Activities

Historic camp tours White Pine Camp conducts historic walking tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer. The two-hour tours, which begin at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., include the history of the camp. Tours start at the White Pine Camp gate, and participants are able to enter several buildings. including the bowling alley, the two boat houses, the Japanese Tea House, the Great Room and the Tennis House. Wednesday tours are offered from June 19 through September 25, and Saturday tours are offered from June 22 through August 31. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. No reservations are required.

Nature walks are given by naturalist Ed Kanze at 9:00 a.m. Tuesdays during July and August. The walks are free and open to the public. Participants should meet in the Great Room.

Hiking: The White Pine Camp shore line trail, starting at the main gate, covers about a mile through boreal forest along the shore of Osgood Pond and ends at the lean-to overlooking the mouth of the Osgood River. This level trail offers opportunities for observing aquatic and forest wildlife.

Several other short woodland trails on the property connect various areas and buildings. These trails are great for viewing wildflowers and birding in spring and summer or enjoying the varied flora and fauna of the area.

Just off the property but close by are many well maintained hiking trails of various lengths. The most popular is the Red Dot Trail, a 2.5 mile loop with several spurs. The Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) of Paul Smith's College, just 3 miles away, also has an extensive interpretive and backcountry trail system with outstanding opportunities for wildlife viewing.

Fishing: Excellent fishing opportunities abound in the region. Osgood Pond has an abundance of perch, pike and bass and is a popular - and easily accessible spot - for ice fishing in winter. Nearby rivers, ponds and lakes offer excellent trout fishing. The Ausable River has some of the best fly fishing in the East, while The Saranac River also is a favorite spot for anglers.

Birding: A wide variety of resident and migratory songbirds populate White Pine Camp. Aquatic birds such as the common loon, mergansers, mallards, herons and kingfishers often are seen on Osgood Pond. A variety of woodpeckers nest around camp, and serious birders come to spot the rare three-toed woodpecker in the boreal forest along the Osgood River. White Pine Camp has a resident bald eagle, partridges, woodcock and a variety of owls. The nearby Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) of Paul Smith's College and Bloomingdale Bog Trail also offer great birding opportunities.

Boating: White Pine Camp offers guests a variety of boats to explore Osgood Pond. Kayaks, canoes and rowboats are located inside the original boat house, and canoes are stacked outside the new boat house. No reservations are required. All we ask is that you take a life preserver with you. (It's a state law!)

Swimming: White Pine Camp maintains an official roped-off swimming area at the Tea House Island. A basket of beach towels are available on the second floor of the original boat house.

Bowling, Pool and Ping-Pong: Guests may try their hand at bowling the way it was done 100 years ago. The bowling alley building on the shoreline of Osgood Pond features two lanes, each with 10 pins that you set yourself. All you need is a willing partner! Also, in the bowling alley is a pool table guests may use at any time. And, a ping-pong table is available for guests' enjoyment in the new boathouse.

Hiking: The Adirondacks features one of the most extensive public hiking trail networks in the country. The park is divided into five sections, and White Pine Camp is in the northern Adirondacks section. The Adirondack Mountain Club has lots of trail information, including maps and conditions, as does the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Canoeing: With thousands of miles of waterways, the Adirondacks have something for every paddler - beginners and experts alike. The hard part is just deciding where to go. Fortunately, one of the most interesting canoe areas is close to White Pine Camp - the St. Regis Canoe Area, which guests can access right from camp with a short portage and offers close-up views of other historic great camps.

Mountain Climbing: Jenkins Mountain can be accessed from the nearby Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) of Paul Smith's College, just 3 miles away. The trail to St Regis Mountain is located about 4 miles from White Pine Camp. Many other mountains, including several of the high peaks, are within a short drive.

Downhill Skiing: Several downhill skiing areas are located a short drive away.

Whiteface Mountain in Wilmington, host of two Olympic winter games, is one of the highest peaks in New York State and boasts the greatest vertical drop east of the Rockies. Whiteface has 86 trails, the high-speed Cloudsplitter gondola, 10 lifts, terrain parks and glades skiing.

Mount Pisgah in nearby Saranac Lake, a cozy ski area with small elevation, is great for families and beginners with green and blue trails and offers the only night skiing in the area. Snow tubing also is available.

In Malone, Titus Mountain is an affordable family-friendly facility with many recent upgrades and offers day and night skiing, snow tubing, and 42 trails with 10 lifts and short lift lines.

Cross Country Skiing and Snowshoeing: Guests often ski and snowshoe on White Pine Camp's trails or on Osgood Pond. Groomed trails can be found at the nearby Visitors Interpretive Center (VIC) of Paul Smith's College, just 3 miles away, which offers 25 miles of cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails as well as ski and snowshoe rental.

Just 2 miles from camp, the popular 37-mile-long Jack Rabbit Trail bisects White Pine Road and passes through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid before ending in Keene.

Just west of Saranac Lake, the Dewey Mountain Recreation Center maintains about 8 miles of ski trails with night skiing and 2 miles of snowshoe trails.

The Wild Center: Located in Tupper Lake, The Wild Center is an outstanding natural history museum with a vast display of live regional fish and amphibians, including live otters entertaining both young and old. The changing interactive exhibits provide insight to the natural history and wildlife of the Adirondacks, while the nature trails offer a firsthand look at wildlife in the forest and wetlands. The Wild Center has ongoing special events and is open year round.

The Adirondack Museum: A great day trip from White Pine Camp, the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake offers an extensive depiction of the history of the Adirondacks going back to the time before humans arrived. A variety of displays in 22 modern exhibition galleries and historic buildings explore topics that include industry, agriculture, logging, society and recreation. The museum opens late May through mid-October.

Saranac Lake: Charming Saranac Lake, just 20 minutes from White Pine Camp, was named the best small town in New York State with 186 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and is National Geographic Traveler's choice for the second best winter carnival in the world. Saranac Lake has dozens of great restaurants, not to mention a variety of outfitters, shops and galleries.

In Saranac Lake, other worthwhile attractions include the:

• Dr. Edward Trudeau Tuberculosis Laboratory

• Bela Bartok Cottage

• Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage

• Adirondack Carousel, a 3,600 sq. ft. pavilion housing a full-size carousel complete with 24 hand-carved figures of animals, fish and insects indigenous to the Adirondacks

• Adirondack Scenic Railroad, which travels between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake and boasts views of mountains, beaver meadows, rivers and wilderness landscapes

• Charles Dickert Wildlife Collection, located in the Saranac Lake Free Library, features more than 100 different animals from the Adirondack region, including bears and elk and is one of the largest collections of the famous taxidermist

Lake Placid: Exciting Lake Placid, which hosted two winter Olympics and boasts athletic facilities befitting an Olympic venue, is a half hour from White Pine Camp and is one of the few places in this country where the public can go bobsledding, ride a luge, or try speed skating. The village of Lake Placid itself offers countless dining opportunities, shopping and a variety of ways to enjoy the arts.

In Lake Placid, other worthwhile attractions include:

• Dog sledding on Mirror Lake

• Horseback riding and sleigh rides

• Golf at one of several courses

• Climbing the Gneiss Cliffs, which have been a rock climbing destination for decades

• The home and grave of the abolitionist John Brown

• Ausable Chasm, a uniquely-carved, vertical-walled canyon made of 500 million-year-old rock

• Whiteface Veteran's Memorial Highway, which provides motorists with a road to the summit and a 360-degree panoramic view spanning hundreds of square miles of wild land reaching to Vermont and Canada

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