Health, Safety and Emergencies

If someone gets sick or hurt during a stay, the nearest emergency department is at UVM Health's Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone, about ten and a half road miles north of the cabins, or roughly 20 minutes by car. This page covers what to know before that moment: calling 911 from the woods, the numbers to save, the walk-in clinic and the pharmacies, each cabin's safety equipment, and the seasonal risks of the northern Adirondacks, from winter cold and fire rules to bears, ticks and hunting season.

Calling 911 from the cabins

Call 911 for a fire, a crime, a medical emergency or a rescue. Tell the dispatcher where you are before anything else, then give your phone number so they can call you back if the line drops. A cell phone is not tied to one fixed address, so say the address yourself.

Save the cabin's street address in your phone before you arrive; it is in your booking. Give the dispatcher the cabin's name too. The Modern Pine and The Aviator share one property and one gravel drive, and The Aviator is the far cabin, with its name on a sign. The Modern Tiny Home stands on a second property that it shares with one other cabin, which is not one of these three. Once help is on the way, call the host, whose number is in your booking.

Numbers to save before you arrive

• Alice Hyde Medical Center: the emergency department at (518) 481-2336, the walk-in clinic at (518) 481-2800 and the hospital's main line at (518) 483-3000.
• DEC Forest Rangers: for a lost or injured hiker, skier or paddler, or a wildfire, call 911 and ask for a Forest Ranger, or call DEC dispatch at 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264).
• Poison Help: 1-800-222-1222, free, confidential and open around the clock, answered by poison specialists, among them nurses, pharmacists and physicians.
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, free and confidential, at any hour.
• Franklin County Public Health: (518) 481-1710 during business hours, for an animal bite or a bat found in the cabin; after hours, (877) 410-5753, then 5 for the on-call nurse.
• DEC's hotline: 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267), to report illegal burning.
• The host: for anything at the cabin, from the heat or the hot tub to a car stuck in the snow.

Before you leave home

• Pack every medicine you take, in its original container, with a few spare days' worth.
• Save the cabin's address, the host's number and the numbers above in your phone.
• Turn on Wi-Fi calling and set its emergency address to the cabin; the phones section below explains why.
• Download offline maps of the area, and pack a car charger and a flashlight.
• Carry your health insurance card, and travel medical insurance if you live outside the United States.

The hospital in Malone

UVM Health's Alice Hyde Medical Center, at 133 Park Street in Malone, has the nearest emergency department, about ten and a half road miles from the cabins. It is open 24 hours a day, every day of the week, with physicians on duty around the clock, and it treats every kind of emergency, from heart trouble and strokes to mental health crises and injuries. Imaging, a laboratory and surgery are on site. The emergency department's entrance is next to the hospital's main entrance.

Bring your medicines, or a list of them, and your insurance card. The department treats everyone, whatever their insurance or ability to pay, and registering does not hold up treatment. A triage nurse sees each patient first, and the most serious cases are treated first. Founded in 1913, Alice Hyde is a 25-bed critical access hospital, a designation it earned in 2023, and it has been part of University of Vermont Health since 2017.

Other emergency departments

On a day trip, another hospital may be closer. Adirondack Health's Adirondack Medical Center, at 2233 State Route 86 in Saranac Lake, runs an emergency department that is open 24 hours a day; Saranac Lake is about 43 road miles south of the cabins, and the Saranac Lake guide covers the town. UVM Health's Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, at 75 Beekman Street in Plattsburgh, about 61 road miles east, also has a 24-hour emergency department.

Walk-in and crisis care

For an illness or injury that needs a doctor today but is not an emergency, Alice Hyde runs a walk-in clinic at 134 Park Street in Malone. Its posted hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, and no appointment is needed. It treats children, teens and adults, and it invites people visiting the area. It handles falls, sprains, cuts that need stitches, minor burns and minor broken bones, as well as colds, flu, sore throats, earaches, rashes, splinters, stomach bugs, mild asthma flares, allergic reactions and urinary tract infections. Call (518) 481-2800 or check the clinic's page before you drive in, since hours can change. Chest pain, signs of a stroke, severe abdominal pain and other serious symptoms call for 911 or the emergency department, not the clinic.

For a mental health crisis, call or text 988 at any hour. In Malone, Citizen Advocates runs a behavioral health campus at 125 Finney Boulevard that is open around the clock, every day of the year, for adults and children, with no appointment or referral needed. It offers crisis help, assessments, counseling and respite stays; its number is (518) 481-8160.

Pharmacies

For prescriptions, go to Kinney Drugs, which has two stores in Malone, or to the pharmacy in the Walmart Supercenter, all about 20 minutes from the cabins. The Price Chopper supermarket has no pharmacy. These were Kinney's posted pharmacy hours in October 2026:

Both Kinney counters close for lunch from 1 to 1:30 p.m., and both offer a drive-thru window and prescription delivery. The Walmart Supercenter at 3222 State Route 11 has its own pharmacy; check its hours on Walmart's store page. Hours change, so confirm them before a late drive into town.

If a refill falls due during the stay, arrange it with your own doctor and pharmacy before you leave home.

Phones, wifi and weather alerts

Two cell carriers serve the cabins. The Modern Pine's listing says the property and the area are limited to Verizon and AT&T, and that the well-insulated cabin weakens reception inside. The Federal Communications Commission's National Broadband Map, built from the coverage carriers report, shows the same two at the cabins: 4G LTE from both for a phone used outdoors and standing still, 5G from AT&T as well, and only AT&T's 4G LTE for a phone in a moving car. Its data runs to December 31, 2025.

All three cabins have wifi and an ethernet connection, which makes Wi-Fi calling the backup for phones that support it. Turn it on before you arrive, and set its emergency address to the cabin's street address. A 911 call still tries the cell network first. When there is no cell signal, it goes over wifi, the carrier routes it by that registered address, and the address reaches the dispatcher if you cannot give your location. A call made away from the registered address may not reach the nearest emergency service, so change the address back when you go home. A Wi-Fi call also depends on the internet line, and an outage can drop it. A Canadian phone follows its own carrier's rules for 911 over Wi-Fi calling in the United States, so check them before the trip. Long stays covers the cabins' internet in more detail.

Cold drains phone batteries quickly, so keep the phone in an inside pocket on winter walks and carry a charger in the car.

For alerts, New York's free text service covers Franklin County: text FRANKLIN to 333111 for severe weather, widespread power outages and emergency information, and text STOP to the same number to end it. Carrier message rates may apply. Forecasts and warnings for the cabins come from the National Weather Service office in Burlington, Vermont.

Summer adds smoke. When smoke from wildfires in Canada drifts over New York, the state's environment and health departments issue air quality health advisories, as they did on July 15 and 16, 2026, for the Adirondack region, which takes in Franklin County, with a forecast of unhealthy for sensitive groups. They issue one when fine particles or ozone are expected to pass 100 on the Air Quality Index, and the state's air quality hotline is 1-800-535-1345. The sensitive groups are children and teens, older adults, pregnant people, people with heart or lung disease, asthma included, and anyone who exercises or works outdoors, so on those days cut back on time and hard exercise outdoors.

What each cabin has

All three listings show the same safety gear: a smoke alarm, a carbon monoxide alarm, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. Find the extinguisher and the kit when you arrive, so nobody has to hunt for them later, and bring your own medicines and a pair of fine-tipped tweezers for ticks.

The listings disclose exterior cameras only. Each cabin has a Ring doorbell camera that covers the entrance and the deck, and The Modern Tiny Home has a second exterior camera aimed at the parking area and garages. The listings describe them as video and audio devices that are switched on, and the Pine and Tiny Home listings state that there are no cameras or audio devices inside.

Airbnb's safety notes on the listings flag a few more things. Each cabin is reached by steps: five up to the deck at the Tiny Home, a few short steps at The Modern Pine and exterior deck steps at The Aviator, which matters for anyone who has trouble with stairs and for everyone on an icy morning. All three hot tubs are marked as having no gate or lock. All three listings warn that guests may meet potentially dangerous animals, and the Tiny Home's adds that a pond lies down a short trail, about a five-minute walk away, with an observation deck.

House rules that affect safety

• Children. The Modern Pine and The Modern Tiny Home are not suitable for children under 10, and all three listings carry Airbnb's flag that they are not suitable for children and infants; the Pine and Aviator listings add that the cabin is not childproofed. The cabins suit families with children 10 and older; see family stays.
• Who books. At the Pine and the Tiny Home, the booking guest must be at least 25 and stay for the whole visit, and the host asks for picture ID and a list of all guests. None of the three allows parties.
• Hunting and weapons. The Pine and Tiny Home listings ban hunting on the property, and The Aviator's bans weapons and illicit drug use anywhere on its property.
• Smoking. None of the three allows smoking, and the listings charge fees or keep the security deposit when there is evidence of it.
• Quiet hours. 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. at The Aviator and the Tiny Home.

Carbon monoxide and the gas stoves

The Modern Pine and The Aviator each have a Jøtul GF 160 DV, a direct-vent gas stove, in the living room; the Tiny Home has no stove. Anything that burns fuel can give off carbon monoxide, a gas with no color and no smell, which is why each cabin has a carbon monoxide alarm. If it sounds and anyone feels unwell, with a headache, dizziness or nausea, get everyone outside and call 911. The Jøtul stoves post covers running the stove, what to do when the alarm sounds and nobody feels ill, and what to do if you smell gas.

The same danger comes from other fuel burners. Never use a grill, a generator or anything else that burns gasoline, propane or charcoal inside the cabin, or near a door, window or vent. If snow or a plow bank covers the stove's vent cap on the outside wall, tell the host before you light the stove. In the car, clear snow away from the exhaust pipe before you run the engine for heat; winter driving covers what to do if you slide off or get stuck.

Winter weather and ice

A normal January in Malone runs from about 23°F in the afternoon down to about 4°F at night, and about 95 inches of snow falls over a normal year. Wind makes the cold more dangerous. At 0°F with a 15 mph wind, the wind chill is minus 19°F, and exposed skin can freeze in 30 minutes.

Know the warning signs. Hypothermia shows as shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech or drowsiness, and anyone whose temperature has dropped below 95°F needs medical care at once. Frostbite often starts as redness or pain; then the skin turns white or grayish yellow, feels unusually firm or waxy, and goes numb. Get the person into a warm room, take off any wet clothing and warm them under dry blankets and layers, and put frostbitten skin in water that is warm to the touch. With severe hypothermia, handle the person gently and call 911.

At the cabins, the risk is underfoot. The steps, the deck boards and the walk to the hot tub can ice over, so wear boots with a good grip between the car, the door and the tub, use the railing where there is one, and tell the host if the steps or the drive need sand or salt.

Keep the heat on. In winter the Pine and Tiny Home listings ask departing guests to leave the heat set at 60 rather than turning it off, because a cold cabin risks frozen pipes. If the heat or the power fails in cold weather, call the host at once.

Stay off the Tiny Home's pond and the lakes nearby in winter unless you have measured at least 4 inches of new, clear, hard ice in several places, the state's minimum for walking; the snowmobiling guide has the full ice table.

The hot tubs

Each cabin has its own hot tub on the deck, with nothing around it to keep anyone out, so close the cover whenever the tub is not in use. The Modern Pine's cover also fastens with clips: undo them before you lift it, and clip it again when you close it. When they check out, Pine and Tiny Home guests are asked to set the tub to 95°F and secure the cover.

Keep the water at 104°F or below; the Consumer Product Safety Commission considers 100°F safe for a healthy adult. Heavy drinking in a hot tub can cause drowsiness, which can lead to unconsciousness and drowning, and water hotter than 102°F can harm a pregnancy in its first three months. The CDC's list for hot tub users is short: no alcohol before or during a soak, talk to a doctor first if you are pregnant, shower before you get in, do not swallow the water, and stay out if you have diarrhea. The hot tub page has the winter routine and the rest of the rules.

Fire pits and burning rules

Each cabin has its own fire pit: the big stone pit at the Tiny Home, a pit at the tree line at The Modern Pine, and a smokeless fire pit on the lawn at The Aviator. New York's rules for a backyard fire are short. A campfire or a cooking fire is allowed if it stays under 3 feet high and 4 feet long, wide or across. Burn only charcoal or dry, clean wood that has not been treated or painted, and never trash, leaves or plywood. Someone has to stay with the fire until it is out.

Put it out properly. DEC's method is to pour on plenty of water, stir the coals to work the water into the bed, and check that the ashes are cool to the touch before you walk away. DEC also asks people to build fires only in established rings or pits, which is what the cabins' pits are for.

Spring has its own rule. From March 16 through May 14 every year, New York bans residential brush burning, because burning debris is the largest single cause of spring wildfires in the state; a campfire or backyard fire pit within the size limits stays legal. In a drought the state can go further. From October 2 to 15, 2025, in a dry fall, it banned uncontained fires, campfires and open cooking fires among them, while contained fire pits within the size limits stayed legal. In a dry season, ask the host before you light a fire, and check DEC's fire danger map, which rates each part of the state from low, in green, to extreme, in red. At high and above, fires start easily.

Leave firewood at home, since untreated wood may not come into New York from another state or country, or travel more than 50 miles inside the state unless it has been heat-treated; ask the host about wood for the pit, and groceries and supplies has the details.

Bears, bats and other wildlife

Black bears live in the woods around the cabins, and the listings ask guests not to approach wildlife and to leave no food or garbage outside. DEC's BearWise rules for a house in bear country match: never feed or approach a bear, and feeding one on purpose is illegal in New York; secure food, garbage and recycling; never leave pet food outdoors; clean the grill after every use; and take bird feeders down while bears are active. If a bear keeps coming around, tell the host; DEC's advice for repeated trouble is to call its regional wildlife office. Wildlife watching covers meeting a bear on a trail, moose and the rest of the animals.

A bat can find its way indoors. Bats are the source of most human rabies deaths in the United States, at least 7 in every 10, and a bat bite can go unnoticed, for example when a bat is found in a room where someone was sleeping. So if you wake up to a bat in the bedroom, do not let it go. The state health department's method is to turn on the lights, close the windows and the room and closet doors, wait for the bat to land, put on gloves, cover it with a pail or a box, slide a piece of cardboard underneath, then turn the container over and tape the cardboard on. Then call Franklin County Public Health to ask whether the bat should be tested. Only if you are sure the bat had no contact with a person or a pet, for example because you watched it fly in and never lost sight of it, open the windows and doors to the outside and let it leave. Anyone bitten or scratched by an animal should wash the wound with soap and water right away and get medical care urgently.

For black flies, out from about mid-May to early July, and blacklegged ticks, which can carry Lyme disease and are out from March into November, the bug guide covers prevention, tick removal and when a bite needs a doctor.

Hunting season

The house rules above keep hunting and weapons off the cabins' land. The state land around them is another matter. State forests are open to public hunting, and in the fall you may meet hunters on the trails. In New York's Northern Zone, which includes the cabins, the 2026 deer seasons are:

• Early bowhunting, September 27 to October 23.
• Early muzzleloading, October 17 to 23.
• The regular firearms season, October 24 to December 6.

Bear seasons in the zone run from September 19 to December 6, 2026. Hunters may take deer and bear from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, so the early morning and the last light are when being seen matters most. A hunter using a firearm for deer or bear must wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange or pink above the waist, or a hat that is at least half fluorescent orange or pink, and DEC asks hikers to wear blaze orange or blaze pink too. Put a bright vest on the dog; bringing your dog has more, and hiking near Malone has the trails. The dates change every year, so check DEC's list before a fall trip.

Snowmobiles, ATVs and the roads

The C7 snowmobile corridor is a few minutes' ride from the cabins, and the C7 trail guide covers the state's rules on helmets, speed and alcohol, along with insurance and young riders. ATV riders wear USDOT-approved helmets and keep off roads and public land unless signs allow ATVs; snowmobile and ATV stays has the rest.

On the roads, watch for deer and moose, at dawn and dusk above all; winter driving covers them along with snow and ice. In New York, any crash that injures someone, or does more than $1,000 of damage to one person's property, has to be reported to the DMV on form MV-104 within 10 days. If anyone is hurt or a car blocks the road, call 911.

Coming from Canada

For guests driving down from Montreal, the border guide covers the crossings and their hours, including the closure of the Trout River crossing to U.S.-bound traffic since June 1, 2026. Two health points belong here. The first is medicine. U.S. Customs and Border Protection asks visitors to carry a valid prescription or a doctor's note, written in English, for medicine they bring; to keep it in its original container with the doctor's instructions on the label; and to bring only what the stay needs, with 90 days' supply as the rule of thumb. The border guide covers what not to carry, cannabis included.

The second is insurance. Quebec's public plan pays only part of the cost of care received outside the province. For a sudden illness or accident outside Canada, the RAMQ pays at most C$100 a day for a hospital stay and C$50 a day for outpatient care at a hospital, and medicine bought outside Quebec is not reimbursed. The Quebec government's advice is to buy private travel insurance before you leave. Other provinces set their own rules, so check your plan before the trip. For roaming charges on the New York side, see the Montreal weekend post.

Questions

Sources

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

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