Things to do in Lake Placid, New York

Situated in Adirondack mountains, Lake Placid is a perfect weekend getaway from NYC. A beautiful alpine town with tons of things to do whether you like nature, history or outdoor activity in summers as well as other seasons. We have put together this guide which may help you to plan your perfect weekend in Lake Placid.

Here are the things to do in and around Lake Placid.

Enjoy the view from Whiteface Mountain Summit

Take a drive up the Veteran Memorial Highway (Toll Road) to the summit of Whiteface Mountain – NY’s fifth highest peak for breathtaking panoramic view of Adirondack Mountains. If you are hiking enthusiasts, you can hike up 9.3 mile (out & back) to the top of the summit. You can also take Cloudsplitter Gondola which carries you from the Main Base Lodge to the summit of Little Whiteface Mountain.

There are lot of ways to reach the mountain summit to enjoy the panoramic sight. We drove and the road was filled with spectacular views which can be enjoyed from various overlooks… on clear days you can see Canada from the top (Woah!). You need to buy a ticket to drive the Veteran Memorial Highway which can be paid at the entrance or bought online. For pricing details you can check Whiteface Mountain website.

Plan a hike

There are lots of trails in & around Lake Placid for both beginner & advance hikers. If you are a hiking enthusiast, you must check out Adirondack hiking list. We chose to hike Cascade mountain, which is about 5.6 miles (approx 8 km) out and back and ~2000ft elevation gain. Just can’t explain how beautiful was the view from top of the summit, you have to hike to see it. It is not easy, the climb was pretty difficult but worth the view. The Cascade mountains is part of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. For us, its 1 down, 45 to go (yay!). We started early in the morning around 6.00 am and would recommend the same as later the trail becomes busy and parking would be difficult

Visit High fall gorge

High Fall Gorge is a beautiful place in Adirondacks where you can admire the majestic waterfalls cascading over rocks from the viewpoints along the trail path. We visited in summers and loved the greenery around the area. In Autumn, you will see waterfalls on the backdrop of fall foliage and in Winters you will find frozen waterfalls – something I would love to see.

Do check the season updates before visiting. They have a cute cafe & gift shop – take a look before heading back.

Visit Ausable Chasm

Less than an hour drive from lake placid, Ausable Chasm is one of the best natural and oldest attraction in the Adirondack Mountains.

There are lots of tours available to choose from. We bought tickets for river walk which is 5 mile walking trail along the side of the Ausable river and gorge. If you are looking for some adventure, tours are available for water rafting and tubing as well. When we visited rafting & tubing was closed for the season. So I would recommend to check the details for tour, pricing and recent updates before visiting.

Wander in the streets

Lake Placid is a cute little village with lots of cozy shops and of restaurants. Wander the streets, admire the cute town vibe, checkout some vintage shops and eat in cozy lake view restaurant – one of the best way to spend a summer afternoon.

One of our favorite stop was Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery. We loved their signature maple soft serve ice cream. Totally worth a try if you are looking for a new flavor to taste.

Watch sunset at Mirror lake

The town of lake placid sits next to Mirror lake and the best way to spend the evening is to take a walk on the Mirror Lake loop road, look for a quiet spot and enjoy the change of colors in the sky.

Where to stay

We usually do not spent a lot on stay and prefer camping when we are in woods. This time, we gave cabins a thought. We admit that this is our first stay in a cabin and we absolutely loved it. A must have experience if you are looking for a relaxed summer weekend in woods.

You can find lots of cabins in the area and we chose to stay in this beautiful wooden Cabin. We would recommend to book in advance as they get reserved fast. You can also checkout some amazing hotel options as well.

If you have time you can include few more things in your itinerary –

1. Lake Placid & Saranac Lake along with Tupper lake is known as Tri-Lakes region of Adirondacks. You can explore all the three regions if you are visiting for a longer stay.

2. Lake Placid has hosted two Olympic games one in 1932 & second one in 1980. Do visit Lake Placid Olympic center – it an iconic part of the village. Unfortunately, when we visited it was closed.

Where to eat

There are lot of places to eat in Main street of Lake Placid village. The Generations is one of the popular option for lunch & dinner. This season we preferred take outs and our favorite was Lake Placid pub & brewery. They have great option for sandwiches, pizzas and cocktails.

Overall, Lake Placid is an ideal weekend getaway from New York City for all the seasons. I really hope that this post inspires you to plan your next trip to this beautiful town in Adirondacks region.

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