First Wilderness Corridor
The Adirondacks was the first place Americans embraced the wilderness as a feature of civilization. The First Wilderness Corridor follows the Upper Hudson from Saratoga Springs to North Creek. This wild and scenic river rolls through rapids, past dramatic cliffs of magnificent marble before it slows to flow easily through ice meadows, kept perpetually clear of trees by the annual scouring of spring ice floes.
The land along the river served as a hunting ground for Indian people, who established trails connecting the Mohawk Valley with the Champlain Valley. American and European soldiers followed these trails during the French and Indian War. Once fighting had subsided, the vast tracts of timber spurred the logging and tanning industries. Construction of a railroad just after the Civil War gave vacationers easy access to hotels and resorts, and Americans discovered the lure of nature to restore their lives.
Today, communities along the First Wilderness Corridor celebrate their shared history along this route into the heart of the Adirondack wilderness. Drive the scenic byway, or paddle the river course to America's "First Wilderness."
www.firstwilderness.com
Lake Luzerne
Lake Luzerne presides on the banks of the Hudson River
at one of the most picturesque spots of the river's run from the Adirondack Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Here, the water from Lake Luzerne joins the Hudson at a narrow gorge of tumbling water at Rockwell Falls, which can be seen best from the north side of the Bridge of Hope. A little further south, the confluence of the Hudson and Sacandaga rivers form Phelps Bay, a stretch of water broad enough for water skiing. These historic waterways were used by Mohawk, Abenaki, and Iroquois Indians to travel between what is now known as Johnstown to Lake George.
Located at the foothills of the Adirondacks, Lake Luzerne's first settlements included grist mills, saw mills, a creamery and cheese factory, distillery, and even a shirt factory; but leather was Luzerne's biggest business during the last half of the nineteenth century. The first pulp mill in the United States using American-made equipment was built at the outlet of Lake Luzerne, it still stands with some of the original machinery as a public museum, and together with an iron ore smelter, a gristmill, and sawmill, are included in Mill Park. Adirondack Folk School is a unique school providing hands-on classes teaching the arts, crafts, and culture of the Adirondack region on Main St.
Loggers ran river drives until the 1930's, when the old logging camps found new lives as dude ranches. The first one, Northwoods Dude Ranch, succeeded in bringing the West, and all its cowboy flavor, to the East in Lake Luzerne. Today, the Painted Pony Ranch is a historic vacation spot and home of championship rodeos, and you can find stables on Route 9N that still offer horseback riding. Although the Hudson River is mapped as the demarcation between Warren and Saratoga Counties, and Lake Luzerne and Hadley, residents and visitors alike find this little valley one wonderful place to "ride, raft, and rest."
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