🥾 ActiveLong weekend · from New York, NY
Adirondack High Peaks: Lake Placid, Cascade & Whiteface
The Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness Area is the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi — 2.6 million acres of boreal forest, 46 peaks above 4,000 feet, and a sky that shows stars invisible from any direction on the coast. Lake Placid hosted two Winter Olympics; Cascade Mountain is the most-climbed 4,000-footer in New York; Whiteface Mountain is the only High Peak accessible by paved road.
Day 1 — Lake Placid, NYDay 2 — Cascade Mountain — High Peaks Wilderness, NYDay 3 — Cobble Hill Trail & Ausable Chasm, NY
Day 1 — Lake Placid, NY
Day 1 — Lake Placid, NY
🚗 4 hr driving📍 5 stops
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Morning
🚗
Drive
New York, NY → Lake Placid, NY
4 hr8:00 AM → 12:00 PM
Drive north via I-87 (Adirondack Northway) through the High Peaks region to Lake Placid.
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Lunch
Main Street Lake Placid
Lake Placid's Main Street runs along Mirror Lake — an in-town lake completely separate from Lake Placid itself — with a pedestrian beach, a 3-mile perimeter path, and the Olympic facilities visible on the surrounding slopes. The Mirror Lake Inn is the grandest of the resort hotels; the Lake Placid Lodge on the lake's north end is the most secluded.
12:00 PM📍 See location
The Haus
★ 4.8A Lake Placid restaurant in an 1890 building on Main Street, serving Adirondack-influenced American cuisine with a wood-fired kitchen. The house-smoked trout, the Adirondack venison, and the maple-glazed pork are the kitchen's anchors; the whiskey list runs 60 American bottles.
1:00 PM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Mirror Lake Kayak
★ 4.7A kayak circuit of Mirror Lake, 1.5 miles from tip to tip, provides the best view of Lake Placid's surrounding High Peaks — Whiteface Mountain visible to the north, the MacIntyre Range to the southwest, and the Olympic ski jumps on the south hillside. Mirror Lake Adventure Outfitters rents kayaks and stand-up paddleboards from the town beach.
2:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
🍽️ Dinner5:00 PM
Generations
A Lake Placid restaurant that has served the Adirondack destination crowd since 1985, with a menu of New York farm-and-lake ingredients — Adirondack brook trout, Lake Champlain walleye, Hudson Valley duck. The dining room is in a 19th-century building on Mirror Lake Drive; the porch tables face the lake.
4 options · tap to switch
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Mirror Lake Inn or Lake Placid Lodge
The Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa is the classic choice; the Lake Placid Lodge is the most atmospheric.
Day 2 — Cascade Mountain — High Peaks Wilderness, NY
Day 2 — Cascade Mountain — High Peaks Wilderness, NY
🚗 40 min driving📍 5 stops
🌅
Morning
🚗
Drive
Lake Placid, NY → Cascade Mountain Trailhead
15 min8:00 AM → 8:15 AM
Cascade Mountain & Porter Mountain Loop
★ 4.9The most accessible 4,000-footer in New York — Cascade Mountain (4,098 ft) and Porter Mountain (4,059 ft) form a 5.3-mile loop from the Route 73 trailhead, with above-treeline scrambling in the final half mile and views of the full High Peaks from both summits. Cascade's open summit ridge is the finest short above-treeline walk in the Adirondacks; Porter adds a wooded companion summit reachable in 30 extra minutes.
8:15 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
🚗
Drive
Cascade Mountain Trailhead → Keene Valley General Store
15 min9:15 AM → 9:30 AM
Keene Valley General Store
★ 4.7The supply hub for the Adirondack High Peaks' most serious hiking town — a working general store selling sandwiches, coffee, gear repairs, and trail food in the valley between the Cascade Range and the MacIntyre Range. Keene Valley's Main Street has one restaurant, one library, one church, and a hiking culture that has been active since William James and his Harvard colleagues built camps here in the 1890s.
9:30 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
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Mirror Lake Walk
★ 4.7A restorative 2.7-mile flat loop around the crystal-clear Mirror Lake in the heart of Lake Placid village — the perfect active cooldown after a demanding summit morning. Views of the lake's glassy reflection of Whiteface Mountain make for some of the Adirondacks' best photography.
12:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
🚗
Drive
Keene Valley, NY → Ausable Inn Restaurant
10 min5:00 PM → 5:10 PM
Ausable Inn Restaurant
★ 4.7The dining room of the Ausable Inn in Keene Valley, serving Adirondack farm-and-forage cuisine to the High Peaks hiking community. The local venison, the house-smoked trout, and the seasonal vegetable dishes from the Keene Valley farms are the consistent anchors.
5:10 PM📍 See location
🛏️
Mirror Lake Inn or Lake Placid Lodge
Second night at Mirror Lake Inn or Lake Placid Lodge.
Day 3 — Cobble Hill Trail & Ausable Chasm, NY
Day 3 — Cobble Hill Trail & Ausable Chasm, NY
🚗 4 hr 45 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
Cobble Hill Trail — Lake Placid
★ 4.4A short but rewarding 1.8-mile loop above Lake Placid village, Cobble Hill delivers panoramic views of Mirror Lake and the High Peaks from a forested summit that feels far bigger than the minimal elevation gain suggests. The trail is accessible from downtown Lake Placid and is a favorite quick hike for locals.
8:00 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
🚗
Drive
Lake Placid, NY → Ausable Chasm
30 min9:00 AM → 9:30 AM
Ausable Chasm
★ 4.5The 'Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks' — a 2-mile sandstone gorge carved by the Ausable River 500 million years ago, with walls rising 200 feet above the river channel. The chasm trail includes a 0.5-mile walking section with 40 named formations, followed by a 0.5-mile tube float through the lower gorge. The sandstone formations are Cambrian-era rock that predates any fossil record — 500 million years old.
9:30 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Point au Roche State Park
★ 4.8A 853-acre park on Lake Champlain's western shore, with a swimming beach, hiking trails through mature hardwood forest, and a view of the Vermont Green Mountains across the lake. The park's wetland system is one of the most productive wood duck nesting areas in New York; the lake swimming is among the best freshwater options in the Northeast.
12:00 PM📍 See location
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Evening
🍽️ Dinner5:00 PM
Lisa G's Restaurant
A beloved Lake Placid institution serving fresh fish, pasta, and creative American fare in a cozy downtown setting. The lively bar and approachable menu make it the perfect Adirondack send-off dinner before the long drive south.
4 options · tap to switch
🚗
Drive
Point au Roche State Park → New York, NY
4 hr 15 min6:00 PM → 10:15 PM
Return via I-87 (Adirondack Northway) south through Albany.
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