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  • #16
    Originally posted by Pat T View Post
    Just one little directional correction for AlSara's post:

    Route 9N travels north from Lake George Village to Bolton Landing, Hague, and Ticonderoga. It is on the West side of the lake. Route 9L goes from Route 9 by Water Slide World up the East side of the lake to Cleverdale and then makes a 180 degree turn and heads south all the way back to Glens Falls.

    There are many motels on 9N but only a couple on 9L.

    Pat T

    ps There are also Routes 9W and 9J to explore in New York.

    OOPS. Thanks I lived on 9L in Glens Falls, the sign was literally in my front yard...ingrained in the brain...9N is what I meant! Thanks!

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    • #17
      I would echo Pat and others on Lake Georges, Schroon corridor, lots of Pictures ops take the long boat tour ( 4 hours) get to see a lot in decent comfort. Good food a plenty in the lower part , and dont forget Saratoga Springs, great Town. Isolation further up.
      V'la l'bon vent v'la l'joli vent
      C'est l'aviron que nous mëne en haut

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      • #18
        I can hardly wait to see Ffranny's trip report! With all of these suggestions it should be a nice post!
        Be careful, don't spread invasive species!!

        When a dog runs at you,whistle for him.
        Henry David Thoreau

        CL50-#23

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        • #19
          I second either Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, or Lake George.

          Lake George is the shortest drive, most convenient and most ammenitized.

          However, no matter what you better make some reservations. Lake George is the favorite hangout of downstate tourist (generally NYC to Poughkeepsie).

          As far as history and hiking. Lake George has both. It's got some great scenery, and is only 1 hour from Albany driving at or near the speed limit.

          In reality you could cancel your reservations the last night in Albany and stay in Lake George if your flight isn't crack of dawn. If it is early better to stay in Albany as traffic before 9am can be pretty intense over the Twins. If it's after 10am you will get from Lake George to the airport in 50 minutes tops.

          As far as LG attractions...yep Ticonderoga would be at the top. Prospect Mountain is drivable and offers great views (i'd suspect from photos and the surrounding mountains I've hiked, I refuse to drive up a mountain as long as I can walk). And the ADK museum in Blue Mountain is impressive. You are also a very short drive from Saratoga Springs which is worth checking out for some history, architecture and more upscale nightlife.

          While I don't ever pay for a motel, and thus I don't really know what Tupper Lake offers in terms of quality lodging, this has always been a favorite area of mine. Long gone from the tourist trap of LP (i used to love LP but in the last 5 years it's pretty much turned into Lake George, it's all chain stores, fake outlets, and chain restaurants), and the spillover into Saranac Lake. Tupper Lake seems like the most genuine place of the big towns on that corridor. And the new "Wild" museum looks interesting though we've never been.

          Just a few notes. The Daks are pretty but not especially scenic by car. And unfortunately (or fortunately) aside from Prospect and Whiteface Mountains there aren't any real scenic vistas in the park. Thats not to say there is no scenery, it's just limited by road and best appreciated from the trail or water.

          The best views of the Daks are actually across lake champlain in VT going up Route 7 in vermont, specifically around shelburne and some ways south. I've always said the best part of vermont are the views of NY. I stand by that.

          And before anyone corrects me, I am not saying there are NO viewpoints. The Loj road for instance has a great view of the High Peaks. There are, I'm just saying that the Adirondacks aren't best appreciated from a car. Even NH and vermont lends itself more to car touring than the Daks.

          Oh and it is the peak of bug season. Skeeters and black flies should be just starting to peak and that last for about 4 weeks till about early July. Then the flies disappear and the skeeters rein supreme till the middle/end of August.
          sigpic

          "As to every healthy boy with a taste for outdoor life, the northern forest -the Adirondacks- were to me a veritable land of enchantment." -Theodore Roosevelt

          Mountain Visions: The Wilderness Through My Eyes

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          • #20
            Wow - Such wonderful suggestions and points of view! Thought of a few things as I was re-reading the thread - I wouldn't stay in Tupper Lake, much as I am fond of a few friends who live there, LOL. I stayed there a few times, and I own a house about 10 miles down the road now. Although it one day may be, it is not a visitor-ready town just yet. Not much food, activities are slim, and not a lot of services for visitors. (Although the Wild Center is awesome!)

            Saranac Lake is nearby. There are a ton of lodging options there, and it's a good visitors town - restaurants on all levels, a little shopping, plenty of nature and hiking of paddling. If you look at the town website (www.saranaclake.com) you'll find contacts for cabins, cottages, motels, etc. Nice town, prepared for visitors without being overly commercial like Lake Placid or Lake George. And *far* less expensive.

            Disclaimer - I don't live or work in Saranac Lake!
            Enthusiastic Part-Timer

            sigpic

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            • #21
              you should stay right in lake placid--it'll offer more options especially since you're not that into hiking:
              --walk thru olypmic village
              ---best mountain views of anywhere in the northeast right from town
              ---lots of "easy" hikes in the area
              --good restaurants/pubs and lots of them to choose from
              --drive up whiteface mtn-- great mtn views without the work

              --i always send people to the lake placid area if they had to pick one town in the adk's to see and no one is ever disappointed

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              • #22
                Base town

                I would recommend Saranac Lake as well. Not too long of a drive and a nice one to boot. Drive through Keene and Lake Placid to get there. Lots to do and see once there. Beautiful scenery all around, canoeing and some hiking. Great food at the Paul Smith's Hotel and nearby. Check out saranaclake.com and you will find everthing from campgrounds to 4 star accomodations. Short drive to Tupper and Placid. Very laid back and a small city feel. Blue mountain lake would be my second choice but Saranac offeres so many more options.

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                • #23
                  I am a huge fan of Lake Placid, and there is a lot to see and do, but that may be farther than you wish to travel. If you haven't been to Lake George it is rich with history and you are only a 45-minute drive to Keene Valley for challenging hikes (along with a ton of other hikes on the east and west side og Lake George).

                  Memorial Day weekend in Lake George is usually mobbed. Keep that in mind. However, from Tuesday through the next weekend it is dead. If that's what you're looking for then great. If you are seeking a vibrant and bustling area then try someplace other than Lake George that week.

                  Here is a link to Lake Placid and to Lake George info:



                  Plan your entire Lake George vacation in one place. Find great hotels, events, restaurants, camping, attractions and activities, compiled by local Lake George tourism experts.


                  Good luck and have fun.

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                  • #24
                    I'd vote for Saranac Lake, but I live there so...

                    But I would suggest that you ought to consider some hiking and/or paddling, at least if you get anything like decent weather-- they're what the Adirondacks is all about, and there are plenty of decent easy hikes, some with fairly spectacular views for the effort. If you're in the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake region, Owls Head, on Rt 73, just west of Keene, NY, is only a half-mile, 460-foot climb, half an hour tops, with incredible views of the high peaks. Baker Mountain, right in Saranac Lake, is just under a mile, fairly steep, but with great views of the surrounding lakes and mountains.

                    And for a day-paddle, there are plenty of canoe/kayak renters-- St. Regis Canoe Outfitters and Mac's Canoe Livery are two good ones in the incredible St Regis Canoe Area. Follensby Clear Pond is one of many good ponds in the area for a day paddle.

                    Check out Wikipedia entries on Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, Saint Regis Canoe Area for some good info and photos (its Adirondack coverages is getting better, at least for some areas).
                    Last edited by mwanner; 05-17-2008, 04:39 PM. Reason: emphasis
                    The Adirondack Wilderness ... is a vast natural park, one immense and silent forest, curiously and beautifully broken by the gleaming waters of a myriad of lakes, between which rugged mountain ranges rise as a sea of granite billows. -- Verplanck Colvin

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                    • #25
                      So do we have a trip report coming from FFrany now?
                      Be careful, don't spread invasive species!!

                      When a dog runs at you,whistle for him.
                      Henry David Thoreau

                      CL50-#23

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                      • #26
                        bump or was this a seeded thread to keep circulation numbers up?
                        Be careful, don't spread invasive species!!

                        When a dog runs at you,whistle for him.
                        Henry David Thoreau

                        CL50-#23

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                        • #27
                          I'd vote for the Schroon Lake/Minerva Area, that's where we bought our camp. Its only about an hour North of Albany, close to the Northway so the driving is easy in almost any type of weather. You can head south to Lake George in about 40 minutes or get to Lake Placid in 1:15 or so. There are plenty of local lakes that are nice and decent hiking in the immediate area. Driving into the high peaks is easy and the ADK museum isn't that far away. I wish Lake Placid was 40 minutes away and Lake George was the 1:15 or so, but I haven't figured out how to change that.... ;-)

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