Bear cabin is a four person glamping cabin at the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge, a few miles from the Whiteface Mountain Ski Center. The Bear Cabin features Wireless Internet, flat screen TV, a picnic table and propane barbecue, year round heat and AC, a full size twig bed, as well as a very comfortable futon, a small fridge, a hot and cold water dispenser. While there is no running water in the Cabin, There are two bathrooms, one with a shower and washer-dryer, both shared with renters of the two person Wolf Dome, at the Wendy Hall Welcome Center, about 100 feet away from the Bear Cabin.
The Welcome Center features a ping pong table, as well as a combination chess-checkers-backgammon table. The Welcome Center is a great place to learn about nature, and you may purchase sweat shirts, tee shirts, books, photographs etc. There is an active Bald Eagles nest directly across the river from where the canoes and kayaks are racked, and the nest has produced a surviving eaglet each of the last three years, so bring cameras and binoculars. Nesting season begins in late January to early February, with eaglets hatching around April 1st.
While the Wildlife Refuge has public hikers during open hours between 10 am and 4 pm, the Refuge is all yours after 4 pm closing. Sit around the campfire or walk down to the West Branch of the Ausable River, and use our hot tub, outside wood sauna, and then the strong in spirit can go jump in the lake! Fish, swim and use our canoes and kayaks along the Ausable, which in this area is also called Lake Everest. Lucky hikers and kayakers have spotted moose, bear, coywolf, fox, fisher and eagles, as well as songbirds and any bird of prey you'll find in the Adirondacks, from owls to hawks to falcons and osprey, in the sloughs, or along the two miles of family friendly hiking trails in the 50 acre Adirondack Wildlife Refuge.
Want to learn all about owls and falcons, and all the members of the food chain, from the micro world of insects, through birds and small mammals, along with the reptiles and amphibians which make up that food chain, and their roles in nature?
Find or call Steve Hall, the owner of the Refuge, who lives in Ausable Lodge, down by the river. Steve has extensive experience with wolves, bears, raptors and moose, and will teach you all about the challenges they face as key members of the food chain. How about outer space, learning about our place in the universe, how old it is and how long we’ve been on earth, livestock and how we developed livestock out of wild animals, and the ongoing insect apocalypse and other fascinating and sometimes scary topics? Glamping with a heavy dose of Nature, and all for a good cause, as all rents are used to fund expenses at the Adirondack Wildlife refuge.
