Get Involved!Donate
mm
Barbara McMartin
4 posts
Barbara McMartin (1931-2005) was for over thirty years one of the Adirondacks’ most active supporters. Her knowledge of the Adirondacks was comprehensive and deeply personal. Few people have written as intimately, as accurately, or with as much enthusiasm about this magnificent area. She was an avid hiker, specializing in uncovering little-used routes and forgotten places. She originated the Discover series and was also the author of 50 Hikes in the Adirondacks, as well as seven histories. During her long career, she served as the vice-president of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks. She chaired the Adirondack Park Centennial in 1992, and served on the DEC’s Forest Preserve Advisory Committee from 1974 to 2004, the last six years as chair.

So Much Work to Be Done

Barbara McMartin
Opinion
Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Giant Mountain Wilderness, Hammond Pond Wild Forest, High Peaks Wilderness, Hoffman Notch Wilderness, Hudson Gorge Wilderness, Hurricane Mountain Wilderness, Jay Mountain Wilderness, North Country National Scenic Trail, Pharaoh Lake Wilderness, Shaker Mountain Wild Forest, Siamese Ponds Wilderness, Silver Lake Wilderness, West Canada Lake Wilderness, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

Part 4 of 4 I believe that it is important to know the history of Adirondack trails in order to participate in the public process of creating plans for the units of the park. So, I have written this to give perspective to those who will do the planning.

Read More

An Advocate for Trails

Barbara McMartin
Opinion
Black River Wild Forest, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, History, Independence River Wild Forest, North Country National Scenic Trail, Northville-Placid Trail, Siamese Ponds Wilderness, Silver Lake Wilderness, Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

Part 3 of 4 Here this account takes on a new perspective, because I view what happened during the past quarter century as one who was actively involved. In the early 70s I completed my graduate work, started hiking again, and became an advocate for trails. As an advocate for dispersing hikers throughout the Park, I was frustrated from the start in ways I never expected.

Read More

Trails in the Mountain Pleasure Grounds

Barbara McMartin
Knowledge
Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Five Ponds Wilderness, Giant Mountain Wilderness, High Peaks Wilderness, History, Hoffman Notch Wilderness, Jessup River Wild Forest, Lake George Wild Forest, Northville-Placid Trail, Shaker Mountain Wild Forest

Part 2 of 4 The Laws of 1895 authorized the state to lay out paths in the newly created Adirondack Park. There is little evidence that anything was done at that time. In 1909 Governor Hughes advocated trails and roads to give greater access to the “mountain pleasure grounds.” As it turned out, recreational trail building by the state began a few years later, not because of Hughes’ plans, but in a rather circuitous way.

Read More

A Short History of Adirondack Trail Building

Barbara McMartin
Knowledge
Five Ponds Wilderness, Ha-de-ron-dah Wilderness, Hammond Pond Wild Forest, High Peaks Wilderness, History, Moose River Plains Wild Forest, Pharaoh Lake Wilderness, Pigeon Lake Wilderness, Sentinel Range Wilderness, Siamese Ponds Wilderness, Silver Lake Wilderness

Part 1 of 4 Hindsight is wonderful! With what we know about the Adirondacks today and what we know about building trails, we could devise the most wonderful trail network, one that would protect the fragile slopes of the High Peaks, take hikers to mountaintops all around the Park, and ameliorate problems of overuse and under-use.

Read More