Lake Placid & Wilmington, NY – Aug 11

Lake Placid & Wilmington, NY – Aug 11


Lake Placid, NY is in the heart of Adirondack Mountains and has hosted the Winter Olympics twice. (1932 & 1980)


We woke to cool temperatures today (in the 50’s) and knew it would be colder in the mountains, so we took some layers with us. 


We started the day in Wilmington with the Cloudsplitter Gondola ride that carries eight-passengers (we had one to ourselves) from the Main Base Lodge to the top of Little Whiteface mountain in fifteen minutes. Whiteface boasts the greatest vertical drop of any resort east of the Rocky Mountains and is 4867 miles above sea level. Whiteface Mountain was the site of the alpine events during the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

 2775 ft above sea level

At the top was a viewing area where we could see Lake Placid and the village of Lake Placid. To the east lies Lake Champlain, and to the south stand the tallest peaks in New York State. We could see the ski slopes and the Ausable River.

 Lake Placid

 Whiteface Mountain

We took a short walk around the area on part of a trail and got some photo ops. Then, we took the 15 minute ride back down. Just stunning views!

We then drove the short distance to the village of Lake Placid. We found the marina and got our tickets for the 2:30 boat ride on Lake Placid. It was lunch time, so we walked to a nearby restaurant called the Cottage Café and had a table on the patio with great views of Mirror Lake. It was a windy day, so the lake was not a mirror. 

 Song Sparrow

 Mirror Lake Inn

 garden behind us at lunch

 Steak sandwich with Brie

 Hummus, & veggie flatbread

 the view from the patio of Mirror Lake

We had planned to walk the 2.7 mile path around Mirror Lake, but it was windy and we were short on time (and I wasn’t feeling tip top), so after lunch we walked part of the town before going back to get on the tour boat. 

We waited in line for the boat and the first boat filled up right in front of us, so the put the rest of us in a second boat. There were just a few of us so we had a lot of room to spread out. 

 the boat we were on

The boat tour was an hour long and we traveled 16 miles with breathtaking scenery. There are three islands on Lake Placid, named Buck, Moose, and Hawk. The guide gave us a lot of information on Adirondack history and pointed out and told stories of the stately manors and Great Camps along the shore. He told us lots of stories of the homeowners and the costs of the mansions. One was for sale for 11 million (one of the cheaper ones) and the taxes are $11,000 per month. Yikes! He said that the owners only come for short amounts of time each year. We also saw a Common Loon. Our guide said this was the coolest and windiest day they have had all season. (lucky us) 

After the tour we decided not to do the walk around the lake and finished exploring the village. We grabbed some Ben & Jerry’s and then walked the length of the town. We stopped at the Olympic Museum and the Herb Brooks Arena where the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey game took place and the Jack Shea Arena, home of the first indoor Winter Olympic skating arena. It was too late to take in the museum. (15 minutes until it closed) We did walk around and saw the 1932 ice rink. 

 it is real snow, they must put it out daily

 1932 Ice Rink

 400 meter speed skating track

 Greg

As I watch the families at the waterfalls & “beaches” we have visited in these areas I think to myself, “How sad is that”? Then I remember I grew up in Iowa and what I now consider “cool” or “cold” weather and water, felt just fine as a kid and compared to the winters. 


We wandered along the other side of the street and finally back to the car. We weren’t hungry yet, so we drove back to Wilmington and stopped at the Wilderness Inn Restaurant. We both had stuffed chicken breasts that were very good. (I forgot to take photos of the food)

https://photos.app.goo.gl/LSzgtqLj1yPZoAeF8


Tomorrow we are visiting Ausable Chasm.