Winter events planned at camp in Adirondacks
Three Winter Weekend events are being presented this season at Camp Santanoni, according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Events will take place during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, Jan. 19-21; Presidents Day holiday weekend, Feb. 16-18; and the weekend of March 16-17.
Cross-country skiers and snowshoers will have access to the historic camp properties located in the town of Newcomb in Essex County to rest, tour the buildings, and view interpretative displays.
Friends of Camp Santanoni and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Adirondack Interpretive Center are hosting the activities.
A 9.8-mile round trip cross-country ski or snowshoe excursion traverses from Camp Santanoni’s Gate Lodge complex to the remote lakeside main lodge complex. The trip provides a moderate physical activity and a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, the DEC said.
During the three
Winter Weekend events, cross-country skiers and snowshoers will be able to visit both the Gate Lodge and Main Lodge of Camp Santanoni, view displays about the great camp, and take interpretive tours with Adirondack Architectural Heritage staff. While people may visit Camp Santanoni 365 days a year, the buildings are not typically open to the public in winter, DEC said.
The wood stove heated Artists Studio, a log and stone building near the main lodge on the shores of Newcomb Lake, will be open as a warming hut. Visitors should bring their own cup to enjoy free coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The Adirondack Interpretive Center will provide snowshoes at the Gate Lodge.
A wildlife animal tracking program takes place at the Farm Complex from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, for all ages.
Cross-country skiers and snowshoers can also take the half-mile trail that connects the camp to the nearby Interpretive Center’s 3.6-mile trail system. The center’s buildings will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the Winter Weekend.
Construction of Camp Santanoni began in 1892 by Robert and Anna Pruyn and eventually consisted of more than four dozen buildings on 12,900 acres, including a working farm, the Gate Lodge, a Main Lodge and other buildings on Newcomb Lake. Camp Santanoni was in private ownership until 1972. Under state ownership the camp has been restored through a partnership between DEC, Adirondack Architectural Heritage and the town of Newcomb.
Reservations are not required. For details, call 518-834-9328.