Facility profile New York

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions

Closed Saranac Lake, New York

Adirondack Leadership Expeditions was a wilderness therapy in Saranac Lake, New York, operated by Aspen Education Group. It operated from 2003 to 2013.

About Adirondack Leadership Expeditions

The minimum 28 days; ALE states average stay 50-55 days.source 1, source 2 It partnered with Bartky HealthCare Center (Dr. Eric Bartky) to provide telepsychiatry and video conferencing services to students.source It bases in Saranac Lake, Onchiota and Gabriels.source It cost $465 per day, minimum payment $13,020 for 28 days; $2200 application fee and $2500 psychological testing fee.source It cost about $465 per day.source

Licensing: Permit from New York Department of Health.source Not a licensed mental health provider in NY; licensed in NY only as a foreign limited liability company.source

Incidents on record

  1. October 2003 Abuse

    A survivor account says he was taken from his home by escorts in October 2003, stripped and sent into the wilderness at -10 degrees; HEAL calls this a violation of basic rights.source

  2. 2008 Abuse

    A father who removed his son from the program in spring 2008 alleged to HEAL that it violated New York child abuse laws, citing frostbite risk, food rationing, forced hikes and censored mail.source

  3. March 2008 Injury

    In March 2008 a 16-year-old developed severe numbness and frostbite in his right foot after camping in subfreezing weather with inadequate gear, was not taken to urgent care until shortly before release, and needed eight months of treatment; his father's April 2008 abuse report was turned away by state child protection for lack of jurisdiction.source

  4. 2010 Restraint

    The enrollment agreement authorized staff to physically restrain and detain students and to strip-search them at any time.source

  5. Reported August 2015 Abuse

    HEAL reported that children at Aspen Education Group's Adirondack Leadership Expeditions were forced to "wipe" with frozen snow or ice packs in freezing conditions.source

  6. Reported January 2016 Abuse

    HEAL stated that children at Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, an Aspen program, were forced to wipe with frozen snow or ice packs in freezing conditions.source

  7. Reported August 2025 Abuse

    HEAL cites children being forced to wipe with frozen snow or ice packs in freezing conditions at Adirondack Leadership Expeditions, another Aspen wilderness program.source

  8. Reported December 2025 Abuse

    Survivors report extreme medical neglect, food deprivation, cruel punishments and lack of proper gear.source

News coverage

Staff

Administration

Notable staff

Connections on the network map

The companies, people and programs our research map ties to this program. Open it on the network map.

Ownership

Documents

Documents on file (22)
Woodbury Reports Mentions (21)

From the Unsilenced archive

2 documents about Adirondack Leadership Expeditions that Unsilenced collected and Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. They open on Unsilenced's Google Drive. Their whole folder: Adirondack Leadership Expeditions.

From SCIAD NET

1 document about Adirondack Leadership Expeditions that Kids Over Profits does not hold a copy of. SCIAD NET keeps it on Google Drive, where it opens.

Wiki entries

Materials and links

Survivor posts and discussion

Reference and research

1 of these from SCIAD NET.

Other links

Record updated . Generated from the Kids Over Profits facility database. Suggest a correction