Warrensburg Camps: Forest Lake Camp & Pack Forest
Some of our region’s best historic and preserved outdoor learning and recreation-based camps are in Warrensburg, and have plenty of stories to tell. For this tour, we will start our day at Forest Lake Camp, which still operates today as a brother-sister camp, but whose major buildings have their roots in the mid-19th century. The camp’s main building, the “Lodge” and the “Alumni House,” were both built in the 1850s and retain some original features and are reused today. We will also explore the remnants of the site’s 1930s girls’ camp, as well as the remains of Forest Lake’s historic farmhouse.
After enjoying our lunch at Forest Lake, we will travel to nearby Pack Forest, a regionally-renowned educational camp owned and operated by SUNY-ESF. The original site was established and built throughout the 1920s and 1930s after philanthropist and area landowner Charles Lathrop Pack donated the land to be used as an educational “demonstration forest” for teaching forestry, and serve as a field school.
Today, Pack Forest retains quite an extensive architectural and built heritage, including its historic Main Lodge, remnants of Old Route 9, a lime kiln, CCC buildings, a sawmill, and notably, the Grandmother Tree – a 300-year-old huge white pine that stands 175 feet tall.
This tour will be led by SUNY-ESF Adirondack Forest Properties Manager Bruce Breitmeyer and long-time Forest Lake Camp affiliate Robert Blanck.
The tour begins at 10 AM and ends around 3 PM.
The fee is $45 for AARCH members and $55 for non-members.