Adirondacks in NY

The Adirondacks include both private and state owned land and about two-thirds of upstate New York. Nearly half of the 7 million acres of the park is wilderness. We decided to spend a couple of days exploring the region and it was time well spent. We only scratched the surface of opportunities in the region. There are 42 mountains over 4,0000 feet high, 2,800 lakes and ponds, 1,200 miles of rivers, and more than 30,000 miles of brooks and streams!

We stayed on Lake Durant in a state park campground near Blue Mountain Lake and enjoyed our first campfire. Walmart camping in the Adirondacks is rare!

A nearby hike was the first order of business the next morning. It was a lovely trail through the forest among the ferns and birch trees.


We soon arrived a grassy pond, our destination.

In Blue Mountain Lake we spent three hours at the Adirondack Museum and could have spent many more. It is one of the best museums we have ever visited. We learned much about the history of the area. They had displays pertaining to boats and boating, logging, trains, sleighs, skiing and outdoor activities, adirondack history, culture and architecture and so much more! One of my favorites was the display with moving magnetic boats that showed how visitors flocked to the area on train and then caught steamboats to deliver them to various hotels, lodges, or homes in the days before automobiles.

The hillside across from the museum was just a sample of the myriad of colors we viewed for several days.

Several of the campgrounds are already closed but the second night we stayed at Wellington Notch near Lake Placid and experienced a 27 degree night. Good thing we brought our coats and hats.


We stopped in several small towns including our visit here to Hoss's in Long Lake. Always nice to visit with some of the locals.

As we drove into Lake Placid we noticed the frost on the grasses and trees.

The 1939 and 1980 winter olympics were held in Lake Placid. These are the ski jumps used in 1980.

After a nice breakfast and a wander through town we took the 2.7 mile walk around Mirror Lake.
What a gorgeous day.

Do you see the woodpecker in this tree on the shore of Mirror Lake?

Who knew that John Brown lived in Lake Placid? I surely did not, but he moved to this farm 1855, after trying to help free blacks establish a settlement in North Elba. Brown was later found guilty of treason in Virginia for leading the raid on Harper's Ferry and hanged in 1859.

His wife brought his body back to the farm where he was buried on December 8. We visited the farm before it opened so did not take the tour.


First time I ever saw sheep upstairs but that is where they were in this barn. Also where the hay was which might explain it! They were watching us as we were watching them.

The fall colors were quite lovely but changed with the elevation. We lost the colors as we descended to Ticonderoga, where we were happy to spend a night at Walmart. We could not have a campfire but we did not have to pay $20 for a place to park without electricity either.