Adirondak Loj (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — Hikers near and far know the Adirondak Loj. As a 46er, I have had the privilege of making dozens of drives down the 5-mile Adirondack Loj Road. Some, hours before daybreak. Some, in the middle of a 90-degree July day or when it’s 25 below in February. Some, while stuck behind a couple dozen cars at the parking lot booth.

It is the busiest convergence of trails by hiker volume in New York, serving as the starting point for between 60,000 and 80,000 hikes per year. The site serves as the most convenient trailhead for approximately a dozen of the 46 High Peaks, more than any other access point. There is also a slew of smaller peaks, which often provide just as stunning of a summit backdrop, to be accessed from the Loj.

Throughout all of my uniquely fun trips over the years, one thing has remained constant: the grandeur of the Adirondak Loj the road leads to. It’s a welcome site for hearty hikers in the Adirondacks who are used to starting and ending their day at some overgrown trailhead along the shoulder of a road that, if they’re lucky, includes a port-o-potty. If they’re luckier yet, one that’s been serviced within the past year.

While “The Loj” is colloquially referred to by hikers as the start of the various trail networks around Heart Lake, the name owes its origins to the historic structure that anchors the property. And there is a lot more to explore in and around the Adirondak Loj than trails that lead to the nearby peaks. Whether you’re an avid hiker or a casual daytripper, the Loj offers something for everyone.

On Tuesday, Aug. 27, I had the privilege of touring the grounds with Eliza Phillips, who serves as the outreach coordinator for the ADK. The organization has owned and operated the property since 1959, when they purchased it from the Lake Placid Club after leasing it since the 1930s. She explained that ADK is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the protection of wild lands in New York and seeks to educate the public on how to enjoy the outdoors in a safe, responsible and sustainable manner.

Adirondack Mountain Club Outreach Coordinator Eliza Phillips points to a location on a map in the High Peaks Information Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

The core of Phillips’ role as outreach coordinator focuses on working with school districts across the region to educate elementary students, primarily fourth graders, on the outdoors.

“We work with 13 local schools, from Long Lake to Plattsburgh. This involves us coming to each district four times per year for presentations, and then the kids get to come three times per year. … All in all, we get to work with about 400 students,” she said.

The outreach visit themes are centered around the seasons, with each having as distinct of a theme as the weather that comes with it.

“In the fall, we talk about Leave No Trace principles and how to prepare for hikes. Then they come here for a hike up Mount Jo. In the winter, it’s all about animals. The kids come here and we identify tracks in the snow. In the spring, we teach mapping. The kids start by mapping their classrooms, then they come here and map out some of the trails around the property,” Phillips explained.

My tour began at the actual Adirondak Loj building. Admittedly, despite my many trips to the property, this was the first time that I could recall entering the building. Simply put, it was immaculate. Walking into the great room, I was surrounded by books, paintings, pictures, furniture, moose head over mantle of the fireplace and woodwork that made the space as elegant as it was authentic. The Adirondak Loj was, to me, the Adirondack experience in several hundred square feet.

Mount Jo on the Adirondak Loj property, in the foreground, and High Peaks such as Algonquin and Wright are seen from the Adirondack Loj Road during foliage season in 2016. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

The structure was built in 1927 by the Lake Placid Club and renovated between 1962 and 1963 after ADK had acquired the property. Today’s building is not the original Adirondak Loj, which was built in 1880 by Henry Van Hoevenberg as a larger structure than what exists today. The original building succumbed to a forest fire in 1903.

The first question many visitors have is “What’s with the spelling?” When Van Hoevenberg completed the original building, it was named the “Adirondack Lodge.” The name change was given by Melvil Dewey, the founder of the LPC, after Van Hoevenberg sold the building to the LPC in 1900.

While Dewey is most known for his organization of libraries, under the Dewey Decimal System, he also sought to reform the English language by simplifying its phonetics. This meant cutting out letters that did not contribute to the words’ pronunciation. Therefore, “Adirondack” became “Adirondak” and “Lodge” became “Loj,” with no change to their soundings. Careful readers may have caught the spelling discrepancy in the first paragraph. When the state Department of Transportation made their road signs, they added the conventional “c” back, which remains to this day despite its continued absence from the name of the property that it ultimately leads to.

Phillips explained the Loj has a series of private bedrooms and communal, hostel-style, sleeping quarters. At its full capacity, it can accommodate 38 guests. The year-round building’s great room boasts a cozy fireplace for guests to gather around, relax, and warm up during the winter months. A collection of books and a chess/checkers board provide indoor entertainment options. The building also has a sizeable dining room that serves hot meals to guests.

Our next stop took us to the sandy shore of Heart Lake, only 30 seconds away from the Loj building. Guests are welcome to swim during the warmer months, as well as borrow from ADK’s fleet of canoes and kayaks to make their way around the lake. The boats are also available for day visitors to rent. The lake’s beauty was on full display as the first specks of fall foliage began to appear along the elevated slopes of Street and Nye mountains to the west and Mount Jo lifting directly above the lake to the north.

Adirondack Mountain Club employee Nate Fischer works at the High Peaks Information Center on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

Mount Jo, from personal experience, provides some of the most spectacular views in the Adirondacks, and it is considered to be a beginner-friendly hike. As one hiker put it when I was up there last September, “There’s no better bang for your buck when it comes to hiking around Lake Placid.” There is perhaps no better time of the year to get up Mount Jo than the next several weeks as the fall colors begin to ramp up. Those newer to hiking should consider the longer of the two approaches. Ironically, it is the easier of the two as gentle switchbacks avoid some technically demanding scrambles near the summit along the short approach.

After Heart Lake, we visited the ADK Loj Nature Museum, about a three-minute stroll from the Loj. The stand-alone building features a new theme each year, explained Phillips. This year focuses on interpreting nature through a child’s eyes. The one-room museum is small but charming, with its walls bursting with artwork from the fourth graders Phillips works with.

“We are so proud of everything they did,” she said.

The tour then proceeded to the extensive outdoor camping area on the property. ADK has 31 sites for people to pitch their own tents, as well as 16 lean-tos and six canvas cabins.

Finally, the tour stopped by the High Peaks Information Center. The building is located closest to the main trailheads on the property and provides hikers with detailed and up-to-date weather and conditions reports for and from the High Peaks Wilderness. There is also a store, with some hiking trip gear and commemorative merchandise available for sale. Nate Fischer, an ADK employee working in the HPIC at the time, noted the importance of quality information at such a busy hub for hikers.

Heart Lake at the Adirondak Loj property is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

“We are first and foremost an educational resource for folks coming in. We work closely with the (forest) rangers to make sure that we are doing what we can to spread the word on what people need to look out for as they venture out,” he said.

Fischer noted that the conditions are often sourced first-hand from people just returning from the backcountry, where things can change on a dime. He advised hikers to stop in before heading out, even if they think they know what to expect.

Fischer also discussed hiking patterns since COVID-19, which saw a spike in the number of hikers, as people saw it as an opportunity to safely recreate. This put stress on some trails throughout the area, as many were not built to handle a large volume of hikers, and subsequently experienced increased erosion. Fischer was heartened to see people spreading out.

“It’s cool that some of the other western and lower peaks, maybe less known but often just as spectacular, are starting to see more hikers and there’s less concentration than during COVID. It’s good to see not only the awareness but the communication of that message. It helps the trails out a lot,” he said.

Phillips concluded the tour by explaining some of the successes ADK was most proud of in meeting its mission as an educator and wilderness advocate.

Mount Jo is seen from Heart Lake during foliage season in October 2023. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

“Thirty-five years ago we started the summit stewardship program in partnership the the Nature Conservancy and Department of Environmental Conservation. We have five stewards and they go up on Marcy and Algonquin, as well as some of the other High Peaks from time to time,” she said.

Many of the High Peaks’ summits exist in what is known as the “alpine zone,” where vegetation that is typically found in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions can grow so relatively far south due to the mountains’ high elevations.

Phillips explained that this vegetation is both extremely important to the mountain ecosystem and quite fragile. When trampled, it takes years to grow back. Often, hikers would walk on the vegetation not out of malintent, but out of unawareness of this knowledge.

“The stewards have been working so hard to spread this information, and, as a result, we have seen an amazing amount of vegetation regrowth in the alpine zone since the program started. It’s a huge conservation success story and one that we’re extremely proud of,” she said.

Whether or not you consider yourself an avid hiker, the Adirondak Loj is worth a visit, perhaps even an extended stay in one of the most historic buildings throughout the Olympic Region.

For more information about the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Heart Lake property, visit adk.org.

A trailhead register at the Adirondak Loj property is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

The Hungry Hiker at the Adirondak Loj property is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

The nature museum at the Adirondak Loj property is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

Heart Lake is seen during foliage season in October 2023. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

A sign at the Adirondak Loj property is seen on Tuesday, Aug. 27. (News photo — Chris Gaige)

The parking booth for the Adirondak Loj property is seen during foliage season in 2016. (News photo — Andy Flynn)