Cabins for Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing

The cabins sit about 30 road miles north of the groomed trails at the Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center, the VIC, and about 60 from Mt Van Hoevenberg, where the cross-country races of the 1980 Winter Olympics were held. Ungroomed trails start a few miles from the door, and The Modern Tiny Home has its own short trail to a pond. This page plans a ski or snowshoe trip around all of that: which cabin, which trails at which distance, rentals, lessons and passes, drying and waxing gear, and a long weekend laid out day by day.

Choosing a cabin for skiers and snowshoers

Each cabin sleeps four in a main bedroom and a bunk room, with one bathroom, a full kitchen, a washer and a dryer, and a private hot tub on the deck. The differences that matter on a Nordic trip come down to heat, a place to deal with wet gear, and what is outside the door.

Both Jøtul stoves are rated to heat up to about 1,000 square feet, and they are the first switch to flip after a day on the trail. A guest who stayed at The Aviator in January 2025 wrote:

"This home was the perfect getaway for our weekend of XC skiing."

The Modern Pine's screened room is the best spot of the three for the jobs that come before and after a ski day: knocking snow off boots and corking on the last layers of kick wax in the cold air, under a roof. The Modern Tiny Home suits snowshoers best, because the pond trail starts at the cabin. If the neighboring cabin on that property is booked, its guests share the trail, the observation deck and the parking area.

A group of eight can take The Modern Pine and The Aviator, which share one gravel drive; add The Modern Tiny Home, on a second property, for twelve. The listings for The Modern Pine and The Modern Tiny Home say they are not suitable for children under 10 and ask that the booking guest be 25 or older, so a family ski trip here is for children 10 and up; group stays has the details for two or three cabins. Dogs have their own rules at each cabin, covered under pet-friendly stays, and at each ski center; Dewey Mountain, for one, allows dogs on its snowshoe trails, and on its ski trails on Wednesdays only.

Trails by road distance from the cabins

Road miles are measured from the cabins. The first six are trails near the cabins and on state land, most of them ungroomed; the last four are groomed centers that charge a day fee. The fees are the ones each center had posted in early October 2026: Dewey's are its 2025-26 rates, and the VIC and Mt Van Hoevenberg show no season, so check them before you go.

The cross-country skiing and snowshoeing guide has the trail-by-trail detail for the VIC, Dewey, Mt Van Hoevenberg and the trails near the cabins; the sections below cover what changes when you plan a stay around them.

Trails close to the cabins

The closest trails run on natural snow, and they fit around the stay: the afternoon you arrive, a short morning, the last day before checkout. Titus Mountain borders cross-country trails groomed by the Malone Fish & Game Club, and it runs a discount lift ticket program for skiers and snowshoers who want to warm up in the lodge and ride back up to the trails; ask at the ticket window for the current terms.

Elephant's Head is the best ski-then-snowshoe outing close to the cabins. The access road is not maintained in winter, so start at the gate on NY 30, ski the road, and switch to snowshoes where the trail narrows and steepens; leave the skis there and pick them up on the way down. The round trip comes to about 4.2 miles with 577 feet of climbing, and the top looks out over Lake Titus. The Titusville Mountain State Forest guide has the gate and the forest's other trails.

Owls Head, the small peak above the hamlet of the same name, makes a short snowshoe with a view south over the Sable Highlands as far as Whiteface. The trail is rocky, there is no sign at the trailhead, and the one steep pitch comes just past the old mine shaft, so carry traction for your boots as well as snowshoes. The Owls Head guide has the parking on Station Road.

Two longer tours sit on the road to the VIC. When Meacham Lake Campground is closed for the season, its snow-covered roads lead down to the shore, an easy ski. Hays Brook, off Mountain Pond Road about three miles north of the VIC, is a tour for skiers with backcountry experience, and its winter trailhead lot may not be plowed. The Debar Mountain Wild Forest guide covers both areas.

The C7 corridor near the cabins is one of the busiest snowmobile trails in Franklin County. It belongs to the sleds on a winter weekend, so skiers do better on the trails above, and riders in a mixed group can leave from the cabins and meet everyone back at the hot tub; see snowmobile trips. Hunters share the woods in fall and early winter, and the Northern Zone's regular deer season runs from October 24 to December 6, 2026, so wear bright orange or pink on the trails.

The groomed centers to the south

All four groomed centers are reached by NY 30, so a ski day there starts the same way. About two miles of local roads take you to County Route 25, the Duane Road and then the Fayette Road, which meets NY 30 about seven miles from the cabins. From there it is 23 miles south on NY 30 to the VIC, for about 30 road miles and 50 minutes in all. NY 86 then runs east from Paul Smiths into Saranac Lake, about 44 road miles and an hour from the cabins to Dewey Mountain. For Lake Placid, stay on NY 86 through Saranac Lake, then take Old Military Road and NY 73 to Mt Van Hoevenberg, about 60 road miles and an hour and a half. Winter driving covers tires, plows and the back roads after a storm.

The VIC at Paul Smiths

The VIC is the closest of the four centers and has the most trail per mile driven: a 25-mile network, groomed with a Pisten Bully for classic and skate skiing and open from December 1 through April 1. The trails are open dawn to dusk every day. Hutchins Lodge, where passes and rentals are sold, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday, so on a Tuesday or Wednesday, bring your own gear and buy the pass online before you leave the cabin. The groomers post their reports on Nordic Pulse.

Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake

Dewey, a mile west of downtown Saranac Lake, is owned by the Town of Harrietstown and run by Adirondack Lakes & Trails Outfitters. Its lower trails are groomed for skating, with a classic track set as conditions allow, and most of them are lit. After January 1, the trails stay open until 7 p.m. on weekdays, conditions permitting, which makes Dewey the place for an evening ski after a day in Saranac Lake. Tuesday is race night and the trails are crowded, so pick another evening. Snowshoers can climb the East and West side trails to the top, about two miles and 500 feet in all. Skis or snowshoes must be worn at all times on the trails.

Scotts Cobble and Mt Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid

Scotts Cobble Nordic Center, run by High Peaks Cyclery with the Town of North Elba on Country Club Lane, grooms more than 15 km for skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking and sledding. Mt Van Hoevenberg is the big one: more than 40 km of trails, the 1980 stadium, and snowmaking that opens the season earlier than the natural-snow centers. The Nordic Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Park in Lot C, the main lot off Van Hoevenberg Way; if you drive an electric car, the venue has 10 ChargePoint chargers that add about 25 miles of range an hour while you ski. A Swix store on the first floor of the Mountain Pass Lodge sells Nordic clothing.

Rentals and lessons

None of the three listings includes skis or snowshoes, so rent on the way to the trails or bring your own. The prices are as posted in early October 2026, with Dewey's from its 2025-26 season; check them before you go.

Dewey rents first come, first served, so get there early on a Saturday. Mt Van Hoevenberg sells online rentals until 3 p.m. the day before; after that, buy them in person at the Mountain Pass Lodge. High Peaks Cyclery, on Main Street in Lake Placid and open daily from 9 to 5, rents skis with NNN, NNN BC and Xplore bindings and the boots to match, which helps if you own boots and need only skis, and it can arrange pickup and drop-off of hiking gear outside store hours.

For a first day on skis, Mt Van Hoevenberg's Discover Cross Country group lesson is the simplest package: one hour with an instructor, the rental and the trail pass for $65 a person, at 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. For 2026-27 the lessons run on Saturdays and Sundays from November 28 to December 6, then daily from December 9 to March 31, except December 24 and 25. Instructors fit the boots and skis, then teach starting, stopping, climbing, descending and falling safely, in classic or skate. A private lesson for one to four people costs $100 for the first person and $40 for each added person, gear and pass not included, and is booked by phone at 518-523-2811.

Dewey's one-hour introduction does not include gear or a pass, so at the posted rates one beginner pays $70 there with a full-day rental and a $5 pass, against $65 at Mt Van Hoevenberg. Two beginners together pay $110 at Dewey and $130 at Mt Van Hoevenberg, and Dewey is about 15 road miles closer.

Trail passes and what a weekend costs

The state forest and Forest Preserve trails cost nothing. The groomed centers charge by the day; check these posted rates on each center's own page before the trip.

• VIC. Adults $20, ages 5 to 17 and seniors 65 and up or military $10, under 5 free; an adult season pass is $150 and a household pass $300. Passes are sold online and at Hutchins Lodge.
• Dewey Mountain. $5 a person a day in 2025-26, children under 5 free.
• Mt Van Hoevenberg. Adults 20 to 64 $32, ages 13 to 19 and 65 to 69 $28, ages 7 to 12 and 70 and up $24, 6 and under $3; half-day passes go on sale at the venue after 12:30 p.m.
• Scotts Cobble. An Indy Pass partner, with no blackout dates on Indy's page; check which Indy products include its trail days.

Two adults who rent for a Saturday at the VIC and a Sunday at Mt Van Hoevenberg pay, at the posted rates, $80 the first day ($40 in passes, $40 in rentals) and $114 the second ($64 and $50), about $194 for the weekend. With their own skis, the same two days cost $104 in passes. If both take Sunday's group lesson instead, Sunday costs $130 and covers the pass, the rental and the hour of teaching.

Snow and daylight from December to March

Malone, about ten road miles north of the cabins, averages about 95 inches of snow a year, most of it from December through March: about 21 inches in December, 22 in January, 18 in February and 15 in March. Mt Van Hoevenberg does not wait for it. In mid-November 2025 it opened its first groomed terrain to season pass holders on snow stockpiled the winter before and kept under wood chips through the summer, and its lessons start on November 28 this season. The VIC opens on December 1, and the ungroomed trails near the cabins need a natural base deep enough to cover the rocks.

• December. Short days and a building base. Dewey keeps daytime hours, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until December 31, and deer season runs through December 6.
• January. The coldest month, with an average high of 23°F and a low of 4°F in Malone. Dewey's lights come on for weeknight skiing, and the cold keeps the snow in hard-wax range all day.
• February. Longer afternoons, with the sun setting at 5:23 p.m. on February 13, 2027, and another 18 inches of snow in an average Malone February. The Saranac Lake Winter Carnival starts February 5, 2027, so Dewey and the carnival make a day; see the carnival guide.
• March. Highs average 36°F, so afternoons can climb into the soft-wax range above freezing, and the light lasts past 6 p.m. Dewey opens from 9 to 5 every day after March 9, Mt Van Hoevenberg's lessons run through March 31, and the VIC's season ends April 1.

Daylight shapes a ski day more than the thermometer does. Plan the drive home from a center so you are back at the cabin by the end of twilight.

Drying gear at the cabin

Every cabin has its own washer and dryer, which handles most of a ski day's wet layers. Run the base layers, socks, neck gaiters and fleece through the dryer at the heat their labels allow, and they are ready by breakfast. Ski boots need gentler treatment. Pull out the insoles, open the boots wide and let them dry at room temperature; boot makers warn against the clothes dryer and direct heat, and that includes the glass front of a Jøtul. If you own a boot dryer, pack it, since none is listed at the cabins. No listing mentions ski storage either, so ask the host where skis can wait overnight.

Brush the snow off everything before it comes inside. The Modern Pine's screened room and The Aviator's open deck give you room to do it, and at The Modern Tiny Home there is the small screened corner of the deck. Keep the heat on overnight: in the winter months the listings for The Modern Pine and The Modern Tiny Home ask guests not to turn the heater off and to leave it at 60 at checkout, because a cold cabin risks frozen pipes.

Waxing skis at the cabin

No wax bench or waxing iron is listed at any of the cabins, and the iron at The Modern Tiny Home is for clothes, so plan on the kind of waxing you can do at a kitchen table and on the deck. Lay down newspaper or an old towel you brought for it, and bring the wax, a cork, a scraper and a brush from home.

Kick wax for classic skis. The kick zone on a classic ski typically runs about 65 to 70 cm, 26 to 28 inches, forward from the heel. To find yours, stand on the skis with your weight split evenly while a friend slides a sheet of paper underneath and marks where it stops. On a January day in Malone, with an average high of 23°F, you are in hard-wax weather, since the hard waxes are made for snow at 32°F and colder. Crayon on several thin layers rather than one thick one, cork each layer smooth, and put the last layers on outside, in The Modern Pine's screened room or on the deck, so the skis come down to the air temperature before you test them.

Glide wax without an iron. A liquid glide wax goes on the tips and tails with no heat at all: spray it on, wait 15 minutes and brush it off. Do it the night before, and the skis are ready in the morning.

Skin skis. Skin skis grip with a strip of skin under the foot. Clean the skins with a skin cleaner on a fiberlene towel after each day and let them dry, then rub liquid glide into the front and rear of the base with a felt card, leaving it 15 minutes to dry.

A long weekend on skis and snowshoes

This plan fits a Friday to Monday stay in January or February, with check-in after 4 p.m. and checkout before 11 a.m. at all three cabins. It puts the longest drive on the day with a lesson and keeps the morning of departure for a short outing close to the cabins.

For a two-day weekend, keep Saturday at the VIC and make Sunday the travel day: check out, then ski Dewey or Mt Van Hoevenberg on the way home if you live south, or take a morning on the trails near Titus if you head north or west.

The hot tub after a ski day

Each cabin's hot tub is private, and The Modern Pine's listing keeps its tub available all year and open 24 hours, so a late soak after an evening at Dewey fits the plan. Hang the wet layers first, then go out in dry boots and a warm coat for the short walk across the deck. Keep the water at 104°F or below, and save the beer for the couch, since alcohol in a hot tub can lead to drowning. Put the cover back on between soaks; at checkout, the listings for The Modern Pine and The Modern Tiny Home ask that the tub be set to 95 and the cover secured.

In an April 2024 review of The Modern Pine, one guest wrote:

"Soaking in the hot tub during a snow storm was the highlight of our trip"

The hot tub cabins page covers the three tubs in more detail.

Planning the rest of the trip

A Nordic trip mixes well with the rest of a North Country winter. Ski cabins near Titus Mountain plans an alpine trip from the same cabins, with the lifts three and a half road miles away, and the winter weekend guide builds a weekend around Malone and Titus. Hikers in the group can make a day of winter hiking on the same trailheads with traction on their boots. When the dates are set, compare the cabins on the comparison page and book on the booking page.

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. deweymountain.com deweymountain.com/rentals-passes.html
3. deweymountain.com deweymountain.com/hours--info.html
4. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/activities/outdoor/cross-country-skiing
5. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/cross-country-skiing/
6. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/lesson/discover-cross-country/
7. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/tickets-passes/
8. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/tickets-passes/cross-country-snowshoe-rentals/
9. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/swix-store/
10. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/plan-your-visit/parking/
11. mtvanhoevenberg.com mtvanhoevenberg.com/2025/06/26/the-art-and-science-of-saving-snow/
12. longisland.com longisland.com/news/11-21-25/governor-hochul-announces-opening-dates-f
13. Lake Placid tourism (ROOST) lakeplacid.com/do/outdoors/winterspring/x-countrytelemark
14. scottscobblenordic.com scottscobblenordic.com/
15. Indy Pass indyskipass.com/our-resorts/scotts-cobble-nordic-center
16. highpeakscyclery.com highpeakscyclery.com/pages/nordic-rentals
17. highpeakscyclery.com highpeakscyclery.com/pages/winter-hiking-rentals
18. canoeoutfitters.com canoeoutfitters.com/winter-offerings
19. Titus Mountain titusmountain.com/xc-uphill-tickets
20. Franklin County tourism (Always Franklin) alwaysfranklin.com/listing/malone-fish-and-game-club
21. Visit Malone visitmalone.com/blog/2017/02/cross-country-skiing-malone
22. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/places/titusville-mountain-state-forest
23. Adirondack Mountain Club shatageeadk.org/2025/01/01/ski-snowshoe-elephants-head/
24. Adirondack Explorer adirondackexplorer.org/recreation/owls-head-malone/
25. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/hiking/hays-brook-trail-to-sheep-meadow
26. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/hunting/deer-bear/seasons
27. swixsport.com swixsport.com/us/article/wax-manual/application-of-base-wax-and-kick-w
28. swixsport.com swixsport.com/eu/article/wax-manual/kick-wax-techniques
29. swixsport.com swixsport.com/us/article/wax/easy-good-glide
30. swixsport.com swixsport.com/us/article/cross-country-ski/how-to-get-the-feel-most-po
31. salomon.com salomon.com/en-us/b/care
32. support.decathlon.co.uk support.decathlon.co.uk/ski-boots-notice-repairing
33. cpsc.gov cpsc.gov/Newsroom/News-Releases/1996/CPSC-Issues-Warning-for-Pools-Spa
34. usclimatedata.com usclimatedata.com/climate/malone/new-york/united-states/usny0854
35. api.sunrise-sunset.org api.sunrise-sunset.org/json?lat=44.769&lng=-74.192&date=2027-01-16&for
36. router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-74.192,44.769;-74.259500,44.
37. router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-74.192,44.769;-74.149900,44.
38. router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-74.192,44.769;-73.930900,44.
39. Adirondack Explorer adirondackexplorer.org/recreation/debar-mountain-sheep-meadow-ski-prov
40. pureadirondacks.com pureadirondacks.com/blogs/adirondack-hiking/elephants-head-trail
41. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2026/9/dec-announces-2026-27-early-big-
42. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/news/press-releases/2024/10/dec-reminds-outdoor-enthusiasts
43. router.project-osrm.org router.project-osrm.org/route/v1/driving/-74.192,44.769;-74.27879,44.4
44. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/53628054
45. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/41023086
46. The cabin's Airbnb listing airbnb.com/rooms/1168252128174283244