Lake Placid: Fall 2013 Travel Guide

by ROYAL HOLIDAY

Everything Fall Has to Offer

In Lake Placid

Can’t Really Be Summed Up

In One Blog Post!

_

But we’re going to give it a try!

Just about every list of things to do in and around the Adirondacks (here’s a good one) includes a plentiful list of things involving…

FOLIAGE!

 

Raking leaves, jumping in leaves, driving to see more leaves and then taking pictures of leaves.

There are few places on Earth where the change of seasons is quite so dramatic, accessible and, yes, moving.

Royal Holiday travelers have been taking off for Lake Placid for almost three decades, and the Lake Placid Club Lodges are just as welcoming, homey and comfortable as when they first opened.

 

Primarily convenient to customers in the North Eastern USA, travelers from other regions fly into the Burlington, Vermont International Airport. It’s a little more than two hours drive away.

That drive is guaranteed, from September through October, to inspire with some of the most dramatic scenery on the planet. But no matter where you might drive from…

 

The Drive is Always One of the Highlights in the Adirondacks

But where (besides the Club Lodges) are Royal Holiday travelers driving to?

Well, the Adirondacks are literally divided up by no less than 12 scenic highways. You can learn more about each of them at VisitAdirondacks.com but here’s the nine most prominent:

  • Mohawk Towpath Byway
  • Adirondack Trail
  • Black River Trail
  • Central Adirondack Trail
  • Military Byway
  • Olympic Byway
  • Roosevelt-Marcy Byway
  • High Peaks Byway
  • Southern Adirondack trail

VisitAdirondacks.com also lists a bunch of good destinations throughout the area.

For a little more of a preview of some of the colors and scenery you can expect, see Carl Heilman’s Guide To Leaf Peeping at Adorondack.net. They’ve got not only spectacular photos on offer, but loads of tips for getting the most out of your trip.

If you’ll be around on October 13, that’s the date of this year’s Applefolkfest at the Penfield Museum. You simply can’t get much more “Fall in Upstate New York” than this. About 61 miles away, it’s a craft fair, flea market, family event with all kinds of activities, and plenty of food, too. Directions are here.

Of course, as October draws to a close, and the leaves become fewer and fewer, there will be an increasing number of haunted house attractions, hay rides and corn mazes. You can almost smell the autumn air.

But now picture this.

We couldn’t find a picture taken in the fall season from the Gondola rides that travel 3,700 feet up Whiteface Mountain.

But imagine the photo at right (courtesy of LakePlacid.com) in combination with the photo above and you start to get an idea. In fact, click through to LakePlacid.com and scroll down to see more fantastic photos of the ride. At the very bottom is a magnificent shot of Lake Placid itself.

The Gondola rides run only through October 14. The Whiteface Lake Placid website has more information about riding the lift. For that matter they also offer one of the very best maps (PDF)  for hiking and mountain biking the mountain and the area. Be warned, there are some of the best expert level trails in the state included on this map, but they’re not for beginners. Beginner trails are there too!

 

Mirror Lake and the Village of Lake Placid

Mirror Lake and the Village of Lake Placid are – don’t forget – charming as anyone wants to imagine.

There really is a sidewalk culture, as pleasant as anything with plenty of independent and – cute! – little shops for strolling and enjoy. Even if you can see your breath a little, it’s just that beautiful of a place to visit and enjoy. The official Holiday Village Stroll is coming December 6 – 8, 2013, with all kinds of holiday related happenings.

But straight through November, there are a wealth of things to see and do. Need more information? Leave a comment below and we’ll get right back to you.

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