ADK’s Cascade Welcome Center is seen here at the center in 2022. (Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)

LAKE PLACID — The Cascade Welcome Center, a popular Nordic ski venue, is expected to remain closed due to ongoing facility assessments into 2026, including the duration of the winter ski season.

The property has been owned and operated by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) since 2022. The Cascade Welcome Center has a 12-kilometer groomed and maintained trail network. The facility includes a full-service ski tuning and mounting shop, an outdoor gear store and rental center.

ADK Executive Director Cortney Worrall said the closure began on Thursday, and there will be no services offered there the rest of this year.

“We’ve decided to temporarily close the Cascade Welcome Center for the upcoming season and not host cross-country skiing this winter,” she said. “We’ve identified a set of issues and facility needs for the Cascade Welcome Center to run it properly this winter, and we need to do further assessments.”

Worrall said these included looking at ways to improve the efficiency of how the ski facility is run to ensure that it remains financially viable for ADK.

“We wanted to take a deep look at how it can be operated more efficiently,” she said.

There are no operational changes at the time to ADK’s other properties, according to Worrall. The other sites include the Adirondak Loj and High Peaks Information Center at its Heart Lake property and the Johns Brook Lodge in the town of Keene.

It has frequently hosted ski and outdoor educational events, and served as a general outdoors information center for motorists passing through. It’s located at 4833 state Route 73, about 5 miles southeast of downtown Lake Placid.

ADK is considering offering Nordic skiing programming in a modified capacity at Heart Lake this winter, which includes several trails that are specifically designated for skiing, though the terrain is more difficult than some of the trails at the welcome center. Worrall said those details are still being worked out.

“We’re evaluating all of the opportunities at Heart Lake for Nordic skiing,” she said. “It’s more technical skiing but we’ll be looking at that and we’ll be letting people know. … I believe ADK used to have a focus on skiing at Heart Lake. We’ll start to touch on bringing a little bit of that back.”

Worrall added that ADK is still figuring out if ski tuning, rentals and other gear services that had been at the Cascade Welcome Center will be offered at Heart Lake this season and in what capacity.

ADK is a non-profit organization founded in 1922 dedicated to the protection of wild lands and waters throughout the state, and promoting outdoor education and responsible recreation thereof. For more information, visit adk.org or call 518-523-3441.