A D I R O N D A C K   S T A T E   P A R K

Upstate New York

Tuesday, September 21, 2004 to
Monday, September 27, 2004

Park: #8

Established: 1892

Acres: 6,000,000

Annual Budget: N/A

Visitors: N/A

Highlights: 2000 miles of hiking, 42 peaks over 4000 feet, vast lakes, Winter Olympic Complex

Location: Adirondack State Park, New York

Hours: Year round

Phone: 518.846.8016

Park Admission: Free!

Link: Official Website

Top Pics: 49 Images

Rating:

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Hey, I'm entering Adirondack State Park!

Adirondack State Park is a vast ecological refuge. 2.5 times larger than Yellowstone National Park and sporting a hefty 6 million acres, the park itself is a unique patchwork of both public and private lands. The park offers a serpentine highway system that snakes its way throughout the park's dominion. The Adirondacks boasts 70 native tree species and 55 native animal species. All in all it's a pretty cool place to hang your coonskin hat.

Adirondack. Now, that's a funny name. What does it mean? Is it animal, mineral or vegetable? It sounds like an Indian word because it is. It means "Bark Eater." But, what does that mean, Bark Eater? Well as I understand it, Adirondack was a term an indigenous Indian tribe used to call a neighboring tribe. And it wasn't a term of endearment, rather, it was a nasty insult. I'm not sure why it was selected as the park's name. Perhaps the name selection committee was composed of all Indians? Upset at the White Man who gobbled up all their land, they selected the name to jab them back. Now that would have been a great turn of the tables.