The Adirondack Mountains are home to me. They are located in upstate New York, mostly through Keene Valley and Lake Placid, New York. Many people have heard of the famous peaks such as, Cascade, Marcy, and or Whiteface. As well as, many people have heard of, are currently hiking, or interested in the Adirondack 46er Challenge. Having grown up near the Adirondacks, I have hiked almost all the peaks within these mountains and completed the 46er challenge. I truly love the Adirondack Mountains.

While the Adirondack Mountains are not tall, massive, and striking like the Colorado Rockies or Grand Tetons out west, they do have endless green mountain tops, slides, breath-taking ridge lines, and GREEN trees with mountains that go on for days. They are some of the most rugged mountains that you will encountered throughout the whole contininential US. There’s a reason New York has the “Forever Wild” clause in effect, protecting these stunning peaks. They are a different kind of rare beauty than the mountains out west and if you get the chance to go, GO.

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This article is all about the Adirondack Mountains.

Adirondack Mountains:

Best Towns to Stay/Visit in the Adks

The Adirondacks cover a LOT of space and towns within that space. Now, they are all relatively small towns but based on what you want to do and how far you’re willing to drive, will probably determine what town is best for you to stay in. The most southern, “large town” for people to stay in, that starts the Adirondack Park is, Lake George.

You WILL need a car to get anywhere in the Adirondacks. As previously stated above, the Adirondacks are Forever Wild, meaning, it can be VERY difficult to get to some of the hikes and other spots you have on your trip list. The Adirondacks are mainly made of county routes, back/rough roads, and dirt roads, so make sure you have a reliable vehicle with 4 wheel drive and a decent under clearance. I don’t want to worry anyone, but also, I don’t want to surprise anyone if their hike happens to be more remote than they anticipated.

Lake George and Lake Placid will have the most available accommodations, as they are the biggest towns within the Adirondacks. Lake George is about 4 hours (driving) from NYC. However, it’s a relatively easy drive. Once, you get on Interstate 87 North, you will stay there until the Lake George Exit (for about 3 hours of the drive).

Comparatively, Lake Placid is one of the most northern towns you can stay in the Adirondacks. From NYC it will take about 5 hours driving but again, a good portion of that will be on 87 North.

Now, there are multiple, tinier, towns within the middle of Lake George and Lake Placid that could also be good options for you. Such as, Saranac Lake (little further north of Lake Placid), Warrensburg and North Creek, Indian Lake, Keene and Keene Valley. Also, there are great campsites and HipCamps to stay in or near Lake George, that you can find here. In the Lake Placid area are the Adirondack Lodge, . Also, the Adirondack Mountain Reserve or AMR and the John Brook/Garden parking lots have amazing, beautiful hikes.

{Related Post : Complete Guide to Lake Placid}

Best Town in Adirondacks to Stay In

Overall, I recommend staying in Lake George and or Lake Placid. They will have everything you need such as, gas stations, grocery stores, downtown area, and multiple restaurants. Now, if you are more of a lake person, partier, less outdoorsy, and want to rent a boat, STAY in Lake George. Also, stay ON the Lake, DO NOT stay in the village, it is SUPER corny. If you have the extra money to spend, spend it on renting a house right on the lake. It will be worth it. Here you can find various lakefront properties to rent for a week or however long your stay is. In addition, here you can find different AirBnB’s and hotels to stay within Lake George.

On the flip side, if you want to do intense, beautiful, hiking, STAY in Lake Placid. Lake Placid is only about 20 minutes from the Adirondack Lodge, and that is where most of the prettiest/gnarliest hikes will be located. Such as, Mount Marcy, which is the highest peak in New York. You can also stay at the lodge here and or camp at the various campsites available throughout the land. However, the campsites are first come first serve, so if you plan on camping at one of these sites, come EARLY during the busy seasons (June through September). Weekends fill up EXTREMELY fast.

The Adk Lodge website will allow you to make reservations at the lodge and or different cabins within the property, but you can’t make a reservation for the campsites and or lean-to’s. Some other towns close by to stay in are Saranac Lake, Keene and Keene Valley. Here you can find different AirBnB’s and hotels to stay within Lake Placid.

As far as camping goes, you can pretty much camp anywhere on the various hiking trails within the Adirondacks that have a yellow and black campsite sign. You must also have a proper bear canister, can’t camp above 3,500ft, can’t build a fire in the eastern high peak zones, and follow “Leave No Trace” rules. Popular hiking trails people camp off of are Giant Mountain Wilderness, Adirondack Lodge, John Brook Lodge, Round Pond & Dix Mountain, Elk Lake, and Seward Range.

{Related Post : A Complete Guide to Lake George, NY}

Adirondack Mountains Things to Do

If you are an outdoorsy person, then you will LOVE the Adirondacks. There is SO much to do in the Lake George and Lake Placid regions. However, if you are not an outdoorsy person then I would reconsider going here. Seriously, this place mainly has outdoor things to do and nothing else. Apart from the Lake George outlets for shopping, there isn’t a lot of indoor activities.

Now if you are an outdoorsy person, here are the top activities I recommend while visiting the Adirondack Mountains.

Hiking one of the MANY peaks within the Adks : Beginner Hikes
Hiking one of the many fire towers : Intermediate Hikes
Hiking one of the 46 High Peaks : Difficult Hikes
Stay at the Adk Lodge and or the John Brook Lodge for overnight hikes
Backpacking/thru-hiking the Lake Placid Northville Trail or Cranberry Lake
Mountain Biking at Whiteface and or Lake George
Cycling in general on one of the many bike paths/roads in the Adks
Boating on Lake George
Kayaking, canoeing, paddle-boarding on one of the many lakes in the Adirondacks
White Water Rafting
Swim at one of the hidden water spots
Skiing and or Snowboarding at Gore and or Whiteface Mountains
Winter hiking any of the above peaks mentioned
Nordic Skiing in various places in the Adirondacks
Snowmobiling

{Related Articles: Best Adirondack Towns & Over 25 Things to Do in the Adirondacks}

Best Adirondack Shops & Restaurants

Finally, let’s move on to the best places to eat within the Adirondacks and shops for souvenirs. Again, like the Adirondacks, these restaurants and shops are all spread out throughout the Adirondacks, so I will split up the eateries and shops based on areas.

Best Eateries and Shops in Lake George & Bolton Landing Region

Cafe Vero
Taqueria Paloma
Sagamore Resort for breakfast
Boathouse Restaurant
The Algonquin (Bolton Landing)
Blue Water Manor (Bolton Landing)
Chateau on the Lake (Bolton Landing)
The Gem (Bolton Landing)
Bolton Landing Brewing Company
Lake George Outlets

Eateries and Shops in Warrensburg & North Creek (Gore Mountain)

Izzy’s Cafe (great sandwiches, weird hours)
Cafe Sarah
Timber & Thyme
Bandstand Brew Works
Oscar’s Smokehouse

Best Eateries and Shops in Keene & Lake Placid

Ausable Inn
Rooster Comb Inn (place to stay)
The Mountaineer (outdoor gear shop)
High Peaks Cyclery Mountain Adventures
Big Slide Brewery
Noonmark Diner
Adirondack Mountain Coffee Cafe
Origin Coffee Co.
Blue Moon Café
Capisce Coffee & Espresso Bar
Bluesberry Bakery

Overall Thoughts

I truly love the Adirondacks and have spent a TON of time in these mountains. If you are an outdoorsy person, they SHOULD be on your list to visit. These mountains are filled with TONS of hiking, skiing, backcountry camping, mountain biking, kayaking, and more. I hope this article was helpful to you and cleared up any misinformation you had about the Adirondack Mountains. Thank you so much for reading and take care.

Everything You Need to Know About the Adirondack Mountains Before Visiting