Adirondack Mountains

Adirondack Mountains, group of mountains, north-eastern New York State, bounded by the Canadian border on the north, the Mohawk River valley on the south, the St Lawrence River and Black River valleys on the west, and the Lake Champlain area on the east. The Adirondacks are composed mainly of metamorphic and igneous Precambrian rock, and are geologically related to the Canadian Shield, of which they are generally considered a southern extension.

The central portion of the mountain range is magnificently scenic forested land. More than 405,000 hectares (2.4 million acres) of New York State Forest Preserve land have been incorporated into Adirondack Park (1892), where conservation and recreation efforts have been focused. The park is thickly forested with spruce, pine, and hemlock and a variety of deciduous trees. Wildlife is abundant, although some of the larger species are diminishing in number.

In the Adirondack Park is Mount Marcy (1,629 m/5,344 ft), the highest summit in the state, as well as 45 other peaks more than 1,200 m (4,000 ft) high, among them Algonquin Peak (1,559 m/5,114 ft) and Skylight, Haystack, and Whiteface peaks. The region has hundreds of large and small lakes, including Lake Placid and the Upper and Lower Saranac. The Hudson, Ausable, and Black rivers rise in the Adirondacks, and numerous streams cut through the mountains.

There are no large cities or major industrial zones in the area, which is a popular all-year sport and resort region. Because the climate is beneficial to sufferers from chest and lung complaints, several health centres have been established. Timber production is carried on by private landholders, and some iron ore, talc, and zinc are mined.