Winter Hike

John Brown Farm will offer a series of guided winter hikes on the first day of the month from February til May. The free hikes are sponsored by the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation and will be guided by Cheryl Craft, a historic interpreter for John Brown Farm. The program will focus mainly on getting outdoors and enjoying a small group hiking experience. There will be opportunities to share local history along the way. All hikes will start at 10am and will require advance registration. The first will be an off-trail hike to a spot near the southern border of the John Brown Farm, above the AuSable River. The second will be on trails at the Heaven Hill property near John Brown Farm, where both Black and White neighbors lived in the John Brown era. The third will explore a section of the Jackrabbit Trail called The Old Mountain Road, which John Brown traveled many times on his way in and out of North Elba. A fourth, spring hike to John Thomas Brook in Vermontville will be considered if there is interest.

Three planned hikes are variable in length and difficulty, though none require any special technical skills. They will require winter gear such as trekking poles, and possibly snowshoes or traction devices depending on trail conditions. Participants will need their own gear. The first hike on February 1: ‘A Woods Tramp’ is a bushwack of under a mile to the destination, or less than two miles total, but it is not on a maintained trail. The second, ‘the Old Mountain Road’ is the most challenging in terms of length and elevation gain, if we choose to start on the Keene end, as Mr. Brown did. The end-to-end length of the trail is 3.3 miles. The plan for this hike will be discussed by participants. The third, ‘Old Orchard Loop’ is 1.6 miles, with gradual elevation gain. It is the least demanding of the winter series. A fourth hike is possible if there is enough interest as the season changes. It would visit John Thomas Brook, renamed in 2023 after a land grantee from the era of Gerrit Smith’s land grants to Black men, which resulted in settlement of several families here and in North Elba, and in John Brown’s decision to move to the Adirondacks.

Register for hikes by texting or calling  518-806-9719, preferably in advance, but at least 24 hours before the scheduled hike. Additional location details will be provided. You may also search for Events on our Facebook page for additional details.

1. February 1, 2025, Saturday ‘A Woods Tramp’ around the woods at John Brown Farm
2. March 1, 2025 ‘The Old Mountain Road’ Keene, NY
3. April 1, 2025, Tuesday ‘Old Orchard Loop’ at Heaven Hill, North Elba, NY
4. May 1, 2025 Thursday, Bigelow Road, Lake Placid, NY