About Hamilton County
Unique in the Northeast
Hamilton County, the Adirondack Wild, is located in the center of the six million-acre Adirondack State Park in northern New York. The county holds the honor of being the least populated in the eastern United States, with 5,000 full-time residents. It goes without saying, there are no stop lights.
Public recreational lands and waters totaling one million acres comprise 95 percent of the county. Services are centered in villages, where restaurants, gas, lodging and attractions are located. Most villages are located on water, such as Long Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Inlet and Raquette Lake. This is because in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the region's abundant waterways were the most efficient form of transportation.
There are no cities, so traffic jams, shopping malls and fast food chains are unknown here.
The Adirondack Park is the largest park - state or national -- in the mainland United States. The park is a unique patchwork of private and public lands administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Park Agency.
Since there are forty-two points of entrance into the park, admission is free. Fees are charged for using public campgrounds and day use areas within the park. Camping in the backcountry, hiking, and most public boat launches are free. There is never a charge for enjoying the ever-changing panorama of mountains, lakes and deep green forests.
Those who wish to hunt or fish must obtain a state hunting or fishing license. Out-of-state snowmobiles are welcomed on the trails, but must be registered in New York State.
