ADK Talks
ADK Talks brings you the stories behind the people, places, and things to do in the Adirondack Park of New York State. With 6 million acres, the Adirondacks are the ultimate playground.We take you beyond the guidebooks and into the heart of one of America's most breathtaking regions. Just like we do on our website, adktaste.com, our podcast uncovers the hidden gems of the Adirondacks, offering hand-picked recommendations for the best places to stay, eat, shop and do in the Adirondack Park.But this isn't just about places. It's about the people who make the Adirondacks so special and...
Halloween Encore: Whispers in the Woods - Paranormal Pursuits in the Adirondacks
Would you spend the night in a haunted Adirondack hotel? Wander through a historic battlefield after dark? Or go looking for the legendary Lake Champlain monster?
The Adirondacks are full of fascinating history, but some of our favorite places have stories that don't quite fit into the history books. From mysterious footsteps in grand hotels to ghostly soldiers at Fort William Henry, there's no shortage of spooky tales hiding in these mountains.
Just in time for Halloween, we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations...
What It Takes for Adirondack Communities to Thrive
The Adirondacks are more than mountains, lakes, and spectacular scenery. They're also home to the people who run the restaurants, maintain the roads, staff the hospitals, operate the farms, and keep small towns alive. And the challenges facing those year-round communities affect everyone who loves spending time here.
Why is your favorite restaurant closed several days a week? Why are housing and healthcare increasingly difficult to access? And what will it take to ensure the next generation can afford to build a life in the North Country?
In this episode of ADK Talks...
James Bond in the Adirondacks: Retracing The Spy Who Loved Me
James Bond in the Adirondacks? Believe it or not, 007 once traded the glamour of London and Monte Carlo for Route 9 and Lake George.
In Ian Fleming’s 1962 novel The Spy Who Loved Me, a young woman named Vivienne Michel sets off from Montreal on a Vespa, eventually landing at a lonely Adirondack motor court near Lake George. That’s where Bond finally enters the story, in one of Fleming’s strangest and most fascinating departures from the usual 007 formula.
We sat down with Adirondack local and intern...
The Dancing Witches: From the Harz Mountains to the Adirondacks
Pointed hats. Decorated broomsticks. Classic rock. And a whole lot of Adirondack joy.
If you’ve been to a fall festival, parade, or community celebration around North Creek, Indian Lake, Lake George, or Gore Mountain, there’s a good chance you’ve spotted the Adirondack Dancing Witches. But what looks like a wonderfully quirky performance from the crowd has a much bigger story behind it.
We sit down with Crystal, Raven, and Shabby to find out how an international dancing-witch phenomenon inspired their Adirondack group, how 18 women ranging in age from 4...
Anne LaBastille: The Woman Behind Woodswoman
Fifty years after Woodswoman introduced readers to a woman building an independent life in a remote Adirondack cabin, Anne LaBastille still captures the imagination. But the cabin on Twitchell Lake was only one part of her remarkable story.
We talk with seventh-generation Adirondacker and author Penny Harr about her new book, Anne LaBastille: A Biography of the Woodswoman, and the woman she discovered through years of interviews and archival research.
Anne was a wildlife ecologist, writer, licensed Adirondack guide, Adirondack Park Agency...
Forest Bathing & Mindful Outdoor Adventures
What if your next Adirondack adventure had no summit, mileage goal, or destination at all?
We sit down with New York State outdoor guide Nathan June, founder of Nathan’s Nature Navigations, to explore forest bathing and the simple practice of slowing down enough to really notice the woods around you.
Nathan’s relationship with nature changed dramatically after a major health crisis and liver transplant in 2016. During his recovery, quiet visits to parks and places around Lake George helped him experience the outdoors differently. That eventually led him to fore...
Something’s Out There: Searching for Bigfoot in the Adirondacks
What if the Adirondacks’ most famous mystery isn’t hiding in the history books, but somewhere just off the trail?
We’re heading back into Bigfoot country with John Sheridan, creator of Adirondack Bigfoot, who investigates eyewitness reports across the Adirondack Park. John talks with the people behind the encounters, visits the locations where they happened, and documents what he finds through video, audio, trail cameras, footprint casts and plenty of time in the woods.
From Whitehall and Lake George to Wells, Ticonderoga, Keeseville and the Lake Champlain corridor, John has co...
Growing the Future: Women, Apples, and Adirondack Agriculture
Ever wonder how a New York apple picked in October can still taste crisp the following summer?
We’re heading to Peru, New York, in the Champlain Valley to meet Jenna Mulbury, third-generation co-owner of Northern Orchard and our latest guest in the Women in Agriculture series with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Clinton County. Northern Orchard has been growing apples since 1906, and today its fruit travels from the Adirondack Coast to grocery stores across the country.
Jenna takes us beyond the farm stand and into the surprisingly scientific world of co...
Storytown, Motels, and Summer Memories: How Lake George Became America's Playground
Long before family vacations meant airport security and resort apps, there was Lake George.
In the 1950s and ’60s, families piled into their cars and headed north to the Adirondacks for cottage colonies, roadside attractions, speedboats, theme parks, elaborate nightlife and days spent on the Queen of American Lakes.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we visit Bolton Landing and the Bolton Museum’s “Welcome to Lake George: Vacation Paradise of the 50s & 60s” exhibit with curator Lisa Hall and Lake George Mirror publisher Toni Hall.
It’s a t...
From Trail to Sky: Voices From the Lake George Hike-A-Thon
What happens when hundreds of hikers spread out across Lake George on the same summer morning?
We took the ADK Talks mobile studio to the Lake George Land Conservancy’s annual Hike-A-Thon after party to find out.
The result is a collection of field reports from around one of the Adirondacks’ most beautiful lakes. Some hikers discovered trails they had somehow missed after decades of visiting Lake George. Others spotted rare birds, introduced kids and grandkids to the mountains, found a new appreciation for protected land, or came face to face...
Sheep, Solar, and Sunshine: Rethinking Farming in the Adirondacks
What if sheep could help preserve farmland, support renewable energy, and make family farming more sustainable?
We’re kicking off our Women in Agriculture series with Rebekah Pierce, co-owner of J&R Pierce Family Farm in West Chazy, New York. Rebekah and her husband, Josh, never planned to become farmers. What began with a few chickens grew into a pasture-based farm raising sheep, cattle, pigs, and poultry across Northern New York.
Their turning point was solar grazing. Instead of using mowers to control vegetation ar...
125 Years Later: Teddy Roosevelt’s Ride to the Presidency
In September 1901, Theodore Roosevelt began the day near the summit of Mount Marcy. By the following morning, he was president of the United States.
Now, 125 years later, Newcomb and neighboring Adirondack communities are bringing that dramatic journey back to life.
The world’s premier Theodore Roosevelt repriser, Joe Wiegand, returns to ADK Talks with Mary Monaghan, chair of Newcomb’s 2026 Teddy Roosevelt Weekend. Together, they offer an insider’s guide to one of the Adirondacks’ most remarkable history celebrations, taking place September 11–13, 2026.
Listen before planning your trip to Ne...
What Is Adirondack Cuisine? Inside Adirondack Appetite with Susi Gott SĂ©guret
What does Adirondack food taste like?
Chef, author, forager, and wine expert Susi Gott SĂ©guret answers that question in Adirondack Appetite, a new cookbook featuring 150 recipes inspired by Adirondack camps, cabins, forests, farms, and family tables.
In this episode of ADK Talks, discover how Indigenous traditions, French-Canadian influences, logging camps, Great Camps, wild ingredients, and modern Adirondack farmers have shaped the way people eat across Upstate New York.
Whether you’re planning a campfire dinner, feeding hungry hikers at a lakeside cab...
The Adirondacks Through an Artist's Eyes: Inside the First Glens Falls Plein Air Festival
This summer, Glens Falls becomes an open-air art studio.
The Hyde Collection’s first Glens Falls Plein Air Festival invites more than 30 artists to capture the Southern Adirondacks as it happens, from the changing light on Lake George to the energy of downtown streets, historic buildings, gardens, bike paths, and summer gatherings.
In this episode of ADK Talks, Caitlin Foley, Curator of Education and Engagement at The Hyde Collection, explains how plein air painting turns an ordinary moment into a work of art and why you do not need to be...
The Adirondacks and America's Longest Water Trail
Looking for one of the most unforgettable ways to experience the Adirondacks? Start on the water.
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail begins in Old Forge, New York, and travels 740 miles through the Adirondacks, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire, and Maine. Along the way, it connects wild lakes, winding rivers, historic travel routes, welcoming small towns, remote campsites, and some of the most scenic paddling in the Northeast.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we talk with Karrie Thomas, Executive Director of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, about why this remarkable water...
Trolls, Treetops & 20 Years of Wonder: The Wild Center in Tupper Lake
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Tupper Lake to celebrate 20 years of The Wild Center with Nick Gunn, Director of Marketing and Visitor Experience.
Part natural history museum, part science center, part aquarium, part outdoor adventure, The Wild Center has become one of the Adirondacks’ signature destinations. Nick shares how the idea grew from post-ice storm interpretive exhibits into a nationally recognized museum rooted in the Adirondack landscape.
We talk about why Tupper Lake became the perfect home, how Wild Walk changed everything, and why experiences like Wi...
Back to the Big Screen: Silent Films, Classic Movies, and Schroon Lake's Strand Theatre
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Schroon Lake for a night at the movies with Liz McNamara of The Strand Theater and silent film accompanist Ben Model.
The Strand has been bringing people together for more than 100 years, and each summer its Classic Movie Mondays series turns a night out into something special: vintage films, guest speakers, community conversation, and the kind of shared big-screen experience you just can’t get at home.
Liz shares how she and her husband Larry became part of The Strand’s stor...
Two Wheels, Six Million Acres: An Insider's Guide to Cycling the Adirondacks
Doug Haney of BikeADK joins ADK Talks to share why the Adirondacks may be one of the Northeast’s best places to ride.
From gravel roads and quiet backroads to the fully opened Adirondack Rail Trail, Doug makes the case that cycling in the Park is not just for hardcore riders. Whether you’re dusting off an old bike, planning a weekend ride, or curious about e-bikes, there’s a route, event, or trail that can help you experience the Adirondacks at the perfect pace.
Doug also shares the story behind...
John Brown in the Adirondacks: Memory, Myth, and Moral Reckoning at North Elba
In this episode of ADK Talks, we return to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site near Lake Placid with Adirondack historian and author Sandra Weber.
Sandra’s new book, John Brown Farm: From Abolitionist Vision to Memorial Site, traces how a rocky North Elba farm became an internationally recognized place of remembrance, reflection, and activism.
We explore John Brown’s vision of an integrated Adirondack farming community, the people who preserved the property after his death, and the generations who have gathered there to confront ques...
View Arts Center: 75 years of Arts and Culture in the Adirondacks
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Old Forge to visit View Arts Center, one of the Adirondacks’ longtime homes for art, performance, classes, exhibitions, and community gathering.
Jane and Steve sit down with Bernadette “Bernie” Sunderland, Executive Director of View, and Travis Kiefer, Director of Operations, to talk about the organization’s 75th anniversary, its roots in a front-lawn art show, and how a small mountain-town arts guild grew into a year-round cultural center.
What began in 1951 on founder Miriam “Mernie” Kashiwa’s lawn, with artwork displayed on chicken wir...
Broadway in the Adirondacks: Inside the Depot Theatre
In this episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve head to Westport, New York, for a behind-the-scenes look at the Depot Theatre, a professional theatre housed inside a restored 19th-century train station on the shores of Lake Champlain.
Guests Erin Jodwin, Artistic Director at the Depot Theatre, and Gigi Mason, Director of the Depot Theatre Academy, share what makes this small, intimate venue such a memorable place to see live performance. From trains rumbling past during shows to actors performing just feet from the audience, the Depot offers a theatre experience that could only...
From Dockside Dining to Mountain Music: A New Era at Silver Bay
Silver Bay YMCA has long been one of the north end of Lake George’s most beloved destinations, but there is much more happening there than many visitors realize.
In this episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve welcome back Lindsay Butler, VP of Sales and Marketing at Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center, for a fresh look at what makes Silver Bay such a special Adirondack gathering place.
Lindsay shares how Silver Bay has evolved from its historic roots into a year-round retreat, community hub, cultural venue, an...
Memorial Day Mailbag: Adirondack Summer Starts Here
Memorial Day weekend in the Adirondacks can mean sunshine, dock weather, chilly rain, black flies, parades, boats on trailers, and the first real feeling that summer is almost here.
In this episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve kick off the season with a Memorial Day weekend guide and a listener mailbag. They talk about what the Adirondacks feel like as seasonal businesses reopen, favorite early-summer events return, and visitors start heading north again.
They also answer listener questions about how ADK Taste and the podcast began, why they focus...
Cooking Up the Future: Inside Paul Smith’s Culinary Program and Adirondack Hospitality
In this episode of ADK Talks, we sit down with Chef Robert Dumas, Director of the Institute of Adventure, Hospitality, and Food at Paul Smith’s College.
Chef Dumas brings a remarkable perspective to the table. His career has taken him from washing dishes in a neighborhood Chinese restaurant to cooking aboard a Navy submarine, serving at the White House, teaching at the collegiate level, and now helping shape the next generation of culinary and hospitality professionals in the Adirondacks.
What does “adventure hospitality” mean? At Paul Smith’s, it’s where fo...
Chasing Giants: Northern Pike, Conservation & the Art of Adirondack Guiding
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head out on the water with Aaron Gaza of Aaron’s Guide Service, a licensed New York State guide who helps anglers discover the beauty, challenge, and thrill of fishing in the Adirondacks.
Aaron takes us from Great Sacandaga Lake to Saranac Lake, Long Lake, Tupper Lake, and beyond, sharing what makes Adirondack fishing so special: thousands of lakes and ponds, tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams, and that unforgettable feeling of being surrounded by protected land, mountain views, and open wa...
Protecting Adirondack Loons: The Science, the Threats, and the Hope
Loons are one of the defining sounds of an Adirondack summer, but protecting them takes far more than admiration from afar. In this episode of ADK Talks, we welcome back Denise Silfee of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, along with Dr. Lizz Schuyler, the organization’s new Senior Director of Science and Conservation, for a fascinating conversation about what loons can teach us about the health of Adirondack lakes.
We talk about why loons are such powerful environmental sentinels, how decades of research are helping scientists track mercury and other po...
The Adirondacks as a Classroom: Inside the Adirondack Semester at St. Lawrence University
In this episode of ADK Talks, we talk with Jacob McCoola and Nicole Panek about St. Lawrence University’s Adirondack Semester, an immersive fall program where students live off-grid in a yurt village on Massawepie Lake.
They share what daily life looks like without phones or laptops, how students learn through outdoor leadership and place-based study, and why the experience leaves such a lasting impact. From shared meals and handwritten coursework to loons, lake water, and deep community, this is a fascinating look at a one-of-a-kind semester in the Adirondacks.
Ja...
Preserving Adirondack Architecture: Tours, Grants, and Saving Historic Places with AARCH
In this episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve welcome Nolan Cool and Christine Bush from Adirondack Architectural Heritage (ARRCH) to talk about the buildings, landscapes, and local stories that shape the Adirondacks.
They share how ARRCH helps people connect with the region through popular tours, hands-on workshops, and practical preservation guidance for homeowners and communities. From Great Camps and historic churches to old windows, lime plaster, and even architectural salvage, this conversation is full of insight for anyone who loves Adirondack history and wants to help protect it.
<...Adirondack True Crime, Part Two: Ghosts of the Herkimer Jail
In part two of our conversation with the Adirondack Park Paranormal Society, we move from Big Moose Lake to the old Herkimer County Jail, where Chester Gillette awaited trial after the 1906 murder of Grace Brown. APPS shares what they experienced inside the jail, how they approached the investigation, and why they believe some of the building’s most infamous former inmates may still make their presence known.
The conversation goes well beyond ghost stories. The team reflects on the energy they encountered in Chester Gillette’s cell, describing a presence that felt...
Adirondack True Crime: The Murder at Big Moose Lake
More than a century ago, a quiet Adirondack lake became the setting for one of the most infamous true crime stories in American history.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we dive into the tragic case of Chester Gillette and Grace Brown—a story of ambition, deception, love, and murder that unfolded at Big Moose Lake in the early 1900s. What began as a secret romance in a Cortland skirt factory ended in a chilling act that captivated the nation and still lingers in Adirondack lore today.
Joined by the Ad...
Seagle Festival 2026: Opera, New Works & A Bold Vision for the Adirondacks
From Hill to Stage: Seagle Festival’s Next Act in the Adirondacks
For more than a century, the Seagle Festival has been a summer tradition on the shores of Schroon Lake—where emerging artists arrive with big voices and leave ready for the world stage.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we welcome back Artistic Director Darren Woods along with Director of Education and Community Outreach Josh Cook. Together, they share how Seagle is building on its 111-year legacy while setting the stage for an a...
From Sap to Syrup: Inside Adirondack Maple Season with Toad Hill Farm
For many Adirondack families, maple syrup is simply part of life. It’s on the breakfast table, in the kitchen, and woven into generations of seasonal tradition but behind every bottle of pure maple syrup is a remarkable blend of forestry, science, craftsmanship, and patience.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Thurman, New York to visit with Randy Galusha, owner of Toad Hill Maple Farm. Randy shares how a childhood experiment with a few buckets and spouts grew into one of the region’s premier maple operations, tapping more than 3,000 trees acro...
Breaking Trail: Women Who Shaped the Adirondacks (Revisited)
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re revisiting a conversation that still resonates: our interview with Peggy Lynn and Sandra Weber, co-authors of Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks.
For generations, Adirondack history has centered on guides, industrialists, conservationists, and explorers — most of them men. But women were here all along. They were lumber camp cooks and lobbyists, poets and reformers, business leaders and environmental advocates. They shaped communities, protected wild lands, founded institutions, and quietly transformed the culture of the North Country.
This u...
Kitchen Confidential (ADK Edition) with Chef Billy Trudsoe
What’s really happening behind the kitchen doors of an Adirondack restaurant in the dead of winter?
In this episode of ADK Talks, we welcome back Chef Billy Trudsoe of Lizzie Keays in Warrensburg for an honest, energetic, and eye-opening conversation about restaurant life in the Adirondacks.
We jokingly dubbed this one “Kitchen Confidential: Adirondack Edition,” and Billy delivers. From skeleton crews and shoulder seasons to garlic loyalty and watermelon obsessions, he pulls back the curtain on what it truly takes to survive—and thrive—a...
Winter in the ADKs: Your Questions, Answered
It’s mailbag time.
Jane and Steve tackle your winter questions, from Presidents’ Week ski picks to the Mirror Lake Toboggan chute, smart winter hiking basics, and crowd-dodging ideas across the Park. Along the way: loon parenting truths, BrewSki intel, full-moon ski nights, cardboard sled chaos, and a reminder that a quiet walk on a frozen lake can be the most magical “activity” of all.
What you’ll hear in this episode
Where to ski Presidents’ Week: big mountains and smaller local hills<...Healing the World from the Adirondacks: Dr. Trudeau and the Saranac Laboratory - Amy Catania
In this episode of ADK Talks, we step inside one of the most important scientific sites you’ve probably never heard of: the tuberculosis laboratory that helped put Saranac Lake on the global medical map.
We’re joined by Amy Catania, Executive Director of Historic Saranac Lake, who helps us trace how a small Adirondack village became a worldwide center for healing, research, and compassion at the turn of the 20th century.
At a time when tuberculosis was killing one in seven people in indu...
World-Class Art in the Adirondacks: Inside The Hyde Collection - Bryn Schockmel
What if one of the Northeast’s most remarkable art museums wasn’t in New York City or Boston, but tucked into the foothills of the Adirondacks?
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Glens Falls, NY to explore The Hyde Collection—an intimate house museum where Old Masters, modern icons, and deeply personal stories live side by side.
We’re joined by Bryn Schockmel, Curator of the Permanent Collection and Related Exhibitions, who takes us inside the legacy of founders Louis and Char...
Cold Hard Magic: Inside the Making of The Sagamore’s Glacier Ice Bar - Tom Guay
Winter at The Sagamore Resort is anything but quiet. Each January, the lakeside terrace transforms into a frozen spectacle where 300-pound blocks of ice, chainsaws, blowtorches, and a lot of muscle come together as one of the Adirondacks’ most anticipated winter traditions: the Glacier Ice Bar.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we’re joined by Tom Guay, General Manager of The Sagamore, whose career at the resort spans more than two decades and nearly every corner of hotel operations. Tom takes us behind the scenes of the Ice Bar’s creati...
Second Acts in the Mountains: Inside NewVida Preserve’s Bold Revival
Rick Vidal left global boardrooms for a forgotten ski mountain and found something much bigger than a renovation project.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we head to Jay, New York, to explore the remarkable reinvention of the former Pale Face Ski Area, now reborn as NewVida Preserve. Rick shares the deeply personal story behind buying a long-closed resort, reopening land that had been private for decades, and rebuilding not just buildings, but trust and community.
What unfolds is a conversation about second acts...
Cold, Wet, and Unprepared: What Really Happens When Winter Hikers Underestimate the Adirondacks
Winter in the Adirondacks can feel otherworldly. Snow-draped trees, hushed trails, bluebird summit days, and the kind of stillness that only comes when the temperature drops. It can also turn dangerous fast.
In this episode of ADK Talks, we welcome back Jeff Berry and Elena Lumby from Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks (SARNAK) for an honest, practical, and sometimes chilling conversation about the realities of winter hiking. From hypothermia and headlamp failures to summit fever and post-holing, Jeff and Elena share real stories from the field and lessons learned...
