The awe-inspiring mountains, vast forests, and magnificent waterways of the Adirondack region surround alpine resorts and charming villages, offering gracious hospitality and exciting attractions. Scenic highways, chairlift rides, lake cruises, and gentle trails provide breathtaking views and easy access to spectacular landmarks. Among these are 46 high peaks, including Mt. Marcy, the highest mountain in the state; Lake Champlain, referred to by the locals as the "sixth great lake"; Lake Placid's famous Winter Olympic facilities at Whiteface Mountain and Mt. Van Hoevenberg; and exhibits and special events at historic forts. A ride to the top of Whiteface Mountain on the chairlift used by some of the world's best skiers provides a vista of three states.
There are many ways to enjoy the region's beauty. You can walk along a ¾-mile trail at the Ausable Chasm or take an exciting raft ride on the Ausable River as it carves its way through sandstone cliffs several hundred feet high. You can cruise Raquette Lake, Lake George, and the Fulton Chain of Lakes on a tour boat or enjoy a train ride starting at Old Forge.
Here you’ll find the sparkling resort villages of Lake Placid and Lake George. Site of two Olympiads, Lake Placid offers world-class skiing and bobsled and luge competition, as well as such year-round events as horse and ice-skating shows. Lake George offers amusement parks, beaches, and great trails for skiing, hiking, and biking, and the area's splendid golf courses challenge experienced players while delighting beginners.
Historic sites along Lake Champlain predate the American Revolution. On the shores of the lake in the town of Essex is one of the state's best preserved historic villages, with nearly 160 structures built between 1790 and 1860. The carefully preserved ruins of French Fort St. Fredric (1734) and British Fort Crown Point (1759) at the Crown Point State Historic Site are also worth a visit. Other restored colonial forts with military museums are Fort Ticonderoga in the village of the same name and Fort William Henry at Lake George.
Exhibits on the history of this region are displayed in 20 buildings of the Adirondack Museum overlooking Blue Mountain Lake. Trails, natural history exhibits, and a butterfly house are found at the Adirondack Visitor Interpretive Centers at Paul Smiths and Newcomb. Complete your trip by exploring one of the region's famous Adirondack "Great Camps."
In six-million-acre Adirondack Park (the largest state forest preserve in the nation), enjoy the grandeur, the excitement, and the hospitality that characterize the region. And enhance your visit with a stay in one or more of our member Bed and Breakfasts.
The Adirondack Park, New York's quiet place, the East's greatest wilderness, playground for millions. Visit our untouched forests mirrored in thousands of ponds and lakes; quiet wilderness trails; mountains with spectacular views; sparkling streams and long quiet waterways. Stay in one of our small communities nestled in deep mountain valleys. Learn about America's history in its colonial and post colonial periods.
The range of outdoor recreation opportunities is unparalleled in the eastern United States. The Adirondack Park offers boating of all kinds, horseback riding, camping, picnicking, hiking, mountaineering, fishing, swimming, water skiing, scuba diving, nature photography, downhill and cross-country skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.
