North America

Adirondack Mountains – Majestic and wild

The Adirondack Mountains are situated in the northeastern part of New York and are contained within the 6.1 million acres of the Adirondack Park. An eroded dome consisting of many peaks the Adirondacks have 42 peaks over 4000 feet high. To put it simply, the mountain ranges are sheer awe-inspiring beauty. The Adirondack Park itself is majestically sprawled from central New York State to the Canadian border. It includes mountains, towns, rivers, lakes and over 2000 miles of hiking trails. The Adirondack Forest Preserve itself covers about 40% of the park, thus showcasing the area’s pristine integrity. To add to the panoramic view, there are plenty of excellent camping spots along with good trout, salmon and pike fishing.

The best way and possibly an essential means to explore the Adirondack Mountains are to hire a car. Other than this, Adirondack Trailways and Greyhound serve most of the regions.

There are an adventurous few hikers who enjoy make an effort to scale each of the original 46 peaks that the Adirondack Mountains has to offer and become a part of the prestigious Forty Sixers club. Please note that about 20 of the 46 mountains are trail-less, so climbing these entails either bushwhacking or following game trails to the top.

The Adirondacks is a great combination of both the wild and civilized. It offers tourists more than its fair share of opportunities to relax, explore serene surroundings or plot an adventure. If you’re looking for outdoor recreation you can simply hike or dive into a cool mountain lake or walk to an isolated waterfall. Then there are plenty of attractions around to visit like colonial forts and world-class museums. You cannot leave the Adirondacks without trying some of the local specialties at a farmers’ market. They also make for fantastic souvenirs, not to mention plenty of options like pine scented sachets or a vintage piece of rustic furniture. Lake Placid is a shopper’s paradise.

There is plenty to explore in the Adirondacks like the Enchanted Forest or maybe a water safari, the High Falls Gorge, the 1932 & 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum And Hall Of Fame and you cannot miss the 56 Auto Drive-In Theatre. Other than this, there are plenty of art galleries, horse rides and architectural heritage sites. The Adirondack Park itself is a strange combination of privately-owned commercial zones and state-owned forests.

There are plenty of dining options available across the Adirondacks. Almost every kind of cuisine is available across almost every price range. You’ll just have to dig about a bit and you’re more likely then not bound to find a budget option.

The most budget option for staying would be to camp. I stayed at the Old Forge Camping Resort. The Enchanted Forest is just a hop, skip and jump away. It has both a beach and private lake and a direct access to snowmobile trails. The rates are quite reasonable but may fluctuate depending on the season.

An interesting part about the Adirondack Mountains is that there some festival, event or fair taking place throughout the year. So no matter which part of the year you choose to travel there is always something that this jagged beauty has to offer.