Yes and no. The area in question is quite extensive and conditions will vary from one area to the next ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Soil composition can change a lot between two points in the same area, and the Adirondacks is a huge enough area that you will encounter many different types of ground. In fact, I know of one spot (admittedly, not quite within the borders of the Adirondacks, but still in the same broader region within the nation) where the woods abruptly stop and give way to an area of sand, and further the sand abruptly stops again in another hard line which gives way to a flat field (which I happen to know does have soil with a very high clay content). That is a more drastic example, but still, it makes a point. So that provides the first reason for my "yes and no": some areas will meet your criteria and some will not. Practically no, because you can't use it how you want ----------------------------------------------------- The other reason is probably more important. I am going to assume you are talking about public lands, as if it was your own private land or that of a friend or family member, you could just ask them. Even if the answer is technically yes, it will still likely be practically no as far as you are concerned, as much of the Adirondacks is a public area with rules and regulations which include adherence to the "Leave no Trace" guidelines. See the NY Department of Environmental Conservation page [here][1]: > Rules and guidelines for the use of public lands managed by DEC are > generally as follows: > > [...] > > - Carry out what you carry in. Practice "leave no trace" camping and hiking. See also ["Leave no Trace: Tips for the Adirondack Park"][2] And there are many other pages about the Adirondacks with rules and guidelines about specific areas within it, and I think I generally see "Practice leave no trace" on all of them. If you build stuff out of the dirt and/or clay, especially a structure, you will definitely be violating the guidelines. Even if you merely dig the area up and mess up the ground, basically any more than necessary for your waste catholes, you are still violating leave no trace. Park stewards do come out and check on things: when I made an unplanned camp one time another hiker alerted the local steward about it (the other hiker was concerned for our safety when they learned we had planned a day-trip, despite my insistence that we were fine), and the steward came in to make sure I was safe and also that I was not violating any rules... I got a 5-10 minute lecture about park guidelines, and I think she mentioned leave no trace as well. The simple answer is "Yes" -------------------------- From personal experience, when I have engaged in activities similar to what you describe, I had to do it on private land. That is how I know there is very (_very_) clay-rich soil _to the west_ of the Adirondacks, on the private land I was on. In some places, I could go down less than a foot and hit large deposits of clay almost everywhere I dug, high enough quality that it would only need a small amount of processing to be pottery-capable. Directly within the Adirondacks (as opposed to nearby but outside of it, where I have dug), we have from [this paper][3]: > The E-horizon is usually sandy, wavy, sometimes discontinuous, and > consists mostly of resistant, uncoated quartz grains and little else. > **In the Adirondacks, however, clay minerals are also found here** as they > form from the intense weathering of silicate minerals that were once > present in this horizon (April et al. 1986a). And a snippet from the graphic under that paragraph in the paper: [![enter image description here][4]][4] **...but still no.** Even if there is clay in the area you are in, there is likely no clay _for you_. [1]: https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7872.html [2]: https://www.adirondackcouncil.org/page/leave-no-trace-tips-for-the-adirondack-park-244.html [3]: https://digitalworks.union.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=ajes [4]: https://i.sstatic.net/yOpfM.png