The Adirondack communities of Tupper Lake, Long Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Raquette Lake, Inlet, Eagle Bay, Old Forge, Star Lake, and Cranberry Lake are uniquely positioned to be bellwethers for change in the region. Located in the western part of the Adirondack Park, these hamlets form a ring around the proposed Bob Marshall Great Wilderness, a 408,000-acre wild and remote area that could be the key to the area’s economic revitalization. These nine hamlets are positioned to serve as gateways to the wilderness and prime destinations for outdoor enthusiasts, forming a circuit of economically vibrant, interdependent communities devoted to the protection and celebration of the wilderness, recognizing the animals, plants, rivers, and forests within the wilderness as central to the area’s economic vitality and way of life.