Visit the new website for Great Camp Santanoni HERE!
Camp Santanoni and the Santanoni Preserve are located in Newcomb, New York, just north of NYS Route 28N.
Camp Santanoni is open to the public year-round, 365 days/year, 24 hours/day, and is accessible (depending on the season) on foot, by bicycle, on cross-country skis or snowshoes, and via a horse-drawn wagon (by reservation. See below for more information on making reservations for this service). The hike to the Main Lodge is 9.8 miles round trip, although you may visit the Gate Lodge (directly off Route 28N) and the Farm Complex (a one-mile hike).
Although Camp Santanoni is open year-round, many of the buildings are only open during the summer months. From late-June to Labor Day, full-time staff are on hand to give guided tours at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m., starting at the Main Camp.
For more information about visiting Camp Santanoni call AARCH at (518) 834-9328, Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm.
For information on the horse-drawn wagons (May through October), or to book a ride, contact: Larry & Pam Newcombe at Newcombe Farm – (518) 639-5534 or newcombefarmwagonrides@gmail.com
For information regarding canoe, kayak, and mountain bike rentals, contact Cloudsplitter Outfitters, 28N, Newcomb, NY 12852, call (518) 582-2583, or email: olbert28n@yahoo.com
There are seven primitive tent sites and two lean-tos around the lake for camping on a first-come, first-served basis. Information about them and the many miles of hiking trails in the area is available HERE.
- Camp Santanoni is a historic site. Please treat the buildings, their contents, and the landscapes with respect. Leave artifacts where you find them.
- Plan ahead and prepare. A visit to Camp Santanoni is a visit to a remote Forest Preserve site. Please plan ahead, bring proper clothing and ample food and water, travel in small groups, and keep to the carriage road and trails. Portable restrooms are available.
- If you carry it in, carry it out. Pack everything that you bring in out with you.
- Respect wildlife and plants. Leave plants and rocks where you find them. Avoid contact with animals by keeping a clean camp and by not feeding the wild animals.
- Respect other visitors. Keep your dog close to you, leashed and under direct control at all times. Keep loud voices and noise to a minimum. Bikers should notify hikers of their presence.
- Camping regulations. Camp at least 150 feet from roads, trails and water. Obtain a camping permit from a Forest Ranger for groups of 10 or more or stays of more than three nights in one spot. There are nine designated camping areas in the vicinity of Santanoni’s Main Lodge. Use dead or downed wood for campfires and make sure fires are out when you leave. For complete regulations, contact a DEC office.
Winter at Santanoni
The Santanoni Preserve is open all year round and can be a wonderful winter destination on cross-country skis or snowshoes. From the Gatehouse, it is approximately 5 miles to the Main Camp on a carriage road that gains elevation for the first four miles, with a downhill in the final mile. Please note that in the winter, the camp is staffed and the buildings are open only on our designated Winter Weekends, but it is also a beautiful spot for an excursion any day. Or you can take an easy 1-mile snowshoe or ski to the Farm for a winter picnic. Stop at the Newcomb Adirondack Interpretive Center to pick up a trail map for the 3.5 miles of interpreted trails around the AIC that also connect to the Santanoni road.
During the three Winter Weekend events, cross-country skiers and snowshoers will be able to go inside the Gate Lodge Visitor Center and Main Lodge buildings of Camp Santanoni, view displays about the Great Camp and take interpretive tours with AARCH staff. The Artist’s Studio, a stone building near the Main Lodge on the shores of Newcomb Lake, will be open as a warming hut. Bring your own cup and enjoy free coffee, tea or hot chocolate by the woodstove. The Adirondack Interpretive Center will provide snowshoes at the Gate Lodge for any visitors without their own. Hosted by AARCH, the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of Newcomb.
Click on the link to read a blog post about a 2015 Winter Weekend adventure, Ski Into the Past at Camp Santanoni
Follow AARCH and Camp Santanoni social media pages for up-to-date ski conditions!
NOTE: Winter conditions can change quickly in the backcountry. Be prepared with extra warm clothing and adequate supplies for your trip.
Visiting after Labor Day
After Labor Day and through the fall season, a half dozen of Santanoni’s buildings remain open for visitors. Camp Santanoni and the Gatehouse are not staffed and there are no regularly scheduled tours. However the historic site is always open and free to visit and you can create your own tour using the free guide at the trail register. We also recommend reading A Visitor’s Guide to Camp Santanoni: Adirondack Great Camp and National Historic Landmark to prepare for your trip. This guide is available for download HERE (PDF) and available for purchase in our storefront HERE for only $4.95.
The fully illustrated, annotated and indexed book Santanoni: From Japanese Temple to Life at an Adirondack Great Camp (242pp, 8-1/2 x 11, published by AARCH) provides the best history of the great camp and the Pruyn family, as well as a chronicle of its construction, details about the development of the Farm and much more. It can be purchased HERE.
Please also visit our partners for more information on visiting Camp Santanoni and the Santanoni Preserve: