Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center

Paul Smiths, Franklin Co.

The VIC's 25 miles of trails, including 6 miles of interpretive trails, showcase the natural beauty of the Adirondack Mountains and provide unparalleled opportunities to view, hear, photograph, and enjoy nature. The trails weave through woodland and marshland, by ponds, brooks, and bogs. Look for the striking black-and-white checked feathers of the common loon, a water bird known as the "spirit of northern waters." Late winter and early spring visitors may even hear its eerie, yodel-like call.

Wildlife to Watch

• Common loon, great blue heron
• One of the few places in the state to observe boreal (extreme northern) songbirds,
  including the boreal chickadee, black-backed woodpecker, gray jay
• Beaver
• Coyote, red fox
• Black bear
• White-tailed deer, moose
• Snowshoe hare
• Otter, muskrat
• Butterflies and moths: monarch butterfly, eastern tiger swallowtail, painted lady, luna moth, cercropia moth

Where to Watch

• Conifer and hardwood forest
• Brooks, marshes and bogs
• Freshwater ponds

Recreational Opportunities

• Whispering Pines Amphitheater
• Boardwalks, picnic pavilions and observation platforms
• Trail system provides opportunities for birdwatching, backcountry hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing

Size

3,000+ acres

Closest Town

Paul Smiths

Directions

See Google Maps and enter your address for step by step directions to Paul Smiths VIC (This link will leave the DEC website. Hold "Shift" down while clicking on the link to open it in an new window)

Contact information

Website: Paul Smith's Visitor Interpretive Center (This link leaves the DEC website)
Address: 8023 State Route 30, Paul Smiths, NY 12970
Telephone: 518-327-6241

Photo Credits: Jim Clayton, Bill Banaszewski