special
1) What are some fun facts about the Adirondacks?
Here are just a few:
The 6-million-acre Adirondack Park is larger than Glacier, Grand Canyon, Great Smokies, Yellowstone, and Yosemite National Parks combined, and it’s almost as big as Vermont.
There are more than 3,000 lakes and 8,000 ponds, and more than 1,500 miles of rivers. That’s not counting brooks or streams! (Lakefront homes for sale on Lake George, anyone?)
The Adirondack High Peaks comprise 46 mountains that have been popular hiking destinations since the late 1920s.
There are no cities within the Adirondack Park, and it’s the largest area in the state without one.
2) What makes the Adirondacks unique?
It’s a unique park for sure!
The Adirondack mountains differ from other mountains, like the Appalachians or the Rockies. The Adirondacks form a 160-mile circular dome, while the others make up a connected range.
The rock that makes up most of the High Peaks area is anorthosite, which is a rock typically found underground rather than at the surface.
There is no entrance fee to the Park, which is a mix of public and private land; it’s not a National Park.
3) What are some unusual things to do in the Adirondacks?
While the Adirondacks is known for a wide array of outdoor recreation from hiking to whitewater rafting to downhill skiing, there are several activities that are fairly unique to the Adirondacks specifically:
- Caving at Natural Stone Bridges & Caves
- Scenic float tours through Ausable Chasm
- Hot air balloon rides with Adirondack Balloon Flights (plus the Adirondack Balloon Festival!)
- Scenic flight tours with Adirondack Aviation Academy
- Dog sled rides with Thunder Mountain Dog Sled Tours
- Railbiking with Revolution Rail
And when it comes to hiking, in addition to the High Peaks, the Adirondacks offers picturesque waterfall hikes, and hikes where you can climb a historic fire tower. You don’t see that everywhere!
Get a Brief History Lesson
4) What is the background story of the Adirondacks?
The name “Adirondacks” comes from two Native American tribes, the Mohawks and Algonquins, who fought over the Lake George – Lake Champlain water route. According to the Adirondack Council, “Adirondack” means “barkeater” or “those who eat trees.”
The Adirondack Park was established 1892 by the State of New York, as a result of concerns over forests and resources depleting. In 1894, a new protocol was established: the publicly owned part of the Adirondacks (about 45%) would be “forever wild.”
You can read more about the history of the Park from the Adirondack Council and New York State.
5) Are the Adirondack mountains the oldest in the world?
In short, they are not. While the aforementioned anorthosite rock that makes up much of the region can date back billions of years, the mountains themselves are considered fairly young – only about 5 million years old. As Visit Adirondacks puts it, they are “new mountains from old rocks.”
Let’s Talk About the Winters
6) What are winters like in the Adirondacks?
If you’re considering a move to the Adirondack region, you should be prepared for long, cold winters. While the season brings out some of the most popular recreational activities – skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, horse-drawn carriage rides, ice fishing, winter carnivals – they can also be quite frigid.
According to Hamilton University, the daily average in the winter is 16º F in Lake Placid, 19º F in Northville, and 15º F in Old Forge. Precipitation equates to between 15 and 20 inches of snowfall per month in the Adirondacks.
7) What is the coldest town in the Adirondacks?
Several sources point to the Village of Saranac Lake as being the coldest place in the Adirondack Park. In fact, it’s often referred to as the coldest town in the continental US.
Old Forge, however, takes the gold for having the coldest temperature recorded in the Adirondacks, which was -52º F in February of 1979.
A Quick Glance at Animals & Insects
8) What do I need to know about bears in the Adirondacks?
The Adirondack Park is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including the black bear. Compared to brown bears (also called grizzly bears), black bears are significantly less aggressive, and tend to avoid human contact.
That being said, they are still dangerous animals, and hikers and campers need to educate themselves on how to best avoid encounters, and what to do should one occur. All campers in the High Peaks Wilderness are required to use bear-resistant canisters between April 1 and November 30, and they’re highly recommended for overnight users elsewhere in the Park.
For homeowners, the DEC lets us know when you should take down bird feeders, and keep trash and pet food inside in certain areas (typically in the spring as they’re coming out of hibernation).
9) Are there cougars in the Adirondacks?
“Are there cougars in the Adirondacks?” is a question often asked, because the big cats used to live in the area hundreds of years ago, and sightings pop up every once in awhile. According to the DEC, the eastern cougar has been primarily absent from New York State since the late 1800s.
When a sighting does come up it is an isolated incident: a captive animal was released, or a wild cougar traveled here from the Midwest, likely looking for a mate. Bobcats, fishers, and coyotes can also be misidentified as cougars.
10) What is the caterpillar situation in the Adirondacks?
The spongy moth caterpillar, previously known as the gypsy moth caterpillar, is an invasive species in New York State and multiple other states between Maine and Maryland, and as far west as Wisconsin. Its arrival to the US from France occurred back in 1869. These determined creatures feast on young, tender leaves in the spring, with a particular appetite for oak, maple, and birch trees, although they will branch out to other species.
Their outbreaks are cyclical and can occur as often as every five years or be spaced out as much as 15 years. They typically last a couple years each time. In New York State, the most notable outbreaks in recent years occurred in 2005/2006, 2016, and 2021/2022.
11) Are there ticks in the Adirondacks?
Yes. Ticks can pose a serious threat to humans and animals, and everyone needs to be mindful when in the woods. You can help protect yourself from ticks and potential illnesses they may carry by using insect repellent with DEET, walking in the center of trails (avoiding high bushes and grass), wearing long pants and sleeves, and checking yourself and your pets after you’ve spent time outdoors.
The Adirondacks is also known for moose, loons, and many more animals and plant life.
How to Know if You Want to Move Here (And Where)
12) What are the pros and cons of living in the Adirondacks?
Although many of areas of the Adirondacks are considered fairly remote, the Park as a whole is in a enviable location, not far from other hotspots in the Northeast. If you’re say, moving here from New York City, you won’t have to travel to far to visit your old stomping grounds in the Big Apple.
Lake George and the southern Adirondack region is about 3/12 to 4 hours from New York City and Boston, and is even closer to Vermont, the Berkshires, Saratoga Springs, and Albany.
Living far away from your job, or having a long commute, used to be a drawback for many looking to reside away from big cities in the Adirondacks. Thanks to many industries allowing for remote workers, employees in all kinds of fields are able to live wherever they wish.
As alluded to before, the abundance of outdoor recreation cannot be understated when it comes to positive aspects of living in the Adirondacks.
Cons could be that some more remote areas do not receive the best cell or internet service (which will be a consideration if you’re planning to work from home – or even if you’re not), and those cold winters.
13) What are the largest towns in the Adirondacks?
If you’re thinking of making a move from New York City or another major metropolitan area to the Adirondacks you might want to ease into the Upstate New York way of living by way of a large town instead of a rural municipality. (Remember, no cities!)
Some of the bigger hubs of the Adirondacks are: Chestertown, Lake George, Lake Placid, Long Lake, North Creek, Old Forge, Schroon Lake, Ticonderoga, Tupper Lake, Warrensburg, and Wilmington.
According to the 2020 census, the largest municipality it the Adirondack park by population is Saranac Lake.
14) What are the best places to live in the Adirondacks?
This is the million dollar question! Of course this will depend on what you’re looking for when searching for houses for sale in the Adirondacks. Do you want to retire near the mountains? Be near family? Start a family? Would you be happier in a suburban neighborhood, or with your nearest neighbor a mile down the road?
Keep in mind some of the more populated areas of the Adirondacks are also big tourist destinations. Each Adirondack town, village, or hamlet offers its own charms.
The Southern Adirondack region, which includes Lake George, Lake Luzerne, Warrensburg, and Bolton Landing, as well the just-outside-the-Park town of Queensbury, offers great school districts and easy access to hospitals, grocery stories, and to cities south like Saratoga Springs and Albany. If you think a dipping your toe into the Adirondack Park approach might be appropriate for you, start in the southern region.