Camp Santanoni Winter Weekends
The 2023 Winter Weekend events will take place during the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Jan. 14-16; President's Day holiday weekend, Feb. 18-20; and the weekend of March 11 and 12.
Cross-country skis leaning against main lodge.
Camp Santanoni Winter Weekends invite visitors to enjoy winter recreation and exclusive winter access to the preserved buildings of the former Adirondack Great Camp. DEC and its partners, Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) (leaves DEC website), the town of Newcomb and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry's Adirondack Interpretive Center, host three Winter Weekend events annually at Camp Santanoni. These events are an excellent opportunity for visitors to take in the natural beauty of the Adirondacks while learning more about the area's cultural heritage.
The Winter Weekend events usually fall on the three-day weekends for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January and President's Day in February. The third two-day event is held on the third weekend in March.
Camp Santanoni provides a 9.8-mile round trip cross-country ski excursion. The trail traverses from the Gate Lodge Complex (map PDF), past the Farm Complex (map PDF), to the remote lakeside Main Camp Complex (map PDF), providing a moderate ski and a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. For those who don't have their own skis or snowshoes, the Adirondack Interpretive Center provide snowshoes free of charge to visitors at the Gate Lodge.
Winter Weekend participant near main lodge
Skiers and snowshoers are welcome to recreate on the trail and surrounding lands on any day during the winter. However, during the Winter Weekend events cross-country skiers and snowshoers will be able to visit both the Gate Lodge and Main Lodge of Camp Santanoni, view displays about the great camp and take interpretive tours with Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) volunteers.
The Artist's Studio, a stone building near the main lodge on the shores of Newcomb Lake, is open as a warming hut during Winter Weekend events. Visitors can reheat by the woodstove before heading back outdoors for their return trip.
In addition to the popular 9.8-mile round trip from the Gate Lodge to the Main Lodge, cross-country skiers and snowshoers are encouraged to take the half mile-trail that connects Camp Santanoni to the nearby Adirondack Interpretive Center's 3.6-mile trail system. The Center's buildings are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Winter Weekends.
Reservations are not required and there is no cost associated with the events. For more information, contact AARCH at (518) 834-9328.
