Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing

Titus Mountain, a few minutes from the cabins, is for downhill skiing, and the Malone Fish & Game Club grooms cross-country trails beside it. For a full Nordic center with rentals and a lodge, drive about 31 road miles south to Paul Smith's College's Visitor Interpretive Center, whose 25-mile trail network is open to skiers and snowshoers from December 1 to April 1. Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake adds lit trails and low-cost rentals, Mt Van Hoevenberg outside Lake Placid has the trails of the 1980 Olympics, and state land a few miles from the cabins is open to snowshoes all winter. This guide covers what each place costs, when each is open, and how to plan a day from the cabins.

Where to ski and snowshoe

The big groomed centers are south of the cabins, along NY 30 and around Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. The closest skiing and snowshoeing is a few miles away, beside Titus and on state land, and at The Modern Tiny Home a short trail leads from the cabin to a pond deck.

The prices are the latest each place has posted. The VIC's page names no season, and the Dewey and Mt Van Hoevenberg figures are from the 2025-26 season. Prices change from year to year, so check before you go.

The snow season

Malone averages about 95 inches of snow a year, and most of it falls from November through March: about 21 inches in December, 22 in January, 18 in February and 15 in March, by the 1991-2020 normals. January and February are the coldest months, with average highs of 23°F and 27°F and average lows of 4°F and 6°F. Saranac Lake, an hour south, gets more than 100 inches in a typical winter.

Conditions can differ a lot from one trail center to the next. On Saturday, March 21, 2026, warm ground and wet snow kept the groomers off the golf-course trails at Scotts Cobble in Lake Placid, and its operator sent skiers to the VIC, which had the best snow and groomed trails that day.

The days are short in midwinter. At the cabins the sun sets at 4:20 p.m. on December 21 and at 4:43 p.m. on January 15, and by March 1 it stays up until 5:45 p.m. Plan the drive home for daylight, especially in December.

Paul Smith's College VIC

The Visitor Interpretive Center at Paul Smith's College, 8023 NY 30 in Paul Smiths, is about 31 road miles from the cabins, roughly 45 minutes by car. From December 1 to April 1 its 25-mile trail network turns into a ski and snowshoe area. The college grooms it regularly with a Pisten Bully, which leaves fresh corduroy for skiers and a packed surface for snowshoers. Classic tracks run beside skate lanes on the wider loops, and narrower trails wind into quieter corners of the property. The trails cross forest and wetland and pass the college's biathlon range, the only school-run biathlon range in the country.

The VIC trails

The property covers 3,000 acres, and its winter trails come in four kinds. Classic trails are groomed 4 to 6 feet wide, with tracks set when conditions allow; snowshoers are welcome on them but asked to stay out of the set tracks. Wider trails, groomed 12 to 16 feet, take skate skiers, classic skiers and snowshoers. Snowshoe trails are hiking paths packed down by snowshoers, usually 3 to 6 feet wide. The competition trails, groomed 20 to 30 feet wide from the E. Philip Saunders Nordic & Biathlon Stadium, are built for racing and training, so watch for closures there.

For a first visit, warm up on Easy Street and then ski Heron Marsh for the boardwalk. Snowshoers can pair the Boreal Life boardwalk with the Black Pond loop for a half day.

Passes, rentals and hours

Rentals cost $20 a day for cross-country skis, boots and poles and $10 a day for snowshoes. These are the rates posted in October 2026. Passes and rentals are sold at Hutchins Lodge, and day and season passes can also be bought online.

Mind the days of the week. The lodge's posted hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Monday, while the trails are open from dawn to dusk every day. On a Tuesday or Wednesday you can ski with your own gear and an online pass, but there is nowhere on site to rent. Before you drive, check the groomers' latest report on Nordic Pulse, linked from the VIC's ski page.

Saranac Lake is 12 road miles past the VIC, so lunch in the village and an afternoon at Dewey Mountain pair well with a morning here. The Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths guide covers both places.

The Jenkins Mountain Ski Zone

Experienced backcountry skiers can use the same pass on the Jenkins Mountain Ski Zone, the backcountry runs the college calls the Where's Ron Kon? trails. They are one-way and do not reach the summit. The zone requires a helmet, climbing skins and alpine touring gear, and snowshoes are not allowed. Uphill traffic keeps to a skin track marked with yellow discs, and the downhill runs are marked with red. For an emergency in the zone, call the DEC Ranger dispatch at (518) 891-0235.

Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake

Dewey Mountain Recreation Center is on Route 3 about a mile west of downtown Saranac Lake. The Town of Harrietstown owns it and Adirondack Lakes & Trails Outfitters manages it. It is a small, town-owned ski center, and in the 2025-26 season a day pass was $5, with children under 5 skiing free.

About 15 kilometers of trail are groomed. All the lower trails are groomed for skate skiing, classic track is set as conditions allow, and the upper trails are left ungroomed. Most of the lower trails are lit for night skiing. The posted hours change through the season:

• Until December 31, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• From January 1, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. when conditions permit, and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• After March 9, every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Those weekday evenings let you ski after the early sunset. Tuesday night is race night, though, when the trails are crowded and not the best choice for a recreational skier.

Snowshoers have their own trails up the east and west sides of the mountain to the top, about 2 miles in all with about 500 feet of climbing. Skis or snowshoes must be worn on the trails at all times. Dogs are welcome on the snowshoe trails any day, and on the ski trails on Wednesdays only.

Dewey's rentals are first come, first served. In the 2025-26 season cross-country skis cost $20 for a half day and $25 for a full day, snowshoes $15 and $20, and microspikes $8 a day. You may take rentals off the property, and an off-site rental counts as a full day, which makes Dewey a good place to pick up snowshoes for the state forest near the cabins. A one-hour introduction to cross-country skiing, which teaches the basic skills for safe, efficient skiing, cost $40 a person plus $10 for each additional person, with the rental and the pass extra.

Mt Van Hoevenberg

Mt Van Hoevenberg, at 31 Van Hoevenberg Way outside Lake Placid, is about 60 road miles from the cabins, roughly an hour and a half each way. It held the cross-country races of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games, and the state's Olympic Regional Development Authority, created in 1981 to run the 1980 venues, still operates it. The trail system covers 55 kilometers, including 5.5 kilometers of world-class competition trail. Snowmaking covers 5 kilometers of it, from the largest snowmaking system built for Nordic skiing in North America, so there is often skiing near the lodge when natural snow is thin.

In the 2025-26 season a day trail pass cost $32 for adults 20 to 64, $28 for ages 13 to 19 and 65 to 69, $24 for ages 7 to 12 and 70 and over, and $3 for children 6 and under, and half-day passes went on sale on site after 12:30 p.m. Expect the 2026-27 prices to differ, and check the venue's site before you go. The Mountain Pass Lodge at the base has a cafe, a ski shop and the rental shop, which rents skis and snowshoes. Rentals bought online must be booked by 3 p.m. the day before, and same-day rentals are sold in person at the lodge. Snowshoers have three designated trails and can bring their own snowshoes or rent them.

The same complex runs the bobsled track and the Cliffside Coaster, the longest mountain coaster in North America, so a mixed group can split between skiing and sliding. The Lake Placid Olympic sites guide covers them, and the Lake Placid and Whiteface day trip fills out the rest of a long day.

Renting skis and snowshoes

The cabins' listings do not include skis or snowshoes, so bring your own or rent. The simplest place to rent is at the trails themselves: skis and snowshoes at the VIC, Thursday through Monday, and at Dewey Mountain, whose rentals can leave the property. Mt Van Hoevenberg rents skis and snowshoes at its lodge.

In Lake Placid, High Peaks Cyclery at 2733 Main Street rents Nordic skis mounted with NNN, NNN BC and Xplore bindings, with boots to match, and you may take them wherever conditions allow. The staff can suggest trails. The shop also rents snowshoes, microspikes and trekking poles by the half day, the full day or several days, and for winter hiking gear it can arrange pickup or drop-off outside store hours. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The same shop runs Scotts Cobble Nordic Center at 141 Country Club Lane, more than 15 kilometers of groomed trail for skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and sledding, opened in 2022 with the Town of North Elba. The trails are on a golf course, so the center closes when warm ground and wet snow would let the groomers damage the grass underneath. Call ahead in a thaw.

Close to the cabins

Titus Mountain and the Fish & Game Club trails

Titus Mountain, about three and a half road miles from the cabins, borders cross-country trails groomed by the Malone Fish & Game Club. The club was founded in 1918 and keeps about six miles of trails for hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. For skiers and snowshoers who use the club trails, Titus has a discount lift ticket program: ski the trails, warm up in the lodge, then ride back up to the trails. Ask at the ticket window for the current price and the way onto the club trails. The Titus guide covers the mountain itself.

Titus also allows uphill skiing for people who want to climb on skins and ski down. It has listed a $15 Skin & Ski ticket for any age on any day, good in daylight only. Uphill skiers need that ticket or a season pass, must keep to the side of the trail where downhill skiers can see them, and may not ski down before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Check the current price before you go.

The trail at The Modern Tiny Home

At The Modern Tiny Home, a short trail leads to an observation deck over the pond, which the listing recommends for wildlife watching, from birds to beavers. After a snowfall it is an easy first walk on snowshoes without getting in the car. The trail and the deck are shared with the other cabin on that property when it is booked. See wildlife watching for what lives around the pond.

Titusville Mountain State Forest

The 7,566-acre state forest near the cabins is open for recreation all year, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing included. Huckleberry Marsh, a big wetland along the Salmon River east of Studley Hill Road, is best seen in winter, when the state recommends skiing or snowshoeing the Huckleberry Marsh Trail. The state's map of the forest labels the marsh but shows no trail by that name, so call DEC's Region 5 office in Ray Brook, (518) 897-1200 on weekdays, for the way in.

Elephant's Head is the forest's summit outing. Elephant Head Road is not maintained in winter, so you start at the gate on NY 30, about nine road miles from the cabins. The Adirondack Mountain Club's Shatagee Woods chapter planned a ski and snowshoe trip here for January 4, 2025, and put it at 4.2 miles round trip with 577 feet of climbing. Skis do well on the first 1.5 miles, a gentle climb up the road. The final 0.7 mile is a narrow trail, moderately steep in spots, where snowshoes work better than skis, and from the top you look out over Lake Titus. The state forest guide has the roads, the other trails and the hunting seasons.

Owls Head

Owls Head, the small mountain above the hamlet of the same name, makes a winter snowshoe hike, and its trailhead on Station Road is about four road miles from the cabins. Carry traction devices as well, because icy trails are hard and dangerous going without them. The Owls Head guide has the trailhead and the route.

Debar Meadows and Meacham Lake

For a long, nearly level ski on state land, the Debar Meadows to Meacham Lake Trail in the Debar Mountain Wild Forest runs 7.7 miles between Meacham Lake Campground and the Debar Meadows Road near the old Debar Game Management Farm. It climbs only 200 feet from the campground to its high point near the middle, drops 170 feet, and climbs 70 feet to the eastern trailhead. Meacham Lake is about 20 road miles from the cabins. Ski it out and back from either end, or leave a car at each end.

Know before you go that in winter the trail is part of the C8 snowmobile corridor. Keep to the right and listen for sleds; riders are taught to slow to a crawl when they pass skiers. Out of season, the campground's roads make wide, easy routes to the shore of Meacham Lake. The Debar guide and the Meacham Lake guide have the access points.

Cross-country skiing is allowed on all the hiking trails in the wild forest, and the trails and old roads near Mountain Pond get the most winter use in the unit. The Hays Brook trail system there is popular with skiers and snowshoers, and it is on the way to the VIC: Mountain Pond Road leaves NY 30 a little under 4 miles north of Paul Smiths. In winter, park at the horse-assembly area about 0.2 mile up the road and ski the unplowed road a short way to the trailhead. The Hays Brook Trail is a former road that runs nearly 3 miles. At 1.4 miles the Sheep Meadow Trail branches off and runs 2.3 miles to an old sheep meadow with two lean-tos, about 7.2 miles round trip, a good ski for people with backcountry experience. Skiers also use Mountain Pond Road itself, 1.5 miles, Slush Pond Road, 2.5 miles, and the 3.2-mile Kettle Trail off Slush Pond Road.

Long trails and the High Peaks

Two long trails link the towns to the south. The Adirondack Rail Trail runs 34 miles of wide, level grade between Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Lake Clear and Tupper Lake, and it is skiable with enough snow cover. In winter it is shared with snowmobiles and fat-tire bikes, and near Tupper Lake it carries the C7 snowmobile corridor, so stay to the right and expect traffic.

The Jackrabbit Trail runs 35 miles from the Visitor Interpretive Center at Paul Smith's College through Saranac Lake and Lake Placid to Keene Valley. It is a backcountry route, better for experienced skiers with a car at each end than for a first outing.

Lake Placid also has the Nordic Ski & Snowshoe Center at the Whiteface Club & Resort, 373 Whiteface Inn Lane, with 15 kilometers of groomed, track-set trail and Alpina ski and Tubbs snowshoe rentals. Its posted season runs from December 26 to March 14, weather permitting, with the center open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; call ahead to confirm. Backcountry skiers head into the High Peaks on routes such as the Marcy Dam truck trail, the Heart Lake loop and Avalanche Pass, a little over 5 miles one way to Avalanche Lake. In the High Peaks Wilderness, skis or snowshoes are required once the snow is more than 8 inches deep, so boots alone will not do.

What to wear and carry

Skiing is warm work and standing still is not, so dress in layers that move sweat away from the skin. Wear wool or fleece, never cotton, with a warm hat, gloves or mittens, a wind-resistant outer layer and winter boots, and carry an extra layer to change into if you get wet. Stay on marked trails, and do not ski alone, least of all on a long tour.

Carry water, food, a headlamp and a map downloaded to your phone. Cell service is patchy away from the towns, and cold drains phone batteries. When the snow is thin and the trails are icy, microspikes give your boots grip; Dewey rented them for $8 a day in 2025-26. Sunglasses help on bright days, when glare off the snow is hard on the eyes. For a full packing list for the trip, see when to come and what to pack.

Safety in the woods

Tell someone at the cabin where you are going and when you will be back, and start the trip home early, because the light goes before 4:30 p.m. in December. Staying dry is the best defense against hypothermia. If someone in the group shivers hard, gets clumsy or slurs their words, stop, get them into dry layers and head for the car.

If you step out onto a frozen lake, the state's recommended minimum for skiing or walking is 4 inches of new, clear ice, and slushy or white ice needs more. The snowmobiling guide has the full ice chart.

In an emergency, call 911 and ask for a DEC Forest Ranger, or call the Forest Ranger dispatch at 1-833-697-7264. State forests and the Forest Preserve are open to hunting. The regular deer and bear season in the Northern Zone runs from October 24 to December 6 in 2026, so wear something bright in the woods through early December.

Children and dogs

Children ski for very little here. Children under 5 ski free at the VIC and at Dewey, ages 5 to 17 pay $10 a day at the VIC, and at Mt Van Hoevenberg children 6 and under paid $3 in 2025-26. Beginners can start on snowshoes on gentle ground, such as the walk to the Tiny Home's pond deck or the road at the start of the Elephant's Head route. Dewey's one-hour introduction covers the basic skills for a first-time skier.

The VIC welcomes dogs on a leash all year; sign them in and clean up after them. Dewey takes dogs on its snowshoe trails and on its ski trails on Wednesdays. Check Mt Van Hoevenberg's rules before you bring one there. On state land, keep the dog close where the trail is shared with skiers or sleds. The cabins take pets for a fee; see bringing your dog.

A day from the cabins

This ski day works Thursday through Monday, when the VIC lodge is open.

For a shorter day, come straight back from the VIC by early afternoon, or stay close: snowshoe to the Tiny Home's pond deck in the morning and ski the Fish & Game Club trails off Titus in the afternoon. On a Tuesday or Wednesday, when the VIC lodge is closed, rent at Dewey and ski there, or bring your own gear and buy the VIC pass online. A day at Mt Van Hoevenberg is longer, about an hour and a half each way, so pair it with the Olympic sites and leave early. For a whole weekend that mixes skiing, the hot tub and dinner in Malone, see the winter weekend guide.

Back at the cabin

One guest who stayed at The Aviator wrote, "This home was the perfect getaway for our weekend of XC skiing." Every cabin has a private hot tub, and The Modern Pine and The Aviator have Jøtul gas stoves to warm up by. Snowmobile riders in your group can ride from the cabins while the skiers drive south; see snowmobiling from the cabin door. The cabin comparison has the rest.

Questions

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

1. Paul Smith's College paulsmiths.edu/vic/ski/
2. Paul Smith's College paulsmiths.edu/vic/
3. Paul Smith's College paulsmiths.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/VIC-map-2021.pdf
4. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hiking/winter-safety
5. deweymountain.com deweymountain.com/hours--info.html
6. deweymountain.com deweymountain.com/rentals-passes.html
7. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/activities/outdoor/cross-country-skiing
8. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/cross-country-skiing/
9. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/tickets-passes/cross-country-snowshoe-rentals/
10. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/snowshoeing/
11. Lake Placid tourism (ROOST) lakeplacid.com/legacy-sites/olympic-sports-complex
12. Lake Placid tourism (ROOST) lakeplacid.com/do/outdoors/winterspring/x-countrytelemark
13. orda.org orda.org/about-us/
14. highpeakscyclery.com highpeakscyclery.com/pages/nordic-rentals
15. highpeakscyclery.com highpeakscyclery.com/pages/winter-hiking-rentals
16. highpeakscyclery.com highpeakscyclery.com/
17. scottscobblenordic.com scottscobblenordic.com/
18. Titus Mountain titusmountain.com/xc-uphill-tickets
19. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/places/titusville-mountain-state-forest
20. Adirondack Mountain Club shatageeadk.org/2025/01/01/ski-snowshoe-elephants-head/
21. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/places/debar-mountain-wild-forest
22. Adirondack Explorer adirondackexplorer.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DebarComplex-Draft-U
23. Visit Malone visitmalone.com/blog/2017/02/cross-country-skiing-malone
24. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/recreation/snowmobiling
25. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/skiing-cross-country
26. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/public-safety/forest-rangers
27. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hunting/deer-bear/seasons
28. usclimatedata.com usclimatedata.com/climate/malone/new-york/united-states/usny0854
29. api.sunrise-sunset.org api.sunrise-sunset.org/json?lat=44.769&lng=-74.192&date=2026-12-21&for
30. api.sunrise-sunset.org api.sunrise-sunset.org/json?lat=44.769&lng=-74.192&date=2027-01-15&for
31. api.sunrise-sunset.org api.sunrise-sunset.org/json?lat=44.769&lng=-74.192&date=2027-03-01&for
32. New York State Parks parks.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/OPRHP_Snowmobiler's%20Guide%2
33. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/41023086
34. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/1168252128174283244
35. Franklin County tourism (Always Franklin) alwaysfranklin.com/listing/malone-fish-and-game-club
36. Visit Malone visitmalone.com/recreation/cross-country-skiing
37. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/maptitusvillemtn.pdf
38. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/hiking/hays-brook-trail-to-sheep-meadow
39. Adirondack Explorer adirondackexplorer.org/stories/hays-brook-ski-getting-back-into-winter
40. whitefaceclubresort.com whitefaceclubresort.com/nordic-center/
41. I LOVE NY iloveny.com/listing/mt-van-hoevenberg/6545/
42. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/2020/11/05/mt-van-hoevenberg-is-on-the-move/
43. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/mountain-area/on-site/
44. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/cross-country-skiing/dewey-mountain-recreation-center