The Fortress on the Lake

Adventure Report — One man shares the fulfillment of a decades-long dream to explore a forbidden lakeside fortress, deep in the Catskill Mountains

Editor’s Introduction

Today’s traveler is sharing the culmination of a lifetime of wonder in New York’s Catskill Mountain range, surrounding a mysterious lakeside castle.

This region holds a special place in my heart; growing up on Long Island, most of our camping and skiing trips took place here. My family maintained a decades-old traditional pilgrimage …