The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County have launched an updated Adirondack Cuisine Trails platform through its flagship Adirondack Harvest program. This will make it easier than ever for visitors and residents to discover the farms, markets, restaurants, and agricultural experiences that celebrate the Adirondacks’ local food culture.The refreshed digital platform offers a more intuitive way to explore the six suggested routes throughout the Lake Champlain, Whiteface, Saranac Lake, Lake Clear, Lake Placid, Tupper Lake, and Clinton County regions. Visitors can use the trails as self-guided culinary adventures, traveling at their own pace and choosing particular stops along the way. The new platform also features interactive mapping and navigation capabilities, allowing users to easily view participating locations on a map, find nearby trail stops, access directions, and navigate between each stop directly from their mobile device. Travelers are encouraged to check business hours and seasonal offerings before visiting, as many farms and businesses operate on seasonal schedules.“With 12 million annual visitors to the Adirondacks, we cannot overstate the tremendous potential for tourism to positively impact our region's economy. In that way, the new digital platform will provide a level of interactivity from the public to our local farms, producers, farm-to-table retailers, and restaurants,” said Adirondack Harvest Program Lead, Isabella Susino. “The ongoing development of the Adirondack Cuisine Trails includes in-app promotions from trail members to increase visibility of their farm stores and our regional farmers markets, new printed materials, location check-ins, and much more." The trails showcase the diversity of Adirondack agriculture and invite visitors to experience the region beyond the plate. Along the way, travelers can tour working farms, meet local producers, sample handcrafted cheeses and maple products, browse farmers markets, visit orchards and greenhouses, and enjoy seasonal experiences that celebrate the region's agricultural heritage."The six Adirondack Cuisine Trails are a truly unique project designed to elevate the role of agritourism in the larger Adirondack experience. Visitors to the park are enamored with the authenticity of the North Country, and we feel that the trails are well-positioned to provide a meaningful experience for our guests, our farmers, and producers," said Susino. The Adirondack Cuisine Trails were established in 2018 by the Adirondack Cuisine Trail Network, a nonprofit coalition of local food partners formed to develop and administer six culinary trails across Essex, Clinton, and Franklin counties. Once the trails were established, its mission expanded to highlight Adirondack and North Country farms, food producers, farm-to-table restaurants, and retailers, encouraging visitors and residents to explore the region through its local food culture.Working closely with Adirondack Harvest, a nonprofit marketing initiative founded in 2001 to promote local farmers and food producers, the cuisine trails quickly became a popular self-guided culinary experience. In 2021, Adirondack Harvest assumed leadership of the Adirondack Cuisine Trails and has continued to grow the initiative while advancing its mission of supporting local farms, food producers, farm-to-table retailers, and restaurants throughout the region.The enhanced platform also creates new opportunities for participating farms and businesses to showcase seasonal offerings, new products, special events, and promotions. Updated user and location analytics will help ROOST and Adirondack Harvest better understand how visitors engage with the trails, providing valuable insights to strengthen future agritourism marketing efforts and economic viability for the region’s farmers and producers."The Adirondack Cuisine Trails celebrate the incredible diversity of farms, food producers, and culinary businesses that make our region unique," said ROOST’s Southern Essex County Regional Manager, Isabelle Bureau. "Our goal is to grow awareness of local food and agriculture while encouraging visitors and residents to support the farms and businesses that make the Adirondacks such a vibrant place to explore."To learn more and begin exploring the Adirondack Cuisine Trails, visit adirondackcuisinetrail.com/ or adirondackharvest.com. Businesses interested in cuisine trail membership should visit adirondackharvest.com/membership or call (518) 962-4810.The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is a destination marketing and management organization that leads tourism initiatives in Essex and Hamilton counties, along with the Adirondack communities of Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake. ROOST’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for residents by managing and diversifying the region’s tourism economy while promoting sustainable visitation.A program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Essex County, Adirondack Harvest is dedicated to strengthening the local food system across the greater Adirondack and North Country region by connecting farmers, producers, businesses, and consumers. Through education, marketing, and community partnerships, Adirondack Harvest promotes local agriculture and expands access to locally grown food to visitors and residents alike.

The Festival of Colors will take place Saturday, September 12, at Preston Field, bringing together local and regional artisans, food and beverage vendors, live music, and family-friendly activities to celebrate the start of fall.The hometown festival will feature a variety of local and regional vendors offering handcrafted goods, specialty foods, and other unique products. Visitors can browse Adirondack stone and handmade jewelry, pressed flower art, spice blends and pancake mixes, natural coconut wax and beeswax candles, award-winning children's books, custom wood designs, hand-stitched blankets and Christmas quilts, historical items, and hand-painted ornaments. Liquor tastings will also be available.“Festival of Colors is a wonderful way to welcome the changing season and celebrate the people, makers, and businesses that make Wilmington such a special community,” said Christina Ortiz, director of the Whiteface Visitors Bureau. “It’s a fun, relaxed day for families to get outside, enjoy live music, discover something new from a local artisan, and enjoy the community atmosphere that makes this event such a special part of the fall season.”Live music will be featured throughout the day, with Frankie and the Moonlighters performing from noon to 2 p.m., followed by Mike Pederson from 2 - 4 p.m. Preston Sound DJ will provide music throughout the festival.Families can enjoy nostalgic fall activities, including a cookie decorating contest, and face and pumpkin painting. The festival offers activities and entertainment for visitors of all ages, and attendees are encouraged to don their flannels and celebrate the beginning of the fall season.With a variety of artisans, makers, food and beverage vendors, the festival also provides an opportunity to begin holiday shopping while supporting local businesses.For event details and updates, visit whitefaceregion.com/events/festival-of-colors.

The Adirondack region is set to host harvest festivals in Saranac Lake and Westport this fall. The events showcase local farms, live music, local artisans, vendors, exhibitors, food trucks, beverage producers and a number of family-friendly activities.According to Mary Jane Lawrence, COO at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, harvest events provide local residents and visitors an opportunity to meet local farms and the availability of local fruits, vegetables, and other artisanal products. “The festival brings food, beverages, art, music, and local crafts together in a celebration of the season,” she said. “Participants are able to speak with artisan vendors, sample farm-fresh foods, sip seasonal craft drinks, and enjoy live performances throughout the day and immerse themselves in local history. When you include a background of gorgeous fall colors, these festivals showcase everything we love about fall in the Adirondacks.”The Adirondack Harvest Festival, hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension, takes place at the Westport fairgrounds on Saturday, September 19, from 12 - 5 p.m. The festival is marking its tenth year as it celebrates local farms and food, supports the local economy, and provides experiences to community members. This year’s theme is “bees and honey,” celebrating the honeybees, their habitat and the honey they produce, with workshops and demonstrations that highlight the importance of bees. The free event is designed to bring farms, local businesses, and the community together, giving regional farms an opportunity to showcase their work while allowing community members to meet local farmers and producers. Details can be found at LakeChamplainRegion.com/events.Entertainment includes music by The Big Takeover, Annie in the Water, and Ploughman’s Lunch. Live demonstrations and performances include loom weaving and beekeeping, hula hoop and stilt walking, and caricature drawings by Joe Ferris. The event also features a petting zoo with various farm animals.One activity that has become an annual tradition of the Adirondack Harvest Festival is the pre-event hike, led by Champlain Area Trails (CATS). That morning, beginning at 10 a.m., participants will be able to explore a 5-mile trail, take part in a scavenger hunt and visit DaCy Meadows Farm. A free shuttle will transport people between the fairgrounds and the trail. Participants must register for the hike at: ChamplainAreaTrails.com.The third annual High Peaks Harvest Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 17 at Berkley Green in downtown Saranac Lake, in conjunction with the Saranac Lake Farmers Market.The day begins with the Saranac Lake Farmers Market at 10 a.m. followed by the High Peaks Harvest Festival at 1 p.m. The festival showcases local foods, art, and music along with vendors, exhibitors, food trucks and local beverage producers. The event begins with live music by Midnight Stargazers. Representatives from local breweries, along with Adirondack Mobile Bar, will be on-site at Berkley Green, while Gristmill Distillery will be offering its products at its location in the farmers market. Additional details can be found at SaranacLake.com.The Annual Heritage, Harvest, and Horse Festival takes place at Fort Ticonderoga on October 3, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This family-friendly fall event features a number of activities including demonstrations of the role of horses and oxen in military logistics. The festival is enhanced by reenactments, stories about battles and soldiers’ daily life at the fort, weapons demonstrations and captivating recounts of significant historic events, and immersive tours. During the event, festival participants can take part in horse-drawn wagon rides or apple picking in the King's Garden orchard. A highlight of a visit to Fort Ticonderoga each fall is the 6-acre themed corn maze on the grounds, adjacent to Lake Champlain. Local food vendors and artisans will also be on-site. Additional information can be found at FortTiconderoga.org.Visit AdirondacksUSA.com/events for more information about these and other fall events in the Adirondacks.

Communities across the Adirondacks welcome the arrival of fall with a diverse lineup of festivals, races, craft fairs, cultural events, and outdoor activities. Harvest celebrations, artisan markets, music, competitive events, and longstanding community traditions fill the 2026 fall calendar, offering numerous opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the season and connect with Adirondack communities.Sydney Aveson, communications strategist at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, shares, “Some of the best ways to experience the Adirondacks are through the events that bring people together in our communities. Whether you’re returning to a favorite fall tradition or discovering an event for the first time, these gatherings offer a chance to experience the season from a local perspective and make memories along the way.”The events below represent a selection of fall happenings taking place throughout the Adirondacks, rather than a comprehensive list. They highlight the variety of festivals, competitions, cultural events, and seasonal traditions happening across the region. For a complete lineup of fall events, visit adksusa.com/events.Blue Mountain LakeAdirondack Experience FallFest: October 4Crown PointHaunted History Tour at Crown Point State Historic Site: October 24EssexA Haunted Hamlet: October 31InletInlet Fall Festival: September 19-20Adirondack Kids Day: October 3Indian LakeTown of Indian Lake Adirondack Antiques Show & Sale: September 18-20Great Adirondack Moose Festival: September 25-27Lake PlacidWHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series: October 2-4Flaming Leaves Festival: October 10-11Lake Placid Classic (Half Marathon, 10K, 5K): October 10Lake Placid Film Festival: November 5-8Adirondack Health Turkey Trot: November 26Long LakeLong Lake Long Boat Regatta: September 26MoriahMiners, Machines & Michigans Cruise-In Car Show: October 4Hunter Way Farm Fright Nights: October 23-24Saranac LakeSPUD FEST at Tucker Farms Great Adirondack Cornmaze: October 3High Peaks Harvest Festival: October 17Bitters & Bones Turkey Trot: November 26Schroon LakeAdirondack Marathon Distance Festival: September 26-27Fall for Schroon Festival & Car Show: October 17SpeculatorSpeculator Bear & Wine Fest: September 19Speculator Apple Fest: September 26Oaktoberfest: September 27TiconderogaFallFest & Fireworks: September 26Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival: October 3Fireside Folkfest: October 3Tupper LakeOkTUPPERfest: September 26Fall Craft & Vendor Show: October 18Erin Farkas Dewyea Turkey Trot: November 24WestportAdirondack Harvest Festival: September 19WilmingtonWhiteface Oktoberfest: September 26-27

The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) has released the results of its 2025 annual leisure travel study, which showcases visitor demographics, preferred activities, travel expenditures, and overall sentiment about the region.This survey analyzes non-business travel to Essex and Hamilton counties, along with adjacent communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake. The study identifies and examines travel trends, visitors’ preferred activities, details about spending, travelers’ area of origin, and interests, allowing ROOST to develop a thorough understanding of consumer preferences, activities, and expenditures.According to ROOST CEO Dan Kelleher, the survey provides a way to gauge its impact by uncovering data points focused on goals and well-defined key performance indicators. “We are pleased that the leisure travel study demonstrated success on several of our key goals, including increasing shoulder season travel, extending visitor lengths of stay, and increasing per-trip spending,” he said. The average length of stay rose to 4.3 nights in 2025, continuing a multi-year growth trend above a five-year average of 3.8 nights. Total estimated trip expenditures climbed 8% over the prior year to $1,914 per trip, driven primarily by longer stays. Restaurant and meal spending is the primary area of increased expenditure, spiking 28% from $303 in 2024 to $390 per party in 2025.The survey results also reflected an increase in early summer travel to the region. While July/August (25%) and September/October (22%) remained the preferred travel seasons, visitation during early summer (May/June) climbed to a new high of 22%, marked by strong June numbers. According to Mary Jane Lawrence, this is notable, reflecting ROOST’s strategy of promoting off-peak season travel to the Adirondacks. “Historically, late spring and late fall are times of the year when there is less visitation, impacting our local properties, restaurants, attractions and services,” she said. “ROOST has been focused on increasing visitation during that time of year, and it appears that these sustained efforts are beginning to influence visitors’ trip planning.”The survey included several new questions to gauge the overall satisfaction of visitors to the region, and results are overwhelmingly positive. This included 97.8% of respondents indicating that they would be “likely” to recommend a visit to the region and just under 99% of respondents indicating that they would like to return in the future. The survey asked if the trip met their budget expectations and 96% stated that it did. Consistent with previous surveys, and reinforcing anecdotal evidence, roughly two-thirds (69%) of respondents reported being New York state residents. Visitors traveling from the capital district and northern New York comprised the largest group of New York state respondents (33%), followed by central New York (21%), western New York (11%) and 10% downstate/New York Metro-Long Island. Those who visit the region continue to cite outdoor activities as the primary reason for visiting (65%) with hiking remaining the most preferred activity. Data regarding hiking preferences continues to indicate a five-year trend of strong preference in casual hiking, with 70% of respondents indicating interest in day hikes, 45% leisure and firm surface hiking (a marked increase from 33% in 2024), and 25% favoring family hikes. While hiking remains the most popular outdoor pursuit overall, other outdoor activities are popular. These include, in order of preference: canoeing/kayaking, fishing, boating, birding, skiing/snowboarding, cycling, cross-country skiing/snowshoeing, golf, and mountain biking. Interest in birding has remained at a level higher than historical averages for the past five years. The 2025 survey also analyzed the impact of travelers on local lodging properties. Hotels and motels remained the most popular overall lodging choice (40%). Short-term rentals experienced a minor increase, serving as the second most popular accommodation at 19%. Summary of key findings:Late spring/early summer travel to the region has increased to a level that mirrors fall.The total estimated reported trip expenditure was $1,914, an increase of $145 over the total reported in both 2023 and 2024 ($1,768 and $1,769, respectively).The average length of stay was 4.3 nights, continuing the positive trajectory that began in 2024 (4.1 nights). Responses from recent years ranged between 3.5 and 3.6-night average stays.Two-thirds (69%) of respondents reported being New York state residents. Only 7% of visitors reported visiting from states outside the Northeast or Canada (with the highest proportion, 4%, from southern US states).Canadian visitation declined slightly in 2025 with 3% of visitors reporting from Quebec and 2% from Ontario. This was a decrease of 1% in each province from 2024.While the overall survey results have been analyzed as a complete package, the results for Hamilton and Essex counties have also been compiled and evaluated independently of one another.Essex County specific findings:Visitor parties in Essex County spent an average of $476 per day, bringing the total average trip expenditure up 6% to $1,950. Major growth sectors included spending on meals (up 25%), shopping (up 13%), and events (up 10%).Early summer travel jumped dramatically from 15% to 22% year-over-year. Interest in visiting Olympic sites climbed to 23%, in anticipation of the 2026 Winter Olympics.The county drew a median party age of 58 years old with an average household income of $117,000. Typical party composition averaged 3.2 people, staying for 4.1 nights.Hamilton County specific findings:Hamilton County averaged a remarkable 5.0 nights per stay.Though daily party spending dipped slightly to $309, the extended length of stay pushed the average total trip expenditure up 7% to an all-time record high of $1,547.Camping and RV stays were the number one lodging preference in Hamilton County at 30%. Traditional hotels/motels accounted for 20%, second-home use for 18%, and short-term rentals for 14%.Hamilton County attracted the oldest traveler segment in the region, with an average respondent age of 63. It also maintained the highest reliance on in-state travel, with 77% of all surveyed visitors originating from within New York state.Outdoor activities are the core travel driver for 67% of county visitors. Alongside hiking, activities like fishing, boating, and birding round out popular outdoor pursuits.The 2025 Leisure Travel Study is available at ROOSTAdk.com/research.ROOST collaborated with PlaceMaking, a regional community and economic development research firm, to develop and administer this survey. It was sent via email to a sample of the region’s 2025 leisure travelers, inviting them to complete an online survey. Results were compiled from nearly 21,000 responses.