See inside the Great Camp Buildings at Santanoni this winter
— Mwanner at en.wikipedia
Porches are prominent at Santanoni, built by Robert and Anna Pruyn of Albany as a rustic Adirondack retreat where the Pruyns entertained, among others, Theodore Roosevelt and the great-grandson of the author James Fenimore Cooper. The camp was designed by architect Robert Robertson, a Yale classmate of Pruyn responsible for the design of many early skyscrapers in New York City.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is holding three Camp Santanoni Winter Weekend open house events in 2017, opening the historic property to the public for recreation.
The open house events will take place during the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, Jan. 14 to 16; the President's Day holiday weekend, Feb. 18 to 20; and the weekend of March 18 and 19. Cross-country skiers and snowshoers will have access to the historic camp properties located in the town of Newcomb in Essex County to rest and view interpretative displays, including new panels installed in 2014.
Amenities can be found in the nearby community of Newcomb, where the WinterFest in the Heart of the Park is being celebrated on Jan. 14, coinciding with the first Santanoni Winter Weekend.
Winter Weekend attendees can ski or snowshoe the 9.8-mile round trip from Camp Santanoni's Gate Lodge Complex and pass the Farm Complex to the remote lakeside Main Lodge Complex. The Adirondack Interpretive Center will provide free snowshoes at the Gate Lodge for any visitors needing them.
Visitors may also warm up in the Artist’s Studio, a stone building near the main lodge on the shores of Newcomb Lake. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate will be available, although visitors are asked to bring their own cups.
In addition to the popular 9.8-mile round trip from the Gate Lodge to the Main Lodge, cross-country skiers and snowshoers can traverse the half mile-trail from Camp Santanoni to the nearby Adirondack Interpretive Center and ski or snowshoe their 3.6-mile trail system. The Center's buildings will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on all three days of the Winter Weekends in January and February, and on the Saturday and Sunday of the March Winter Weekend.
Robert and Anna Pruyn began work on Camp Santanoni in 1892 and eventually constructed more than four dozen buildings on 12,900 acres including a working farm, the Gate Lodge complex, a huge rustic Main Lodge and other buildings situated on Newcomb Lake. Camp Santanoni remained in private ownership until 1972.
Camp Santanoni is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark and is considered by many to be the classic Adirondack Great Camp.
Reservations are not required.
More information about Camp Santanoni is also available at DEC Camp Santanoni Historic Area http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/53095.html or Adirondack Architectural Heritage http://www.aarch.org/; more information about the town of Newcomb and the WinterFest in the Heart of the Park http://www.newcombny.com/; and, more information about the Adirondack Interpretive Center http://www.esf.edu/aic/.