ADK Releases 5th Edition of Central Trails Guidebook

November 25, 2025—The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is pleased to announce the release of the fifth edition of Central Trails. It is a substantial revision of the fourth edition.

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As Graudons writes in the preface, “The region covered in Central Trails is comprised of countless bodies of water and rolling hills, punctuated by steeper mountains, which provide a range of year-round recreational opportunities….This area features challenging mountains and scenic views…, and also contains lakes, ponds, campsites, and cliffs that attract hikers, paddlers, anglers, and climbers. Several trails in this region allow for snowmobiling and mountain biking, while others are truly wilderness.” More than half of the 138-mile Northville–Placid Trail is found here.  

The region is defined by the Adirondack Park boundary to the south and the hamlets of Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake to the north. It also includes the communities of Piseco, Speculator, North Creek, Raquette Lake, Northville, and Caroga.  

Graudons continues, “Just as the weather and seasons change, so does this landscape, creating a need for an updated guidebook. Young trees grow, older ponds drain, and dramatic storms occasionally sweep through, knocking down trees and washing out bridges. Beavers continuously work to construct dams, creating new ponds and wetlands, as well as a need for trail work.” 

This new edition features updates to many trails, including the Kunjamuk Trail and trails to Shallow Lake and Raquette Lake–West Mt. Additions include trails to Slim Pond and OK Slip Falls, and a new section of the North Country National Scenic Trail.  

A licensed hiking guide, Leave No Trace Level 2 Instructor, and adventure photographer, Stephanie Graudons grew up in Mayfield, New York, and has always enjoyed being outdoors. She started hiking more seriously in college and began leading outings for ADK in 2009. Graudons previously worked as ADK’s Young Member Outreach Coordinator, where she implemented and improved programming targeting young adults and families.  

Graudons became an Adirondack 46er in 2009 and Winter 46er in 2014. Her experience extends beyond the Adirondacks, as she has led backpacking trips for youth in Colorado, climbed Mount Rainier, and hiked all forty-eight of the New Hampshire Four-Thousand Footers in both summer and winter. In 2021, she summited Hamlin Peak in Maine, completing the Northeast 111. 

Graudons’ photographs are used widely in this edition of Central Trails, and appear as well on ADK.org and in other guidebooks in the Forest Preserve Series. She has nearly seventy adventure guides published by Outdoor Project and enjoys supporting others in their outdoor adventures. She currently lives in Vermont with her husband, Ted Letcher, and their two cats. 

Distances in the fifth edition have been measured with GPS, and the book includes GPS coordinates for the parking area or the trailhead. Central Trails corresponds to National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map 744: Northville/Raquette Lake. This book is the third volume in ADK’s Forest Preserve Series.

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This article was adapted from the Winter 2026 issue of Adirondac magazine.