August 17: Castle Rock
The most celebrated ascent in Blue Mountain Lake, this walk, unlike most of the others in our Nature Walk series, is best described as a hike. The climb to the summit of Castle Rock does not require technical mountaineering skills, but it’s steep all the same. On a clear or partly clear day, the reward is one of the finest views in all the Adirondacks. Participants can expect vigorous exercise and will need to use extra caution on the summit, which is bounded by steep drop-offs.
Directions:
From the Adirondack Experience, drive downhill a very short distance until you see Maple Lodge Road (and a sign for the Minnowbrook Conference Center) on the right. Turn here and follow Maple Lodge Road. The trailhead and parking area are located at the end of the road, just past Hemlock Hall Resort.
Meet at the trailhead at 1:30 pm.
What to Bring: Proper footwear for a hike like sneakers or boots, appropriate clothing, water and snacks if desired.
Registration required for this hike. Directions and more information will be sent once you register. Click HERE to register
Ed Kanze is a 1978 graduate of Middlebury College. He earned a B.A. in Geography and won the Bermas Prize for highest departmental honors. He lives with his wife and two children on 18 acres along the Saranac River.
In April 2005, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Ed’s essay about the passenger pigeon, “In Search Of Something Lost,” was named by the John Burroughs Association as the Outstanding Published Natural History Essay of 2004. The same essay earned a gold medal in environmental writing from the International Regional Magazine Association. PBS featured Ed and his nature writing in the documentary, “The Adirondacks.” His essays and articles have appeared in Adirondack Life, Audubon, Birder’s World, The Conservationist, Utne Reader, and many more.
Ed has published five books. His most recent, Over The Mountain And Home Again: Journeys Of An Adirondack Naturalist brings together stories of nature and adventure in New York State’s Adirondack Park, the largest park in the Lower 48.