Courtyard By Marriott Lake Placid

Adirondack Mountains

by Bwana_Brown

We enjoyed the opportunity to do some relatively easy mountain climbing on the well-worn (thanks to ancient glaciers) Adirondack Mountains in upstate-New York. The weather conditions in mid-September turned out to be just right for us. On this trip, it was relaxing on top of Cascade Mt. with our picnic lunch and just enjoying the view. The trip down was easy and then it was a relatively quick drive to the Interstate highway and onward to Albany for business the next day!

Sneak beer onto Whiteface Mt

by SirIsaacBrock

We learned from a local that it is common to bring a backpack with beer to store in the chalet half way down the hill. Since the choice of beer is pretty much non-existent and what is there is expensive, it's a good idea to bring a small backpack with your favourite beverage. That way you can stop half way down and enjoy the sun while sipping some suds.

Use the picnic tables at the top of the first chair lift. The scenery is great.

Take it all in, see where the...

by marzy

Take it all in, see where the miracle on ice happened, skate on the oval where eric hyeden won 5 gold metals, take your kids on a bobsled run, ski the olympic mountain, swim in the lakes, rent a boat, go hiking or do some shopping, its all here

Welcome to Lake Placid, NY!

by Phildagr8

"What's there? Hmm"

Lake Placid is where one of the winter olympics was held. It's also where horse shows are, and the lake itself is very scenic. It's in a tri-lake region. You can skate at the arena, go skiing at the mountain nearby, or stroll down the main road and check out the shops like a typical tourist.

To get there from Albany, take I-87 North to exit 30, and go west for 25 minutes (~30 miles). You'll see cars parked along side the road (of hikers, picture-takers and picnic-ers). There's a river that runs along the highway for part of the trip, and a few small bridges, too. There's even a small waterfall, too. It'll be on the right side, but you'll probably miss it unless you're driving east on that road. You'll pass thru a few small towns, so watch the speed limit changes! Also be aware of how much gas you have and when the road changes from 1 lane to 2 to 1 again.

When the ice storm hit the area about 6 years ago, all the birch trees were bent almost all the way over. The trees looked like something stepped on them. By now, the area may be back to normal.

Every winter, they have an event called Winter Carnival. They take ice from the lake, form large bricks and they build a life-size castle! Each castle is different from previous years. It is built at the lakes edge, and they add lighting, decorate it, and have fireworks, too!

"Building the Castle"

Skilled people architech and design each new winters castle. When the weather gets warm, they demolish it for safety reasons so it can't fall onto anyone. It is a tradition that has continued every year, and every year, the castle has a new shape.

"At last, the finished masterpiece!"

This castle has flags, and every year, it seems they get more and more extravagant. It won't be long before they add something new!

Lake Placid

by chrissyalex

"An Amazing Autumn Weekend"

We had a very promising weather forecast for Columbus Day weekend and I had just read in the newspaper that the foliage for the Adirondack Mountains in New York state would be at its peak. I hadn't been there in a few years and thought this would be a great chance to experience the beauty of these mountains at its best.

"I wasn't disappointed"

Fantastic Weather! Sunny and clear. Beauty everywhere! Mountains,lakes,streams,gorgeous waterfalls ,gorges and the vibrant "crazy quilt" colors of the autumn leaves.

"We weren't the only ones!"

Being that the weather was spectacular (I was told by some locals that last year at this time there was snow!),the foliage was at its peak and the fact it was both Columbus Day weekend for Americans and Thanksgiving weekend for Canadians ,we weren't the only ones deciding it would be a prime time to visit. The town on Lake Placid itself was packed with tourists,but there were still many places to explore without fighting the crowds. The trip was well worth it.