2023 Highlights: A Year of Success at Cascade Welcome Center

In 2022, ADK opened Cascade Welcome Center to provide visitor information in the Lake Placid area. Located along Route 73, the Center has the potential to reach some 1.1 million visitors who drive by each year. From providing information to public restrooms to a family-friendly trail network, the Center fosters a welcoming experience that helps people enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly.

And this year was a big one for us at Cascade Welcome Center. Here are three ways that we achieved our goals there in 2023:

1. A Banner Winter Season

ADK kicked off 2023 with its inaugural winter season at Cascade Welcome Center. Between 12-miles of groomed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails, a full-service ski shop, and a slate of programs, we welcomed over 10,000 visitors last winter. It was a remarkable start to the year, which was capped off with a big win to end the season when Cascade Welcome Center was awarded “Best Ski Shop” in the region by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

2. 260% More Summer Visitors

In just our second year, ADK welcomed over 15,000 total visitors to Cascade Welcome Center. That includes a 260% increase in the number of summer visitors from 2022, which tells us that people are starting to see the Center as a valuable and trusted resource. Our goal at Cascade Welcome Center is to use information services to help people have safe and responsible outdoor experiences. The more people we reach, the more successful we are at achieving this outcome.

3. Using Data-Informed Outreach

Part of being a good educator is being an even better listener. ADK has been gathering data about what visitors want to learn about, which has been used to refine our outreach. For example, in 2023 we learned that mountain biking is of mounting interest to visitors, who were drawn to the region to explore its rapidly growing trail network. Though hiking remains the dominant topic of interest, we are listening to what visitors want to learn about and adjusting accordingly.

All of this was thanks to you. We couldn’t have done this without the incredible support of our members, donors, and community partners. Our successes in 2023 make us even more excited for 2024. Learn how you can support ADK and our work at Cascade Welcome Center here.