The Adirondack Park is a 6-million-acre region mixed with public and private land located in upstate New York. The Adirondack region contains the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States, as well as 105 towns and villages. The wilderness areas of the Adirondacks include many forests, high hills and mountain tops to hike and climb during the day and to look skyward from at night. According to light pollution maps, the area is much darker than surrounding portions of the northeast. As an EarthSky user noted, “As far as U.S. Northeast locations go, you can’t really get any better combination of nature and stars. West of Saranac and Long Lake are good places to start.”
Deborah Byrd
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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.