The Adirondacks do not announce themselves the way the Rockies or the Sierra Nevada do. There is no single dramatic vista that stops you on the highway and demands a photograph. Instead, the Adirondacks unfold gradually — a deepening of forest along the Northway, the first glimpse of a mountain ridge above a wall of spruce, the moment when the last strip mall disappears and the road narrows to two lanes winding through a valley so green and quiet it feels like the 21st century has not yet arrived. And then, somewhere around the High Peaks, standing on an alpine summit above the clouds with nothing but wilderness in every direction for as far as you can see, the scale registers: this is 6 million acres of protected land — larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Canyon, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined. This is the largest publicly protected area in the contiguous United States. And it is five hours from Manhattan.
I first came to the Adirondacks expecting mountains. What I found was a complete world — a landscape of over 3,000 lakes and ponds, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, 2,000 miles of hiking trails, and 46 peaks above 4,000 feet, all threaded together by small towns that have served as base camps for wilderness seekers since the 1800s. The Adirondack Park is not a national park in the traditional sense; it is a unique mosaic of public Forest Preserve land (protected as “Forever Wild” by the New York State Constitution since 1894) and private land where people live, work, and run the lodges, diners, and outfitters that make the park accessible. This blend of deep wilderness and mountain-town hospitality is what makes the Adirondacks unlike any other park in America.
The High Peaks — The Heart of the Wilderness
The High Peaks region, centered around the towns of Lake Placid and Keene Valley, is where most first-time visitors begin, and for good reason. Here, 46 summits rise above 4,000 feet — not enormous by western standards, but fierce enough in character to have earned a climbing tradition that dates to 1925, when surveyors Robert and George Marshall, along with their guide Herbert Clark, set out to climb them all. The tradition of becoming a “46er” by summiting every peak endures today, drawing thousands of hikers each year into some of the most demanding terrain east of the Mississippi.
Cascade Mountain is the gateway peak — the most popular High Peak and the best introduction to Adirondack alpine hiking. The trail climbs 4.8 miles round trip from Route 73, gaining roughly 1,940 feet of elevation through mixed hardwood and boreal forest before emerging onto open rock just below the 4,098-foot summit. The view from the top is staggering: a 360-degree panorama of the High Peaks Wilderness, with Algonquin, Marcy, Giant, and dozens of other summits arranged in a jagged horizon line, and the blue gleam of Cascade Lake far below. On a clear autumn day, with the hardwoods blazing orange and red against the dark green of spruce and fir, this single view justifies the drive from anywhere in the Northeast.
For stronger hikers, Mount Marcy — at 5,344 feet, the highest point in New York State — offers the ultimate Adirondack summit experience. The standard route from the Adirondak Loj (yes, the historical spelling sticks) covers 14.8 miles round trip with 3,166 feet of elevation gain. It is a long day but not technical, following the Van Hoevenberg Trail through old-growth forest, past Marcy Dam (the dam itself removed, the beautiful pond remaining), and up through alpine tundra to the summit, where Lake Tear of the Clouds — the highest source of the Hudson River — shimmers in a mountain bowl below. The fragile alpine zone on Marcy’s summit is one of the rarest ecosystems in the eastern United States, home to plants that have survived here since the last ice age.
Above the Clouds
The High Peaks rise above the morning fog — 46 summits piercing the sky over a wilderness so vast it dwarfs every national park in the eastern United States, a landscape that has drawn climbers and dreamers since the 1800s.
Lake Placid — The Mountain Village
Lake Placid is the Adirondacks’ most famous town, and its reputation is well earned. Host of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics (the latter remembered for the “Miracle on Ice,” when the United States hockey team defeated the Soviet Union in what many call the greatest upset in sports history), Lake Placid combines genuine mountain-town character with the infrastructure and energy of a place that has been welcoming visitors for over a century.
Main Street runs through the village center, lined with shops, restaurants, breweries, and outfitters. The vibe is outdoorsy but not pretentious — Patagonia fleece and hiking boots are the dress code year-round. The Olympic Center on Main Street houses the 1980 Rink (where the Miracle on Ice occurred), the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, and a public skating rink. The Olympic Jumping Complex, just south of town, offers a gondola ride and elevator to the top of the 120-meter ski jump tower, where the view of the High Peaks and the surrounding wilderness is worth the mild vertigo. In summer, athletes train on the jumps, launching into a splash pool at the bottom — watching someone hurl themselves off a ski jump and land in water is a uniquely Adirondack spectacle.
Mirror Lake, which sits directly in the village, is Lake Placid’s front yard. A paved path circles the lake (2.7 miles), making it one of the most pleasant easy walks in the Adirondacks — flat, scenic, and perfect for families, joggers, or anyone who wants mountain views without mountain effort. In summer, Mirror Lake is swimmable from the public beach, and kayak and paddleboard rentals are available at the waterfront. In winter, the lake freezes solid and hosts speed skating, hockey, and the annual toboggan chute run from a wooden structure on the shore — a shrieking, exhilarating slide across the ice that costs a few dollars and delivers memories out of all proportion to the price.
Lake Placid (the lake itself, distinct from Mirror Lake and the village) stretches 4.8 miles through a mountain-framed valley and is best experienced by boat. Scenic cruises depart from the village marina, passing historic Great Camps — the grand rustic retreats built by wealthy families in the late 19th century, with massive log buildings, stone fireplaces, and private lakefront that blends architecture with wilderness in a style unique to the Adirondacks. Many of these camps are now private or institutional, visible only from the water, and the cruise provides context and history that makes the architecture come alive.
Whiteface Mountain — The Olympic Peak
Whiteface Mountain, eight miles north of Lake Placid, is the Adirondack Park’s most accessible major summit. At 4,867 feet, it is the fifth-highest peak in New York and the only High Peak you can drive to — the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway climbs 4,610 feet to a parking area just below the summit, where an elevator carved through 424 feet of solid granite delivers you to the top. The summit view is extraordinary: the High Peaks stretching south, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east, and on exceptionally clear days, the skyline of Montreal 80 miles to the north.
In winter, Whiteface transforms into the premier downhill ski area in the eastern United States. The Olympic ski trails, with 3,430 feet of vertical drop (the greatest in the East), 90 trails, and frequent natural snow supplemented by one of the most aggressive snowmaking systems in North America, attract serious skiers who value terrain over glitz. Whiteface is not a resort village — there are no slopeside condos, no pedestrian plazas, no valet parking. It is a mountain, operated by the Olympic Regional Development Authority, that exists to deliver skiing. The summit slides and upper mountain terrain are genuinely steep and frequently icy, earning Whiteface its reputation as an East Coast proving ground for expert skiers.
For non-skiers in winter, the Whiteface Mountain region offers cross-country skiing at the Olympic Cross-Country Biathlon Center in nearby Wilmington, snowshoeing on dozens of trails, ice climbing in the Adirondack backcountry, and the Lake Placid bobsled experience — a half-mile ride down the 1980 Olympic track in a modified four-person bobsled that reaches speeds of 50+ miles per hour. It is terrifying and wonderful.
Forever Wild
A canoe glides across glass-still water at dawn — the Adirondacks' 3,000 lakes reflecting a wilderness protected by the state constitution since 1894, unchanged and unhurried, a world apart from the cities just hours south.
Ausable Chasm — The Grand Canyon of the East
Ausable Chasm, near the eastern edge of the Adirondack Park where it meets Lake Champlain, is a sandstone gorge that has been a tourist attraction since 1870 — making it one of the oldest natural attractions in the United States. The Ausable River has carved a channel through 500-million-year-old Potsdam sandstone, creating a chasm up to 150 feet deep with vertical walls, waterfalls, rapids, and rock formations that glow in shades of rust, cream, and gray depending on the light and the season.
The standard visit includes a rim trail along the top of the chasm (easy walking, about a mile) and a descent into the gorge itself via stairways and bridges that put you at water level between the towering walls. The inner chasm is dramatic — the walls narrow, the river churns through rapids, and the scale of geological time becomes viscerally apparent in the layered sandstone. For a more immersive experience, tube floats and raft trips run through the lower chasm in summer, carrying you through Class II rapids between the canyon walls. Adventure options include rock climbing, rappelling, and a via ferrata-style trail system.
Ausable Chasm is privately operated and charges admission (adults around $22), which includes the rim trail and inner chasm walk. The tube float and raft trips cost extra. It is worth the fee — the gorge is genuinely impressive, and the interpretation and trail infrastructure are well maintained. Plan 2-3 hours for a full visit.
Indian Head and Fish Hawk Cliffs
The Indian Head hike in Keene Valley is one of the most rewarding moderate hikes in the Adirondack Park. The trail climbs approximately 3.6 miles (one way) from the Ausable Club Road to a series of cliff-edge viewpoints overlooking the Ausable Lakes — two pristine mountain lakes set in a glacially carved valley between steep ridges, with no development on their shores and no motorized boats permitted. The view from Indian Head — a rock outcrop with a sheer drop to Lower Ausable Lake far below — is among the most photographed scenes in the Adirondacks.
Continuing past Indian Head, the trail reaches Fish Hawk Cliffs, another spectacular overlook with a broader panorama of both lakes and the surrounding peaks. The round trip from the trailhead to both viewpoints and back is approximately 10 miles with about 1,700 feet of elevation gain — a solid day hike but manageable for anyone in reasonable hiking condition. The trail passes through dense northern hardwood and boreal forest, crosses streams on log bridges, and rewards with the kind of cliff-edge perspective that makes you understand why 19th-century painters traveled to the Adirondacks to capture landscapes that no studio could invent.
Note: Access to the Ausable Club Road trailhead requires a shuttle or walking from the Route 73 parking area. The Ausable Club manages parking and access — check current regulations before your visit, as the system has evolved in recent years to manage increasing hiker traffic.
The Wild Center — Where Science Meets Wilderness
The Wild Center in Tupper Lake is the Adirondacks’ premier natural history museum and one of the best nature centers in the northeastern United States. The main building houses live animal exhibits — river otters playing in a stream, snapping turtles, native fish in aquarium tanks, and porcupines in a walk-through habitat — alongside interactive exhibits on Adirondack ecology, geology, and conservation.
But the Wild Center’s signature attraction is Wild Walk, an elevated trail system that climbs through and above the forest canopy on bridges, platforms, and nets suspended among the treetops. The trail reaches a height of about four stories, offering views across the boreal forest to the distant peaks. A massive spider web-style net lets visitors (children especially) bounce and climb above the forest floor. An eagle’s nest platform, a twig-woven bridge, and interpretive stations along the way make Wild Walk both thrilling and educational — a rare combination that works equally well for five-year-olds and adults.
The Wild Center hosts seasonal events, including nighttime stargazing programs, paddling excursions, and live raptor demonstrations. Plan at least 3 hours for a full visit. Admission is around $24 for adults, $16 for children.
Paddling the Adirondacks
The Adirondacks are as much a paddling destination as a hiking one — arguably more so, given that the park’s 3,000-plus lakes and ponds and 30,000 miles of waterways offer a lifetime of exploration. Canoeing has deep roots here; the Adirondack guideboat, a lightweight, elegant rowing craft developed in the 19th century for navigating mountain lakes, is a symbol of the region and an art form still practiced by a handful of builders.
The Saranac Chain of Lakes — Lower Saranac, Middle Saranac, Upper Saranac, and connecting waterways — offers multi-day canoe camping trips through a series of lakes linked by portages (carries), with designated campsites on islands and remote shorelines. The route passes through wild, forested country with minimal development, and the island campsites — a tent pitched under pines on a point surrounded by still water, with loons calling at dusk — are among the finest camping experiences in the East.
For a gentler paddle, the St. Regis Canoe Area near Paul Smiths is the only designated canoe wilderness in New York State — 18,000 acres of ponds, streams, and carries with no motorized boats permitted. The flat-water paddling here is ideal for beginners and families, and the chances of seeing loons, great blue herons, bald eagles, and moose tracks along the shoreline are high.
Lake Placid, Mirror Lake, Long Lake, Raquette Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, and dozens of others offer day paddling with rental kayaks and canoes available in nearby towns. Many Adirondack lakes are deep, cold, and remarkably clear — paddling over water where you can see the bottom 15 or 20 feet below, with mountains reflected on the surface, is a quintessentially Adirondack experience.
Peak Foliage
Autumn transforms the Adirondacks into a 6-million-acre canvas of crimson, amber, and gold — hardwood forests blazing against the dark evergreen ridgelines, reflected in hundreds of still mountain lakes below.
Where to Eat in the Adirondacks
Adirondack dining is not haute cuisine, and that is entirely the point. The food here reflects the region — hearty, honest, and fueled by local ingredients from a landscape that still produces maple syrup, artisan cheese, craft beer, and farm-raised meat.
Big Slide Brewery & Public House in Lake Placid brews excellent Adirondack-inspired beers and serves wood-fired pizza, burgers, and seasonal plates in a lively downtown space. The pub fries with malt vinegar and a cold IPA after a long hike is one of the great Adirondack rituals. $14-22 per plate.
Liquids and Solids at the Loft in Lake Placid serves creative, locally sourced dishes — think duck confit poutine, smoked trout, and seasonal salads built from Adirondack farms. The cocktail program is serious. $18-35 per plate. One of the best meals in the park.
Left Bank Cafe in Saranac Lake serves farm-to-table breakfast, lunch, and brunch in a converted bank building. The buttermilk pancakes with local maple syrup are a destination in themselves. $10-18 per plate.
ADK Cafe in Lake Placid is the no-frills breakfast-and-lunch spot where hikers fuel up before hitting the trail. Enormous omelets, home fries, strong coffee, and a menu that understands its audience. $8-15 per plate.
Tail o’ the Pup on Route 86 between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake has been serving roadside barbecue — ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and corn on the cob — since the 1960s. Picnic tables, paper plates, and mountain views. Cash or card. $12-20 per plate. Seasonal — open late May through early October.
Where to Stay in the Adirondacks
Lake Placid Lodge — Rustic-luxury lakefront cabins and lodge rooms on the shore of Lake Placid. Stone fireplaces, Adirondack-style furniture crafted from local materials, and a fine dining restaurant with lake views. The Great Camp aesthetic at its finest. $350-600/night.
Mirror Lake Inn — The grand dame of Lake Placid lodging. AAA Four Diamond resort on Mirror Lake with spa, private beach, multiple dining options, and views of Whiteface Mountain. $250-450/night.
Keene Valley Lodge — Simple, clean accommodations at the doorstep of the High Peaks. The focus here is the mountains, not the decor. $110-180/night.
Adirondak Loj — Run by the Adirondack Mountain Club at the end of Heart Lake Road, this is the premier hiker’s basecamp. Bunk rooms, private rooms, and lean-to camping directly adjacent to the Van Hoevenberg trailhead for Mount Marcy and other High Peaks. $65-150/night. Communal meals available.
Camping — The Adirondack Park has thousands of designated campsites, from developed state campgrounds ($18-28/night) with showers and facilities to backcountry lean-tos and tent sites (free with permit or self-registration) deep in the wilderness. Island campsites on the Saranac Lakes and Raquette Lake are among the finest tent camping in the Northeast.
Fall Foliage
The Adirondacks produce some of the most spectacular autumn color in North America, and the season here is both dramatic and extended. The mix of hardwoods — sugar maple, red maple, birch, beech, aspen — and evergreen conifers — spruce, fir, pine — creates a layered color palette that purely deciduous forests cannot match: blazing reds and oranges and golds against a backdrop of deep green, reflected in hundreds of still mountain lakes.
Peak color typically runs from late September through mid-October, moving from the highest elevations downward. The High Peaks see color first, with alpine birch and mountain ash turning gold against the dark boreal forest by late September. The valleys and lake country follow through the first two weeks of October. The best foliage drives include Route 73 through Keene Valley and Cascade Pass, Route 28N through the central Adirondacks, and the road from Long Lake to Blue Mountain Lake. But honestly, you cannot go wrong — in peak season, every road, trail, and lake in the Adirondacks is a foliage drive.
For the most dramatic perspective, climb a peak. Cascade Mountain in full autumn color — the hardwood slopes blazing below you, the High Peaks ringed in fire, the lakes glowing blue through the canopy — is one of the great natural spectacles in the eastern United States.
Practical Details
The Adirondack Park is open year-round, and there is no entrance fee — the state Forest Preserve land is free to access. Some trailheads require parking reservations during peak periods (summer and fall weekends in the High Peaks region); check the New York State DEC website for current regulations.
Bear canisters are required for overnight camping in the Eastern High Peaks Wilderness. The regulation is enforced, and bears that obtain human food become problem bears. Canisters are available for rent at the Adirondak Loj and several outfitters.
Cell service is unreliable to nonexistent throughout much of the park. Download offline maps and trail guides before you arrive. This is genuine wilderness, and self-sufficiency matters — carry the Ten Essentials (navigation, sun protection, insulation, illumination, first aid, fire, repair tools, nutrition, hydration, emergency shelter) on every hike.
Weather in the Adirondacks changes rapidly and can be severe, especially at elevation. Summit temperatures can be 20-30 degrees colder than valley floors, with wind chill making conditions genuinely dangerous in exposed alpine terrain. Snow can fall on the High Peaks from October through May. Layer clothing and carry rain gear regardless of the forecast.
Scott’s Pro Tips
- Start with Cascade Mountain: If you hike one peak in the Adirondacks, make it Cascade. The trail is well-maintained, the 4.8-mile round trip is manageable for fit beginners, and the summit view — 360 degrees of High Peaks, lakes, and unbroken forest — is as good as anything you will see from far more difficult summits. Arrive early (before 8 AM on summer weekends) to get trailhead parking and avoid crowds on the summit.
- Fall Foliage Timing: Peak color is typically the first two weeks of October, but it varies by elevation and year. Check the I Love NY fall foliage report for weekly updates. The High Peaks see color first (late September), the valleys last (mid-October). A visit in early October hedges your bets — you will catch something spectacular regardless of exact timing.
- Base in Lake Placid but Eat in Saranac Lake: Lake Placid has the most lodging options and the easiest access to major attractions. But Saranac Lake, 15 minutes west, has a quieter, more local dining scene with lower prices. The Left Bank Cafe for breakfast and Liquids and Solids for dinner is an excellent one-two punch.
- Paddle at Dawn: Adirondack lakes are calmest at sunrise, when the water turns to glass and the mountains reflect perfectly. Rent a canoe or kayak the afternoon before, launch at first light, and you will have the lake to yourself — plus the best chance of seeing loons, otters, and mist rising off the water. Mirror Lake, Lower Saranac, and Blue Mountain Lake are all outstanding dawn paddles.
- Winter is Underrated: Most visitors come in summer and fall, but the Adirondacks in January and February are magnificent — snow-covered peaks, frozen waterfalls, uncrowded trails, and some of the best cross-country skiing in the East. Whiteface skiing, the Olympic bobsled run, and snowshoeing to backcountry lean-tos are all world-class winter experiences. Layer heavily and embrace the cold.
- Blackfly Season Is Real: Mid-May through late June is blackfly season, and it is no joke. These small biting flies swarm in clouds near waterways and in the forest, and their bites are painful and itchy. If you visit during this window, bring DEET repellent, a head net, and long sleeves. Or just come in July, when the blackflies have subsided and the swimming is warm.
The Adirondacks ask you to slow down. Not in the way a beach resort asks you to slow down — with a cocktail and a lounge chair — but in the way that genuine wilderness demands it. The trail up Marcy takes all day. The canoe across Saranac Lake takes the morning. The drive from Lake Placid to Old Forge passes through an hour of unbroken forest where the radio goes silent and the phone loses signal and the only thing moving is the road ahead threading through an endless green corridor. And in that silence, in that vastness, something recalibrates. The park’s founders understood this when they wrote “Forever Wild” into the state constitution in 1894, protecting these 6 million acres from the development that was consuming the rest of the Northeast. They were not just preserving trees and mountains. They were preserving the experience of being small in a big landscape — the feeling of standing on an alpine summit with nothing but wilderness in every direction, the sound of a loon echoing across a lake at dusk, the knowledge that this place will be here, unchanged and unhurried, long after the cities to the south have reinvented themselves a hundred times over. The Adirondacks are not a weekend escape. They are a reminder of what New York was before it was New York — and what it still is, if you drive five hours north and walk into the woods.