First-timers Ian and Kim Holback taking in what Ian’s parents loved about Elk Lake. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

When it comes to setting aside the noise and bustle that are so much a part of daily life, few lodging venues in the Adirondacks or the nation can compare to the Elk Lake Lodge in the Adirondack Park.

Located in the center of a 12,000-acre preserve in the town of North Hudson, Essex County, and six miles from the nearest road, the sounds of traffic are absent, as is the light pollution that’s so much a part of even the smallest hamlet. Only the main lodge building has Wi-Fi, and its bandwidth is so modest that watching movies, sports events, and other forms of entertainment is nearly impossible.

What is possible is hearing the loons at night, being in a bird watcher’s paradise, hiking miles of trails that are not trampled into muddy swaths, and boating on a lake surrounded by majestic peaks. Elk Lake Lodge is not a spa. It has no saunas, steam baths or salt pools. Yes, morning yoga on the dock, exquisite dining, and a setting for establishing friendships with engaging guests of all ages, some of whom have come from as far away as Japan.

Another remarkable asset is the caring and friendly staff, many of whom have been working at the Lodge for years, some for decades.

“I am having trouble putting into words what I like about the staff,” said Jim Stefano, visiting with his wife Nancy. “They are more than friendly. They enjoy their job, they enjoy the customers, and they treat us like an extension of a family.”

Jim and Nancy Stefano of Rochester, spending their 50th wedding anniversary at the Elk Lake Lodge. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“I love my people, and it’s such a beautiful place,” said Shelly Baker, of North Hudson, who has worked at the Lodge for nine years. Like many on staff, she takes on multiple tasks, such as serving breakfast and caring for the rooms.

“You meet some wonderful folks here,” said Julie Hunsdon, of Ticonderoga, who has worked at the Lodge for three years.

“We remember them and they remember us,” said Shelly. “We remember what they like and don’t like.”

Manager and yoga instructor Robin Shaver of Keene Valley, who had run a hostel in Keene for many years, and over time had gotten to know John and Margot Ernst, owners of the Lodge, was asked by the long-time general manager Mike Sheridan if she’d consider working at the Lodge, which she did four years ago on a trial-base starting at the front desk to see if she and they felt it was a good fit.

“I immediately fell in love with everything about the Lodge,” said Shaver. “There is what I call the exhale moment when guests first arrive. Our employees experience it too. One of the favorite parts of my job is witnessing that exhale moment. We are a self-guided lodge, which is very different than most. We are not a resort. It’s a place where people come to unplug, turn to nature, and get quiet. I love sitting around the fire at night and listening to the stories. I am so proud that we are the first place to have a conservation easement; we established that model.”

Elk Lake Lodge Assistant Manager Tarah Schlueter, sitting, and Manager Robin Shaver of Keene Valley are seen here. (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

In 1938, Richard Ernst married Susan Bloomingdale, who also fell in love with the setting, in the early 1950s when Finch Pruyn started selling major parcels of the land. Richard and Susan acquired what they could, which included the Lodge but by no means all of the lake. In 1963, Susan’s father, Samuel Bloomingdale, owner of Bloomingdale’s Department store in New York City, bought the balance of the land that now constitutes the Elk Lake Lodge holdings. Furthermore, he offered to sell the initially the lake shore development rights to New York state, which he did for $1, thereby establishing the first conservation easement in New York.

Doing so, Bloomingdale made operating a lodge and protecting the landscape for future generations viable, as well as the State’s ability to provide the public with a trail up Dix and one up Mount Marcy via Panther Gorge.

Andrea Cochrane-Tracey started coming to the Lodge when she was five months old.

“At the time, my mom worked for the National Park Service in the 1960s,” said Cochrane-Tracey. “A colleague told her about Elk Lake Lodge, and so she came here in 1963 for the first time. After she met and married my dad, they brought me up when I was five months old. Probably every other year up through high school, we came.”

After college and launching her career, Cochrane-Tracey started coming again. What was memorable was the time she brought her now-husband, Tobin, for his first visit, which turned out to be a weekend when Tropical Storm Sandy dropped a deluge across the state, resulting in significant flooding from New York City to throughout the Adirondacks.

“It was torrential rain the entire weekend,” said Tobin Tracey. “But we came to hike, and so we did, coming back soaking wet and muddy every day. They had a fire roaring for us, dried out our boots, fed us terrific food, and the next day we went out and did it all over again. We had such a great time that we came back the next year and have been coming ever since.”

“There is no such thing as a bad day at Elk Lake,” said Cochrane-Tracey. “This has always been one of the most precious places on earth to me. It’s so peaceful and calm, I love that it’s pretty much off the grid. I hope they never expand wireless to the cabins, because that’s the whole point.”

The outcome is people talking to each other, whether at the dinner table, over games, working on puzzles, in front of the fire, or strolling about the grounds. No shouting, no raised voices; just engaging dialogue for those who want to chat in a multitude of nooks and other spaces, and a quiet place to read.

“My father came here every fall in the hunting season from 1935 to the early 1960s,” said Ian Holback, visiting for the first time with his wife, Kim. “We lived in Yonkers. Back then, it was an eleven-hour drive to get here. They’d save up their vacation time for a whole year to come to Elk Lake. I heard about Elk Lake my entire life. It was heaven for my father. We now live in Tennessee and decided to drive here to see what it’s all about.”

“It’s impressive, now we get it, and we plan to come back,” said Nancy.

“It was worth the 13-hour drive,” said Ian.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)