Rutland, VT to Lake Placid, NY (Hwy 4 to Fair Haven, Hwy 22A to Bridgton, Hwy 125 to Crown Point, Hwy 9N to Jay, Hwy 86 to Lake Placid)
When you look at a map of New York State, there is a large, relatively isolated empty spot in the northeastern part of the state. This enormous expanse, larger than Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon National Parks combined, is known as Adirondack Park. Turning west from Rutland, the Adirondack Mountains define the horizon.
Entering New York we quickly are immersed to the foothills of the Adirondacks.
Adirondack Park
Adirondack Park is a unique mix of public and private lands (split about evenly between the two) of around 6.1 million acres. During the 19th century famous writers of the age began to write about the glories of nature and the public perception of the area as a wilderness evolved into that of area for relaxation and pleasure. Many of the millionaires of the day built elaborate “camps” as summer retreats. Around 1870 concern began to grow about the impact of the damage done by the lumbermen on the water supply of the east coast cities and in 1885 the state began to protect forests. The conservation movement grew and in 1894, Article VII, Section 7, of the New York State Constitution was adopted, which reads in part:
“The lands of the state, now owned or hereafter acquired, constituting the forest preserve as now fixed by law, shall be forever kept as wild forest lands. They shall not be leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any corporation, public or private, nor shall the timber thereon be sold, removed or destroyed.” In 1902 the New York legislature passed a law defining the outline of the Adirondack Park as the combination of public and private lands within the boundary and included restrictions on development and lumbering. As the pressure grew during the 1960’s to allow more development on the private lands within the park and in 1971 New York created the Adirondack Park Agency to oversee the development of a new master plan that focuses future development around existing cities and towns. Yes, there are numerous small villages and towns within the park, the most famous being Lake Placid.
About 10 miles north of Lake Placid is Mount Whiteface, where a toll road allows one to drive up to the summit, approximately 4,000 feet above sea level. It’s a little bit hazy the day I make the climb, but the views are spectacular. The toll road ends at “The Castle”, a turn-around that also houses a gift shop, restaurant and restrooms. The Lunch Box is too big to go through the building so I am parked a considerable way down at the far end of the parking lot (look closely, I’m ar the far end of the lot in front of the other motorhome.)
So, then it turns out that the tourist information LIED!!! One does not drive up to the summit, one drives up to the parking lot and then has to muster rock-climbing skills to mount a narrow, wet mix of stairs and rock to get up to the top. This old man made it about half way before his knee said “no more”. Here’s how much more I would have had to go to get to the top.
The haze masked the views but it was still pretty spectacular (particularly since east of the Mississippi River where the opportunity for such views are few and far between) from the landing I was standing on.
Northwest
Northeast
Southwest
South
The large lake is Lake Placid but the town of Lake Placid is actually not on Lake Placid but on the much smaller Mirror Lake to the upper left. This picture zooms in, the town is still hard to see but the large white rectangle in the upper left is the Herb Brooks Ice Arena in downtown Lake Placid.
Descending down the mountain the colors of fall are all around.
At the bottom of the mountain in the hamlet of Wilmington I turn south on Hwy 86 towards Lake Placid. The east side of Whiteface Mountain looms on the right with the ski resort sprawling across the upper slopes.
Just beyond the entrance to the ski resort is High Falls Gorge, a short, turbulent stretch of the AuSable River where the water cuts a gorge through rocks that are over 1.5 billion years old.
High Falls Gorge
The AuSable River runs north through the Adirondacks to eventually empty into the St. Lawrence River. The quick 30-minute walk crosses over the river a number of times. Here the first crossing gives a view of the river above the falls.
A combination of dirt path and scaffolding takes one along the gorge, allowing a close and personal (and wet!) look at the natural wonder. Crossing again in roughly the middle of the falls the view to the south is up the falls, the view to the north is down river.
A unique geographic feature of the gorge are potholes, created over the eons by eddies in the water swirling granite sand around in circles grinding out vertical pot holes in the rock.
Crossing the river for the third and final time at the base of the falls, the view to the south up river is of the churning falls while to the north down river the river flows calmly.
About five miles to the north the AuSable is considerably calmer as it flows by my campground.
In the West something like this would be protected in some type of public land, here in the East it’s a private concession and I had the privilege of paying over $12 for my 30-minute hike… Continuing south on Hwy 86 I enter the small village of Lake Placid.
Lake Placid
Lake Placid was founded in 1841 because of an early iron ore mining camp nearby but really didn’t begin to develop until the late 1800’s when the Adirondacks became popular as a vacation destination. In 1895 Dr. Melvil Dewey (creator of the Dewey Decimal System) founded the Lake Placid Club and in 1904 the club decided to stay open for the winter, which began Lake Placid’s development as a winter vacation spot. The 1932 Winter Olympic Games were held in Lake Placid cementing its’ reputation as a premier winter destination. The village today only has a year-round population of around 2,500 people, though that number swells during summer, winter weekends and vacation periods. The commercial part of the village is essentially one street, Hwy 86, as it wraps around the southern and western shores of Mirror Lake. This is not a “theme” village, all kinds of architecture and eras are represented along the main street. These pictures were taken early on a Monday morning, I had driven through on Sunday but the place was jammed with “weekenders.”
Mirror Lake is not visible from the main street except for an occasional glance between buildings. However, there is a “pocket park” in the middle of town that allows a little glimpse of the lake to the north (that’s Whiteface Mountain in the distance) and the south.
The Olympic Center is right in the middle of the village along Hwy 86. The old brick 1932 arena is now framed on the east by the white 1980 addition.
Directly across the street from the 1980 building is the 1935 Lake Placid High School, utilized during the Olympics for press, athlete services, etc., and which also has the distinction of being the only high school in New York with a state liquor license. The oval where the opening and closing ceremonies were held as well as speed skating events is directly below the high school, the field in the center is used for high school athletic and educational activities. A PE class was playing soccer the day I was there. Look closely in the center, the ski jumping venue rises out of the forest outside of the village.
A small but interesting museum is housed in the 1980 facility with various displays chronicling the history of modern winter sport.
The evolution of jumping skis from 1952 to 2010.
The progression in Olympic torches from Berlin in 1932 to Sochi in 2014.
The official posters from every modern Winter Olympics from the first in Chamonix, France in 1924 to Sochi, Russia in 2014.
A large section of the museum is devoted to the 1980 Olympic “miracle” when the United States Hockey team overcame huge odds to when the gold medal. One of most iconic moments in modern US sports, goalie Jim Craig held the net and announcer Al Michaels yelled “do you believe in miracles?” I certainly remember watching the game!
Jim Craig was the goalie on that team and his equipment, the US flag that he waved around the arena, and the actual goal are on display.
Another interesting display is that of the parade jackets worn by US athletes in opening parades from 1924 to 2014.
And, of course, Herb Brooks Ice Arena, site of that fateful game.
The arena is named after Herb Brooks, coach of the 1980 US hockey team, and his words to the team prior to the match are enshrined on a plaque outside the ice rink.
Leaving Lake Placid and Adirondack Park, the ski jumping ramps rise to my right.
Next up: War!
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