There are certain accomplishments in life that sound considerably more impressive when you leave…read moreout a few details. "I summited Whiteface Mountain." This is true. "How?" I drove. If you have ever wanted to stand atop a legitimate Adirondack High Peak but have no particular interest in hiking several miles uphill to get there, the Whiteface Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway is the place for you. We paid $75 for our van of five to make the trip up, and I thought it was money well spent. The highway climbs roughly 2,300 feet over five miles toward the summit of 4,867 foot Whiteface Mountain. Built as a memorial to World War I veterans and opened in the 1930s, it remains one of the highest paved roads in the Northeast. The drive up is beautiful and surprisingly easy. The views improve as you climb until you reach the parking area near the summit and the wonderfully peculiar Whiteface Castle. Built from native stone, the castle contains a cafe, gift shop, and restrooms. From there, you can walk the final few hundred feet up what they generously call a staircase to the summit. The other option is to walk a few hundred feet across the parking area to a tunnel which leads to the elevator. The ride takes about 90 seconds, but the elevator is quite small, perhaps half a dozen passengers plus the operator, so I imagine the wait could get lengthy when the mountain is busy. The views from the summit are incredible. On a clear day, the Adirondacks seem to stretch forever in every direction. It is a spectacular reward for a relatively modest amount of physical exertion. The cafe and gift shop are predictably expensive, because apparently altitude causes inflation, but the pizza was actually not bad. One piece of advice for the drive back down: save the scenic pull offs for the descent. The road is steep, and even when using low gear, your brakes are going to be doing some serious work. Stop at the pull offs, enjoy the views, and give them a chance to cool down before continuing. There is no prize for reaching the bottom with the hottest brakes in the Adirondacks. Five stars. This is an absolute must do if you are anywhere near Lake Placid. You get a beautiful historic drive, a castle on a mountain, an elevator through the mountain, and spectacular summit views. You may not have hiked to the top of Whiteface Mountain, but you were there. And your legs will never tell anyone otherwise.

Wanna see the high peaks but don't like hiking? This gorgeous, scenic drive up to Whiteface…read moremountain's summit is the perfect solution. There is a fee (I believe $10 a car or $10 per passenger) but it is worth it to see unforgettable views of the high peaks region. Before you even reach the top, you will find yourself pulling over to capture all the sights along the way. There is a gift shop at the top for souvenirs and multiple sections to view from. There is a long tunnel through the mountain you walk through from the parking lot. I could spent hours here soaking up the views and never tire of it! An absolute must on any Lake Placid trip itinerary!

As a summer visitor to the Lake Placid area, this was a great hidden gem. The beach was in great…read moreshape, and it felt very safe for all ages. Plenty of shallow space for small non-swimmers, and plenty of deeper areas for skilled swimmers. Two jumping platforms, a dock, etc. The lifeguards were attentive. Not too overcrowded (once the summer camp left). Water seemed clean. We will definitely return whenever we come back to the area.

Going to offer a bit of a different review here…read more I've only ever been to Mirror Lake Public Beach in the winter. Covered in a thick blanket of snow, the surface of the frozen water indistinct from the shoreline itself. It acts as a wonderful launching point for all the things Mirror Lake has to offer in this season. Easily walkable from Main Street and nearby street parking, the beach area is nestled near to the toboggan shoot. Benches are a welcome convenience, especially when you have ice skates in tow. I brought a backpack to carry my boots in case I wanted to prematurely exit the ice before looping back to the beach itself but most folks left them near to this seating without issue. The frozen waters just off shore host a couple small areas for ice hockey and an entrance point to the lengthy pathway visitors may use to walk the perimeter of the icy surface. Beautiful views of the church as well as the expanse of the lake. A place you can sit, watch, and enjoy the scenery... or join in yourself!

A great place to walk to with a dog. Lots of waste bins and a special station fir dogs including…read morebiodegradable bags,

Champlain Park is a little waterfront park, overlooking Plattsburgh Bay on Lake Champlain…read more Small park on a hill with steps down to the shoreline, yet no water access. Benches to sit on. Beautiful planting's. Small gazebo. Statue honoring Samuel de Champlain. Street parking (free) nearby. It seems to be in a local historic district. Historical houses nearby. A small pedestrian suspension bridge crossing the inlet nearby. While we were visiting, a ghost tour was going on. Overall a nice place to take a break, admire the view, watch some sailboats and some birds.

This is a gorgeous waterfall and swimming hole about a 45 minute drive from Burlington, VT! My…read morewife, two teenage sons, mini-poodle, and I came here in July 2024 on a hot summer day to cool off for an hour. Lots of pluses. First, it has a wide receiving pool area that is conducive to large groups and is more kid-friendly than other swimming holes (such as Warren Falls). Second, parking is generally available on the side of the road above the falls. You can descend along the second pathway down which is less steep than the first pathway. Third, dogs with a leash are allowed in the area. Would strongly recommend bringing water shoes (river shoes) if you don't like the pain of multiple rocks on your bare feet. Also, it tends to be a bit more quiet from 3pm-4pm, but got crowded when we departed at 5pm. Overall, this is a great place to experience a swimming hole in Vermont - especially if you are staying nearby in Burlington, VT.

I am into cold plunging for health and wellness. It was a cold rainy Aug. day and we headed to…read moreBristol for food and falls. Bartlett falls are amazing. Very accessible and pristine. We had a lovely swim. We parked on the side of the road and walked down..easy peasy.

We wanted to take a morning stroll with our coffee and this was perfect! It's a short walk to the…read morebeach and it was nice and quiet. There was a decent amount of parking spots but can easily see them filling up during a busier time of the day.

Very nice easy hike! Beautiful views of Lake Champlain. Wide and easy to follow trails.read more

This lovely park is located just north of Plattsburgh along the shores of Lake Champlain. I was…read morehere to try to see the lighthouse, but it is not accessible during the greener months. It is on private property and could normally only be seen through the trees when they're bare. Not today in mid-July. So now that I'm enjoying the park, let's check out this. A very pretty sandy beach that has floats out to mark off the swimming area from boaters. Picnic tables and barbecue grills. Volleyball, softball and the like. And it's all free. [Review 1610 of 2024 - 523 in New York - 22633 overall]

My go too spot in Plattsburgh. A quiet walk. Wonderful adventure every time. Low key hike…read more Beautiful point / view of lake Champlain. And the pup loves it.

I was introduced to this beautiful nature center through a friend who summers in the Adirondacks…read more This center has so much to offer from weekly 5k trail runs to patio yoga weekly. Open year round. Several walking trails over 25 miles and 3k acres. There's walking and hiking in the summer and snowshoes abs cross country skiing in the winter. Beautiful and peaceful! I wouldn't pass it up!

I am proud to say I just completed my first trail ever! This one has lots of hills and lots of tree…read moreroots. Overall it was a nice hike. You have to walk over boards to get past some of the boggy areas, but those were pretty consistent in keeping you out of the water. Lots of deer flies this year, but also a lot of nature to see. Beautiful views from many places along the trail. Most of the hike was sun-dappled with some instances of bright sun, and once I got to the far side of the pond there was a nice breeze. Whoever put all the inclines at the end of the trail is a Sadist.

Okay, I love, love, love Maple Street Park. I have two young children and this is definitely one…read moreof our favorite places to hang out. I love the ratio of equipment for the age of my kids--plenty of baby/toddler swings and slides. Also little rocking ride on equipment. The only thing that could make it a little better for us would be a swing for special needs kids as my older daughter can't sit safely in a regular swing due to her needs. But we make do with what is there very nicely :) The grounds are super well kept and part of a larger park which includes a baseball and soccer (I think) field. I am kind of obsessed with the beautiful flower garden that they have in the parking lot. I would love to be able to steal their gardener for a day to help me make something similar. There is a pool as well with a waterslide. We've never actually used the pool but it very popular and always crowded. There is also a skate park for older kids which is really cool. At least it looks cool--I don't know the first think about skateboarding. I am always impressed by how respectful the skaters seem to be about safety rules. It looks like a lot of fun. Anyhow, this is a really nice park with great shade on hot days. There are always lots of super friendly people there to chat with as well.

I love this park…read more It is beautiful. It is clean and well kept. I remember coming here after school with a few hours to waste, would buy snacks on the way and just lazy around enjoying the sunshine. What a life, it really just makes me so happy. Coming here again brings back good memories.

I loved, I mean LOVED this park. I can't believe no one has reviewed this park yet! Just walking…read morearound and seeing the nature and character of the place had me thinking and saying to my mom "5 stars!". Yes, really. Easy nature walks, beautiful surroundings. Extremely friendly people and dogs all over the place, everyone seemed to know each other and the name of the accompanying dog. It had a great community feel, it really made me wish I had a dog! I'd come here every week. Maybe I'll steal my mom's dog for the day! There is a large section of the park that is off leach and you can go down by the river for the dogs to swim. We didn't go down to the river, but saw numerous wet, happy dogs coming from that directions. There are lots of picnic tables and benches to stop and enjoy the mountains, grass, ponds, breed spotting and people watching. I'm not sure if the address goes directly to the park, but here are some directions from the website: "Mills Riverside Park is located directly off of Vermont Route 15 in the Town of Jericho. Driving North/East on Route 15, just before entering Underhill Flats, you will see the entrance to the park on your right." You can't miss it! Check it out and bring your dog if you can!