Adirondack Nature Trails:
Adirondack Interpretive Center

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The Adirondack Interpretive Center in Newcomb offers 3.6 miles of interpretive nature trails and a variety of educational programs on Adirondack natural history.  

• Like the Paul Smith's College VIC, the Adirondack Interpretive Center was originally a state-funded facility providing tourist information, educational programs, and exhibits for the public.  The Center opened in 1990 and provided a wide range of public programs for two decades.
• In 2010, then Governor Gov. David Paterson included a proposal to close both visitor centers in his executive budget.  The Paul Smiths visitor center was taken over by Paul Smith's College, and the Newcomb visitor center was transferred to the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
• The Adirondack Interpretive Center has scaled back its educational programs and hours, but continues to offer excellent public programs, events, speaker series, courses and other activities throughout the year to the public as well as school groups.

The Adirondack Interpretive Center is located at 5922 State Route 28N, in Newcomb, New York. The Visitor Center building is generally open from 10 AM to 5 PM Wednesday through Sunday in the summer and Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM between Labor Day and 1 November.  The building is closed in November and December.  The trails are open daily from dawn to dusk.

Trail System Overview

There are four interpretive trails on the 236-acre property, which is located along the shoreline of Rich Lake and the Rich Lake Outlet.

• The easy-access Rich Lake Trail offers a boardwalk through a cedar swamp and lovely views of Rich Lake and Goodnow Mountain.
• The Peninsula Trail is a 0.9-mile loop which starts from the Rich Lake Trail, continuing farther up the peninsula with excellent views of Rich Lake.
• The Sucker Brook Trail is a 1.0-mile loop trail running along the outlet to Rich Lake. It provides access to several different terrestrial habitats.
• The R.W. Sage Jr. Memorial Trail is a 1.1-mile loop which starts from the Sucker Brook Trail after it crosses the Rich Lake Outlet.  The trail features an easy walk along the shoreline of Belden Lake through a mixed forest of coniferous and deciduous

All four trails feature small, low-tech (but very informative) signs, covering plants and other natural features of the landscape.  Also available as a useful reference before visiting is an online interactive map. There is also a small butterfly garden adjacent to the Visitor Center building, attracting both hummingbirds and butterflies.  

Birds at the Adirondack Interpretive Center

Birds seen along the Adirondack Interpretive Center trails include:

Wildflowers and Flowering Shrubs at the Adirondack Interpretive Center

Wildflowers and flowering shrubs seen along the Adirondack Interpretive Center trails include:

Ferns and Fern Allies at the Adirondack Interpretive Center

Ferns and fern allies seen along the Adirondack Interpretive Center trails include:

Trail Map and Directions to the Adirondack Interpretive Center

• The plant list was generated from field notes and photographs from 2017 to 2021.
• The bird list was generated from eBird checklists submitted by the Adirondack Interpretive Center manager, an experienced birder.