Spring has sprung, dear friends of Camp Santanoni, and you know what that means! It's time to schedule your next visit to the only publicly owned Adirondack Great Camp.
We had an excellent slate of Winter Weekends this year, with more than 400 skiiers and snowshoers stopping by the Artist's Studio for a warm drink and good company.
Now that the snow has melted, we'd like to take this opportunity to invite you back to experience the Santanoni Preserve again and enjoy the myriad colors of spring, summer and fall.
We have an exciting summer and fall season planned, so read on to learn more about: - our 2026 cohort of interns and volunteer docents;
- our summer daily and weekly tour schedule;
- volunteer days;
- upcoming events;
- and some of the other great things the Town of Newcomb has to offer!
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| DEC Agency Preservation Officer Jennifer Betsworth leads a tour at the January Winter Weekend event.
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Meet our 2026 summer interns! |
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From left to right: 2026 Summer Interns Elizabeth Edwards, Maggie Hicks, Vivian McGinnis-Tingle, and Reagan Smith. |
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Elizabeth Edwards is a historic preservation graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin's School of Architecture. She has served as an AmeriCorps NCCC member and has interned with the National Park Service through the Traditional Trades Advancement Program and the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office. Elizabeth attended elementary school in Plattsburgh and attended Pok-O-MacCready before becoming a camper and counselor at Camp Honey Creek for Girls in Texas.
Maggie Hicks is a graduate student in the Historic Preservation program at the University of Vermont. She is thrilled to be one of the Camp Santanoni George Canon Interns for summer 2026. Maggie is a lifelong lover of the outdoors and history and previously worked as an archaeology technician throughout the Midwest, as well as an intern and volunteer docent at multiple museums in her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. She looks forward to gaining more hands-on experience in preservation and learning more about such a remarkable site in such a gorgeous location.
Vivian McGinnis-Tingle grew up in Northern California and has been based on the East Coast since starting college. Vivian earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art History from the University of Delaware and will be graduating this May with a Master’s in Historic Preservation from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Outside of school, Vivian enjoys cooking with family, hosting game nights with friends, and finding new places to hear live music.
Reagan Smith, a North Georgia native, is a soon-to-be graduate of the Historic Preservation program at the University of Georgia. She has pursued roles that engage with both preservation and the community, interning at local nonprofits, historic home museums, and archives. Reagan found Great Camp Santanoni in pursuit of an opportunity to learn historic trades while still actively engaging with the public. She can't wait for a summer in the Adirondacks!
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An update on our Digital Preservation project | |
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Back in February, AARCH hired Sam Lasher as our new Digital Preservation Intern. This internship was made possible by a generous internship grant from the Saranac Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Sam is working on setting up a digital preservation system for AARCH’s digital files, which includes hundreds of historical photographs of Great Camp Santanoni. This project will also include saving digital files in multiple locations, like Vault. Created by the same organization that runs Internet Archive, Vault is a great way of storing historical digital records. While going through our digital records, Sam has found photographs of Santanoni that we did not know we had!
Organizing our Santanoni digital records, and uploading some additional photos, will help us preserve and keep track of Santanoni’s history long into the future.
As part of his internship, Sam is also participating in the 2026 cohort of CommunityWebs training in conjunction with Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York. This training assists public libraries and cultural heritage organizations with projects involving web archiving, digital preservation, and community archiving. This includes video calls every month to discuss the projects and learn more from the experts on the call.
Sam has a long family history in the Adirondacks, including his family being involved in Riverside (now Riparius) since the 1870s. Last May, he graduated from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science. This fall, he is attending graduate school at Simmons University, in Boston, for dual master’s degrees in History and Archives Management. This internship is a great experience for his future work in history and archives. In 2025, Sam worked as an exhibit assistant for the Adirondack Experience: The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX). He also spent one day a week working in the archive.
Sam is excited for the rest of this project and thankful for the opportunity that AARCH and the Saranac Chapter of the DAR made possible.
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Meet our volunteer docents! |
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From left to right: 2026 Volunteer Docents Laura Baker, Jennifer Kaspar, Scott Sopczyk, and Sara Haluska Telban. |
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Laura Baker is a NYS Outdoor Guide and the owner of Adk Heartscape Trails and Tales
LLC, a business dedicated to sharing regional stories of the Adirondacks. As a fourth generation
Adirondacker and avid hiker, Laura combines her love for nature with her passion for educating
others through interpretive guiding. She brings the rich history and beauty of the Adirondack
region to life, helping others connect with its natural wonders. Whether sharing the trails or local
tales, Laura’s deep connection to the Adirondacks shapes her work and inspires others to explore the heart of this stunning landscape. Catch Laura's first tour, "Santanoni Preserve: A Guided Journey Through Adirondack Conservation and History," on May 17.
Jennifer Kaspar is an Adirondack volunteer and steward dedicated to conservation, public education, and historic preservation. She lives near Syracuse, but travels north most weekends throughout the year to enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the woods. Tent camping, hiking and canoeing are Jennifer’s great love. You can find her, and her black mini poodle named Johnlennon, exploring trails and paddling ponds throughout the Adirondack region. Join Jennifer for a discussion of "The Heydays of Santanoni" at the Main Camp on August 1 and August 22.
Scott Sopczyk has had a life-long personal interest in human and natural history topics. He has previously spent time as a docent for the Buffalo Museum of Science and as a Naturalist Intern with NYSDEC. In addition to his work as a Santanoni docent, Scott currently volunteers as a certified Master Forest Owner with the Cornell Cooperative Extension.
Now semi-retired, Scott has been regularly coming to, and camping in, the Santanoni Preserve since 1991. He has a particular interest in the overlap of Japanese design influence for the Main Camp structure and Shinrin Yoku – the related Japanese concept of “forest bathing." Join Scott for a discussion of these topics at the Main Camp on July 2, July 16, August 6 and October 3.
Sara Haluska Telban is honored to serve as a Docent for the Great Camp Santanoni, and to support preserving the heritage of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. As an educator by trade, Sara believes that history comes alive through connection and conversation. The town of Newcomb and the Great Camp Santanoni provide visitors with opportunities for a rich experience tying the past with the present. The Pruyn family and the workers that maintained this wilderness retreat have many stories to share with you through Sara’s voice and enthusiasm. Sara has enjoyed this region and its offerings for the last 25 years and looks forward to sharing the beauty and strength of this region with visitors.
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Summer Daily Tour Schedule |
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Join our interns and docents this summer for even more tours at the Santanoni Preserve. Along with daily tours of the Main Camp, we're adding daily tours of the Farm and Saturday tours of the Gate Lodge this summer!
The tour season kicks off on June 29 and will continue through August 22. Take a free tour of the Main Camp at 12 p.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. each day.
Free tours of the Farm will be now be held daily at 10:15 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Still haven't toured the Gate Lodge? Join us on Saturdays at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. for a tour from July 4 through August 22.
Newcombe Farm will continue to offer horse-drawn wagon rides this year from May through October.
Reach out to Larry Newcombe at (518) 480-1743 to reserve a seat for individuals and groups, or to arrange transport of camping gear to the primitive campsites. |
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| Larry Newcombe, and horses Jim and Bob of Newcombe Farm, during the 2025 TR Weekend. |
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Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities |
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Opening Camp Volunteer Day Friday, June 12 |
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| Help us open Camp Santanoni for the season at our annual Opening Day volunteer event! Volunteers are needed to brush off the cobwebs, make small repairs and wake the buildings up for summer and fall.
Meet at the Newcomb Lake Road trailhead at 9:30 a.m. and bring a water bottle and a lunch.
Reach out to kelly@aarch.org for more information or click the button below to sign up. |
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Farm Landscape Work Days
Thursdays: July 9, August 13 and September 24 |
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Grab your work gloves and help us maintain the open landscape of the Santanoni Farm at this year's Farm Landscape Work Days, scheduled for Thursdays July 9, August 13 and September 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bring a lunch, a water bottle and appropriate clothing and footwear.
Have questions? Reach out to kelly@aarch.org for more information or click the button below to sign up. |
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Morning Bird Walk with Charlotte Demers
Friday, May 8 |
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| Join us for a morning bird walk at the Santanoni Preserve. Participants will meet in the upper parking lot at 10 a.m. to begin a one mile stroll to the Farm Complex. A slow paced walk on this flat dirt road should result in seeing or hearing some of the 98 species of birds that have been recorded at Santanoni. Plan on two hours to reach the Farm Complex, with the return to the parking lot at your own pace. This is a great trip for beginning birders.
Participants should bring insect repellent, water, snacks, and appropriate footwear/clothing for a two-mile round trip hike. Binoculars will be provided.
This walk is co-sponsored by AARCH and the Adirondack Interpretive Center. This is a free event and no pre-registration is required. Email kelly@aarch.org for more information. |
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Spring Wildflower Walk with Charlotte Demers
Sunday, May 24 |
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Join us for a leisurely walk to the Santanoni Farm as we look for spring wildflowers. Along the way, we'll learn how to identify a variety of seasonal blooms, and learn about the cultural and natural history of these beautiful plants. Participants should bring insect repellent, water, snacks, and appropriate footwear/clothing for a two-mile round trip hike. Meet in the upper parking lot at 10 a.m.
This is a free event and no pre-registration is required. Email kelly@aarch.org for more information. |
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The Santanoni Workforce Tour Saturday, June 13 |
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From butlers to builders, guides to gardeners, there have been scores of people who have worked at Great Camp Santanoni since construction first began more than 130 years ago. This tour will delve into the lives of the people who came to work at Camp Santanoni, from its birth as a turn-of-the century Great Camp, to its new life in the modern age as a state-owned recreation area and historic site. Learn more about the people behind the greatest of the Great Camps and meet some of them in person! |
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Santanoni Farm Manager Lewis Kinne and Assistant Gardener Walter West. |
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3rd Annual Art and Music Day Saturday, July 11 |
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Painting of the view from the Camp Santanoni Boathouse courtesy of Sandra Hildreth. |
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| Now in its third year, Art and Music Day returns to Great Camp Santanoni this year with even more to see and explore.
This event celebrates the long history of artistic expression at Great Camp Santanoni, from evening songs around the campfire and drawings in the guest books to Ned Pruyn’s plein air paintings and Anna Pruyn’s photographs and nature terrariums.
Take an art and music tour at the Main Camp, visit special art and activity tables, and chat with guest artists across the site.
All skill levels are welcome as we celebrate the interconnection of art, music, history, and nature at this Adirondack Great Camp.
New this year is a reception and display of art at the Newcomb Community Center.
Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram, or visit our website for a full schedule of events later this spring.
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Camp Santanoni Biking Excursion Saturday, August 8 |
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Camp Santanoni’s storied road has always been a popular mountain bike ride – and now you can pair that ride with a fully guided experience of all three of the site’s historic complexes!
Join DEC Agency Preservation Officer Jennifer Betsworth for this special “bring your own bike” experience that takes you to Santanoni’s Gate Lodge, Farm Complex, and scenic Main Camp overlooking Newcomb Lake.
This experience will offer something for new and seasoned visitors to Santanoni! |
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Paddling Camp Santanoni Friday, August 14 |
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All aboard for a canoe and kayak tour around Camp Santanoni’s scenic Newcomb Lake. This tour will explore the lake’s natural and social history, both before and after the Great Camp’s construction. Paddle the same waters explored by early indigenous peoples, and 19th-century loggers and tourists, and learn how the lake influenced the Great Camp’s final design.
This tour is full. Reach out to Samantha Johnson or Nolan Cool to be added to the waitlist.
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While you're in Newcomb... |
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| Be sure to check out some of the other great things the Town has to offer!
This year marks the 125th anniversary of President Theodore Roosevelt's famous midnight ride, so be sure to keep tabs on what's happening at the 2026 TR Weekend!
Our neighbors at the Adirondack Interpretive Center have wonderful trails and lots of exciting events taking place this year, including an AARCH tour of Camp Huntington and the surrounding wildlife forest.
We highly recommend you visit the Newcomb Historical Museum’s new exhibit: “The Adirondack Legacy of Three Pruyn Families," on display from May 22 to October 10 at Seely Exhibit Hall, 4 Adams Lane, Newcomb.
And of course, you’ll have to swing by Newcomb Pines, located across 28N from Santanoni, for ice cream, coffee, or a snack.
Want more suggestions? Check out the Experience Newcomb patch program or the Newcomb app for more ideas and information.
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Erin Tobin AARCH Executive Director |
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| Kelly Quimby
Camp Santanoni Historic Site Manager |
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The Friends of Camp Santanoni, a project of Adirondack Architectural Heritage with support from the Town of Newcomb and the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, aims to provide long-term financial and volunteer support for the Camp. |
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Founded in 1990, in part to save Santanoni, Adirondack Architectural Heritage, the nonprofit historic preservation organization for New York's Adirondack region, seeks to preserve the architecture and communities of the Adirondacks through education, action, and advocacy.
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