PAUL SMITH’S CAMPUS & FACILITIES
Since our launch in 2019, Kettle Pond has been grateful to call Paul Smith’s College home. Paul Smith's campus is located approximately thirteen miles from the city of Saranac Lake (~20 miles from Lake Placid) within the Adirondack Park in upstate New York.
The main campus* is relatively compact and located on the edge of Lower St. Regis Lake, though the college owns more than 14,000 acres that makeup the full campus. During their week at Kettle Pond, writers are welcome to access the campus facilities mentioned below. (Our staff are also happy to give tips to writers looking for a good spot to write, read, think, create, or [something]; just ask.)
*Facilities hours posted on the college's website are subject to change during the summer season, but we'll get all attending writers up to speed on the where, when & how of navigating campus & recreation in the area during conference orientation on Saturday, June 20th (2026).
RECREATION
Recreational opportunities covered in conference tuition include:
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Access to the campus gym
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Use of paddling equipment (kayaks & canoes will be available most days, as weather permits)
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Access to the VIC, Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center, where they will find miles of boardwalks & walking trails (many of which are accessible), hiking opportunities, a floating bridge, forest megaphone, outdoor amphitheater, and more...
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Evenings around a campfire (featuring wood milled on Paul Smith’s campus)
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Critter Bingo (we'll explain when we meet on campus)
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Resident-led yoga? (TBD, but it's happened most years; we'll see what materializes this summer...)​
WRITING SPACES
While on campus, writers will have access to the college library, where they can find many quiet nooks for writing with beautiful vistas. Most conference events take place in the student center (where the campus dining hall is also located), which features a large lakeside deck. Writers are welcome to use Kettle Pond event spaces to write whenever they are not in use for other conference events. There are also dozens of lean-to structures scattered throughout the campus along the lake, on trails, and throughout the VIC.
OTHER ESSENTIALS
Paul Smith's College bookstore is stocked with essentials like snacks, some medications, stationary, and basic toiletries, though the summer hours are limited to weekdays (read: not during the first two days of the conference). Nearby Brighton Market also has basic essentials, as well as a deli and gas, in nearby Gabriels, NY (~four miles from campus). Writers who will not have a car while on campus are urged to keep Paul Smith's relatively secluded location in mind while packing.
Here's a link to our perennial list of packing suggestions. We've heard from some it's overkill, but we have also lent coats to many of those critics. We urge writers to pack as we do: plan for 3 seasons of weather, hope for fewer.
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