Adirondack Adventure

There are eight trips that are purely hiking. Most trips follow roughly the same format. On the first day, you hike into a campsite or lean-to and set up a basecamp. The remainder of the trip is spent hiking nearby mountains carrying only what you need for the day. Others are point-to-point trips, which have shorter total mileage but will mean carrying a full pack most of the time.

All seven boat trips take place on flat or moving water (no whitewater involved). Many students who choose to canoe have never been in a boat before, or if they have, it was on a sixth-grade trip where they had grapes for lunch and some kid was sick on the bus home. There is plenty of time to learn, and the daily mileage is not unreasonable for beginners. Most of these trips also include a day hike up a nearby mountain, just so you don't spend the whole time sitting down.

The ever-popular combination trips have been refined over the years to give one of the best Adirondack experiences possible. All choices have two trips which start at either end of the route and work towards each other. When they meet in the middle, backpacks are switched for canoes and vice versa, and each trip continues on. The famed 'Triple Combo' trips switch between canoes, kayaks and hiking, but need the same equipment.

This trip begins at Chapel Pond, on the outskirts of Keene Valley and will camp close by at a state-run campsite. We’ll go over everything you need to know, so don’t worry if you're a first-time climber. In fact, if you’re a strong (5.8 or higher) or experienced climber, this is not the trip for you. There will be plenty of other chances to meet climbers and crank the hard stuff when the climbing wall opens.

There are two sea kayaking trips, and both travel approximately the same distance, about 25 miles. You should be prepared to paddle for five or six hours a day, getting a little out of breath just like you would on a hike. Lake Champlain is more spicy because the lake is bigger and the wind can pick up. 

Equipment List

Fancy a little bit of everything? Need a little less of a wilderness setting? Then Basecamp is for you. You will be in the same-sized small group, camping in tents with dedicated trip leaders like any other Adirondack Adventure experience, only your trip will be based at a summer camp in the woods. Every day will be a mild to medium level day trip. There will be at least one day of hiking, one of canoeing and a third day of some other fun outdoors activity, like ropes course or whitewater rafting.