A sweet day at Sugarloaf, a hidden public use area
By Phil Brown
The Sugarloaf Public Use Area is large enough that you could spend days exploring it, but without trails and better access, it’s likely to be underutilized.
Phil Brown
Phil Brown edited the Adirondack Explorer from 1999 until his retirement in 2018. He continues to explore the park and to write for the publication and website.
All Stories by Phil Brown
Exploring the Sable Highlands
By Phil Brown
More than a decade ago, New York State planned trails and other improvements for the conservation easement it bought on the Sable Highlands. Not much of it has materialized, though the land has strong recreation potential.
Biking a rarely traveled loop in the Sable Highlands
By Phil Brown
Although the state Department of Environmental Conservation released its interim recreation plan more than a decade ago, in 2009, the agency has yet to implement much of it, and the lack of signage means visitors may not know where they can go and what they can do.
A disappointing bike route, with potential
By Phil Brown
We’ve waited 11 years already, and there’s no word on when DEC will get these trails built.
Norton Peak offers sweeping views, but no trail
By Phil Brown
If DEC builds a trail, Norton Peak no doubt will attract more visitors. As much as I’d like to keep the mountain to myself, that’s a good thing.
Moose on the trail
By Phil Brown
It’s one thing to stare at a moose; it’s another to have a moose stare at you.
Tourists or no, Adirondack towns suppress insects
By Phil Brown
Bti is a soil-dwelling bacterium first discovered in Israel in 1976. It kills the larvae of mosquitoes as well as those of blackflies.
Moose evidence piles up on Norton Peak
By Phil Brown
I had read that this region—dubbed the Sable Highlands—has the largest concentration of moose in the Adirondacks, but I still was astounded by the abundance of scat.
Climbers ticketed for ignoring falcon protections
By Phil Brown
Poke-O-Moonshine is one of the premier rock-climbing destinations in the Adirondacks, with more than 300 routes, but DEC usually closes part of the cliff in the spring to allow peregrines to nest undisturbed.
New “Wildflowers of the Adirondacks” is more home reference book than field guide
By Phil Brown
It’s a little too bulky and too prosy to take into the field.