Since this summer has been drastically different than previous ones due to the pandemic, my annual summer vacation was, of course, also altered. Usually over the summer, I venture out of the country, or at least to a new state, to explore new areas. However, this summer vacation was different. Since my boyfriend and I wanted to stay in our residing state because of constantly changing travel restrictions and regulations, we decided to head upstate to an area we have both never been; Lake Placid. Although we were originally upset since we had to stay in New York for our vacation, we ended up having a fantastic time in the Lake Placid and Adirondack State Park region. We are already eager to travel back upstate to explore more of everything the Adirondack area has to offer!
Where is Lake Placid?
Lake Placid is a village located in the Adirondack Mountains, so yes, it is pretty far away for those living on Long Island. From central Long Island, it takes roughly 5-6 hours to get there depending on what time you begin your drive. We always prefer to get up early to beat any traffic, so we began our drive at 6am. As a result, it only took us around 5 hours to get to Lake Placid. While getting off Long Island is always a pain, the rest of the drive to the village is relatively easy and painless. The last couple of hours are also very scenic with the mountain views, which is always a nice change of scenery. Even though Lake Placid is a hefty drive, it is definitely worth the trip because of the change of pace, scenery, and activities.
Where to Stay
When it comes to deciding where to stay during your vacation, you need to do some research based on your personal preferences. There are sooo many hotel and resort options in and around Lake Placid. Ultimately, we decided to stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites Lake Placid since I loved the location of the hotel, I have stayed at this hotel in other locations before, and I felt safe going here during this uncertain time because of the safety measures they had in place. The hotel was super clean, they had social distancing and contactless regulations in place everywhere in the hotel, and masks were required in all areas. Even during this chaotic time, they still offered the complimentary breakfast, but rather than a buffet style, they served us in a cafeteria way, which worked out well.
One of my favorite parts of this hotel was the location. We were located right at the tip of Mirror Lake, which is the main lake in the area for recreational activities. Mirror Lake is located right next to Lake Placid, however, Lake Placid does not offer hotels right on the water, as well as is mainly for boat usage only. If you are staying in Lake Placid, you definitely want to be located on Mirror Lake. Our hotel was in the perfect location; as soon as you exit the hotel's back door, you enter onto a beautiful patio with a fire pit and an abundance of outdoor seating with a lake view. You simply cross the crosswalk, and boom, you are on the beach of Mirror Lake! A majority of the activities we did during our stay were walking distance from our hotel, which was another great aspect.
What to do in Lake Placid
1. Mirror Lake Loop
As mentioned, many of the hotels and resorts are located right off Mirror Lake since this lake offers the most recreational activities. There are also some hotels located in the Olympic Village, which is the Main Street in Lake Placid. The Mirror Lake Loop Trail is a 2.7 mile long walk around the outskirts of the lake. This trail goes around the lake, through Main Street, past one side of Lake Placid, and through a residential area that is located on Mirror Lake. The entirety of this trial is a paved sidewalk, so it is very easy to walk. We walked this trail twice during our five day visit since it is so accessible. Many people walk this trail in the morning since it is a nice way to start the day. This loop is a great way to get some exercise while taking in the sights of the surrounding area.
2. Non-Motorized Water Sports (Kayaking, Paddle Boarding, etc.)
Naturally, when you visit lake-based down, you are going to be spending a decent amount of time at the lake. While Lake Placid itself mainly focuses on motorized activities, mainly boating, Mirror Lake provides a great opportunity for you to partake in non-motorized water sports, including kayaking, paddle boarding, pedal boating, and more. As a result, we spent our lake time on Mirror Lake. There are an abundance of stores located on Main Street that provide rentals for numerous water sports. We decided to rent our kayaks and paddle boards from Eastern Mountain Sports. We found their prices to be a great deal ($30 per rental for 4 hours). It was also very convenient that their store, which is located on Main Street, is actually connected to Mirror Lake. As a result, after paying and filling out rental forms, a worker led us to the store's private dock, and helped us launch our rentals. It was a great experience, and I highly recommend renting from Eastern Mountain Sports! For those that are not interested in water sports, Mirror Lake also has a section roped off to create a beach area. Although you can swim freely in the entire lake, the beach provides a great area if you have children since there are lifeguards on duty. Kayaking in Mirror Lake was extremely relaxing, so I highly recommend trying out a water sport while you are visiting the lake!
3. Explore the Olympic Village (Main Street)
During our entire stay, we found ourselves constantly walking to and from the Olympic Village, also known as Lake Placid's Main Street. Similar to many of the villages you will find on Long Island, the Olympic Village offers a large variety of boutiques, shops, restaurants, and other goodies. Since this street holds a good portion of Lake Placid's restaurants, this village Main Street is rather long. Many of the restaurants have their menus placed outside, so you are able to browse prior to choosing where you wish to eat. Additionally, many restaurants offer outdoor seating since the Main Street runs alongside the lake. There is even a cute little park in the middle where everyone stops to admire the view! We spent our first afternoon exploring the village to see all of the restaurants and shops that are offered since there are quite a few options. Needless to say, all of the restaurants we ate at during our visit were delicious! Oh, and if you are an ice cream connoisseur (like myself), you NEED to go to Emma's Lake Placid Creamery...you can thank me later😉
PS: Since we went during the pandemic, masks and social distancing were required in all public areas. Lake Placid had reminders of this all over Main Street, and almost everyone I saw during our stay complied, which was great to see. Masks were only taken off while eating, at the beach, participating in water sports, or for the purpose of taking a quick picture (so you can actually see your smiling face).
4. Visit the Various Olympic Sites
As many people know, Lake Placid was home to the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games. All of the Olympic areas are still standing and available to the public not only for viewing purposes, but also for use! Unfortunately, some of the Olympic Sites were still closed because of Corona Virus when we visited. We still visited what we were able to, but I wish more Olympic amenities and facilities were open. However, if you are planning to visit Lake Placid, I highly recommend heading over to this Olympic Sites Website to plan and book various activities. This website provides up-to-date information about the reopening process, as well as the activities offered at each location. It is very informational, and provides you with great services!
A. Whiteface Veteran's Memorial Highway Scenic Drive
One of the activities we were able to (partially) do was the Whiteface Veteran's Memorial Highway drive. I say partially because even though we were able to complete the very scenic drive up to Whiteface Mountain, all of the amenities, such as the summit hike, the restaurant, and the bathrooms were still closed. Even so, I still recommend doing this activity since it is great for all ages. Also, there is a toll (for the car and each additional passenger) so be prepared for that. Although the drive and view from 4610 feet above sea level was still breathtaking, I was really looking forward to hiking to the summit of this famous mountain for an even more amazing view. I guess we will just need to go back one day when the summit and the full Whiteface Mountain experience is reopened!
B. Olympic Ski Jump Complex
The only Olympic Sites arena that was fully functioning during our visit was the Olympic Ski Jump Complex. Since I was carefully keeping track of the reopening progress, I was actually able to book the Skyride experience and the Sky Flyer Zipline online prior to leaving for our trip. At this Olympic Site, you are able to ride the Skyride to the base of the two Olympic ski jumps, take an elevator to the top of the highest ski jump for an amazing view, and you have the option (for an additional fee) to zipline down a 700-foot incline. While I had higher expectations for the zipline experience, it was still amazing to just be standing in the area where the Olympic Games took place.
C. Mt. Van Hovenberg
During our stay, Mt. Van Hovenberg began reopening for hiking and cross country mountain biking. Although we were interested in hiking an Olympic mountain, we opted out of this hike since we had a different hike that we wished to complete during our stay. We really wanted to complete a hike that consisted of two Adirondack High Peaks, so we decided to save our energy for our strenuous hike instead. I would love to go back one day and hike Mt. Van Hovenberg though!
5. High Falls Gorge
Once I saw there was a waterfall walk only a few minutes drive from Lake Placid, I knew we had to go. High Falls Gorge provides a roughly 30-minute waterfall nature walk around the Adirondack Mountains. During the walk, there are multiple lookout points and informational posters about the area and how it was formed. Since the walk is meant to feel natural, there are wooden bridges and dirt paths throughout your journey. The view was amazing and I wish the walk was longer! If you are looking for a longer adventure, High Falls Gorge also adds an additional hiking trail for a more advanced, natural hike. This trail is strictly dirt and rock, as well as takes places in the wooded area, so there is no view of the waterfalls. The additional hiking trail is labeled as "intermediate" and adds roughly another mile or so onto your hike. I highly recommend both activities to get the most out of your experiecne!
6. Complete an Adirondack High Peaks Hike
I have always enjoyed hiking, so when we knew we were going to be visiting the Adirondack Mountains, I knew we had to complete at least one Adirondack High Peak. For those of you that do not know, there are 46 Adirondack High Peaks, which are the most strenuous hikes offered in this region. A good portion of these hikes were located within a half hour of our hotel off of route 73, so this was the perfect opportunity to finally do one! We decided to complete TWO Adirondack High Peaks since the hike I found actually consisted of a "two-in-one" package deal. We hiked both Cascade Mountain and Porter Mountain within ~7 hours. We arrived to the trail around 6:15am for a parking spot since is is very limited, so I definitely recommend getting to your hike earlier rather than later. This was definitely a strenuous hike, as I know all high peaks are, so be sure to be prepared with proper hiking gear (including bug spray!). Cascade and Porter in particular were extremely rocky and muddy...we were scrambling up and down rocks a majority of the way! Even though we had to push ourselves at times, especially on the way back, it was so worth the view. We can now cross two of the Adirondack High Peaks off our list! Only 44 left😜
PS: If you're only interested in hiking one of the high peaks, definitely do Cascade over Porter. The view from Cascade was breathtaking, but the only view from Porter was seeing where you were on top of Cascade...kind of a let down, so now you know!
I hope you enjoyed learning more about what to do on a Lake Placid vacation. Like I said, I never thought I would have been spending my summer vacation in Upstate New York, but because of the current circumstances, I am so glad we did! It is amazing how you can feel like you are in a different world when exploring Upstate New York versus Long Island. I highly recommend getting outdoors and exploring more of everything New York has to offer!
Many more adventures to come,
Ashley
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