The Adirondack Mountains are part of a state park found in Upstate New York. Although New York State is often associated with the iconic skyline and bright city lights that make up Manhattan, there’s a completely different side of the state only a few hours away. The Adirondacks are an oasis full of tranquil lakes and fresh mountain air. Think cool creek soaks after a hike, crackling bonfires at night, and hot cups of coffee on quiet mornings. These mountains are the perfect place to recharge and immerse yourself in all that nature has to offer. To help plan your next getaway, here is the Ultimate 4 Day Itinerary Hiking in the Adirondack Mountains.
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Where to Stay
I recommend staying in or near Lake Placid. This area has access to great food, drinks and has endless trails for you to explore.
For the full outdoor experience I recommend staying at the Lake Placid/ Whiteface Mtn. KOA, which is about 15 minutes away from town. The Kampgrounds of America KOA, are a chain of campgrounds across the United States. They offer a great variety of accommodations including; RV spots with full hookups, camping areas, and log cabins nestled in the woods. This particular KOA also had its own amenities including; a general store with everything you might have forgotten to bring, a pool, public bathrooms/showers, laundry and a snack bar.
During my trip, I stayed in an RV and rented a space for it at the KOA. The space included; personal hookups for electric, water and sewage, a private fire pit and picnic table, and plenty of room to set up a hammock, folding chairs and pop up tent. Overall the site was very clean, the staff were great and the campground a whole was very well organized.
If camping’s not your thing, don’t worry, there are also plenty of beautiful hotels available in the area. Check out a full list of them here. After walking through town, I’m dying to go back to stay at the Mirror Lake Inn, the most beautiful boutique hotel that overlooks the lake.
Day 1 – Arrive & Explore Lake Placid
Once you’ve arrived and settled in, head into town to explore and grab dinner. Although it’s named “Lake Placid”, the main area of town is located around Mirror Lake. For first timers, I recommend walking the Mirror Lake Loop, which can serve as a self-guided tour of the area. The loop is 2.6 miles of flat paved sidewalk around Mirror Lake and is a great walk for all ages. As you make your way around the western side of the lake you’ll past plenty of restaurants, bars and shops to pop into. There’s also a public beach, which is both family and pet friendly.
If you only go into one place in town, I highly recommend The Adirondack Popcorn Co. This place is a local favorite and has every flavor of popcorn you didn’t know you needed. Finish off the evening enjoying dinner overlooking the lake. The Cottage, Jimmy’s and the Generations Tap & Grill all have an outdoor dining area with beautiful lakeside views.
Day 2 – Whiteface Mountain
Summit your first Adirondack high peak of the trip! From the trailhead at the Wilmington Reservoir, hiking Whiteface Mountain is a total of 9.3 miles up and back. It’s a hard hike, but has a beautiful trail and breathtaking views from the summit.
Day 3 – Flume Falls /Ausable Chasm
If you’re feeling a sore after the big hike and want to take it easy, head to Flume Falls for some flat trails and cool creek soaking. Flume Falls is a natural swimming hole on the Ausable River that has beautiful waterfalls and is a great place to relax. If you’re staying at the KOA you can easily walk from the campground, just follow the campground map that’s provided upon arrival. If you’re driving to the falls, you can park along the marked pull offs on Route 86, and the fall are only a 5-10 minute walk from the road. Spend the afternoon, walking along the waterfalls, floating in the current, and if you’re feeling daring, cliff jumping off the rocks.
If you’re feeling great and looking for a full day of adventure, grab your day pack and head to Ausable Chasm which is about a 40 minute drive from the KOA. Ausable Chasm, nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks, is a sandstone gorge that offers hiking, rafting, rock climbing and more. Check out their website here to see all of the adventures they offer. They also require you to buy tickets for the date & time of your trip, so make sure you plan accordingly.
Day 4 – Roaring Brook and Giant Mountain
For your final day in the Adirondack Mountains, head to the Roaring Brook/Giant Mountain trailhead in Keene Valley.
The great thing about this trailhead is that it offers something for everyone. You can check out the upper and lower lookout spots of Roaring Brook Falls, hike the Nubble trail, or summit Giant Mountain to compete your second ADK high peak of the trip.
If you need any supplies or hiking gear, stop by the Mountaineer on your way for all of your outdoor necessities. We ended up stopping here because Nick and I both needed new hiking boots and were very impressed by the wide variety of products they offer.
Rained In?
Another great perk of staying by Lake Placid is that a rainy day doesn’t have to ruin your vacation. If the weather doesn’t fair your way, check out a list of rainy day activities here.
Mix and Match
In the itinerary above, I’ve outlined some of the more popular hikes near Lake Placid, but have barely scratched the surface on the plethora of amazing hikes in the area. Mix and match the hikes that work best for you to customize your ideal trip.
The Adirondack Mountains are famous for their 46 high peaks. Those who manage to summit all of them can claim the title of an ADK 46er. If you’re interested you can find all the details here on how to join the club.
In addition to the high peaks there also tons of other beautiful trails in the mountains. To find the perfect hike for you, I cannot recommend the “all trails” app highly enough. It shows you all the trails available in your area, and allows you to sort them by difficulty, length and so much more. I’ve already saved a long list of hikes to my favorites list for my next visit to the region and cannot wait to summit Indian Head and Rainbow Falls.
Happy Hiking,
Kira
Looking for more hiking ideas, find your next mountain here!