8 Most Vibrant Towns In The Adirondack Mountains
Upstate New York is home to the Adirondack Mountains, a region full of natural beauty that has been a popular tourist destination for generations. Along with the lovely mountains, forests, and lakes, the Adirondacks region is home to numerous small towns that are brimming with history, culture, and fun. We have listed eight of the most vibrant small towns in the Adirondacks to help get you started on your travel plans.
Lake Placid
While winter sports are popular throughout the Adirondacks, Lake Placid is the region's sports mecca. Host to both the 1932 and 1980 Olympics, Lake Placid has a world-class collection of ski slopes and winter sports venues. Visitors can also experience the history and magic of winter sports, including the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" at the excellent Lake Placid Olympic Center. The town's affinity for sports does not end with winter, however, as it also hosts popular annual events like the Lake Placid Marathon in June and the Ironman Triathlon in July.
Paul Smiths
The vibrancy of nature in the Adirondacks may be on its fullest display in Paul Smiths, a village that is the surprising home to one of the world's largest college campuses. Paul Smith's College, named for an early 1900s wilderness resort hotel owner, houses its 1,000 students on a campus that covers an amazing 14,000 acres and extends to the shores of the lovely Lower St. Regis Lake. Most of the acreage is lush forestland that is traversed by over 25 miles of nature trails, best accessed from the college's Visitors Interpretive Center.
Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh is one of the biggest communities in the Adirondacks, though its population of about 20,000 hardly disqualifies it from being a charming small town. Plattsburgh's prime location along the Saranac River and near Lake Champlain led to the Battle of Plattsburgh during the War of 1812 but now makes it a great spot for outdoor recreation. Plattsburgh also has a unique French Canadian feel due to historic connections, with bilingual signs and shops and businesses that would feel at home in Quebec. SUNY Plattsburgh's downtown college campus adds yet another burst of vitality to the community.
Queensbury
Queensbury is home to two of the biggest tourist attractions in the Adirondacks, one for warm weather and one for the cold: Six Flags Great Escape amusement park and West Mountain Ski Area. During late fall, after Six Flags has closed and before West Mountain opens for skiing, Queensbury offers some of the best fall foliage views in the region along the Warren County Bike Path. The town's location between Lake George and the Hudson River also makes it popular among boaters, while the downtown area benefits from Queensbury being a college town (SUNY Adirondack).
Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake is only 10 miles away from the region's most famous winter destination, Lake Placid, and takes the crown as the most historic summertime getaway in the Adirondacks. The clean air and cool breezes coming off of the four nearby lakes turned the town into a health resort mecca starting in the late 1800s, with famous vacationers, including Mark Twain and Albert Einstein. Many beautiful Victorian-era vacation homes remain in Saranac Lake, but the natural beauty spied from the top of the 5-mile-long Ampersand Mountain Trail is perhaps even more mesmerizing. Saranac Lake also hosts a popular Winter Carnival each February.
Ticonderoga
More than two centuries ago, French, British, and American forces repeatedly clashed over the strategic location of Ticonderoga, situated on the Lachute River between Lake George and Lake Champlain. The remnants of Fort Ticonderoga now operate as a historic site that offers programs, tours, and reenactments throughout the year. Meanwhile, for fans of historic sci-fi, Ticonderoga is home to an accurate recreation of the Star Trek (original TV series) set that is open for tours. Ticonderoga is also great for lovers of the outdoors, with kayaking along the Lachute River and other boating options.
Au Sable Forks
The town of Au Sable Forks sits along the swift-moving Au Sable River near its entry into Lake Champlain, and those rushing waters once powered a large paper mill. The mill is long gone, but the wealth it created is obvious in the historic architecture found throughout the town, most notably the grand Graves Mansion. Au Sable Forks now thrives as a quiet little tourist town, with the river and the awe-inspiring Au Sable Chasm serving as the major draw. Hiking the chasm's numerous trails reveals beautiful waterfalls and cliffside views.
Lake George
Like Ticonderoga, the town of Lake George occupies a strategic and contested site, with the 1757 siege at Fort William Henry serving as a backdrop for James Fenimore Cooper's novel Last of the Mohicans. The reconstructed fort has operated as a museum since 1953, but Lake George's status as a tourist destination stretches well back into the 1800s. Visitors flock to the beaches and boating on the beautiful lake that gives the town its name. Lake George's factory outlets also offer some of the best name-brand discount shopping in the Adirondacks.
About 12 million tourists come to the Adirondacks each year, but the region is as large as the neighboring state of Vermont, so there is plenty of room for lovely, uncrowded small towns. Our list of eight great small towns offers just a taste of the vibrant communities waiting for you in all corners of the fantastic Adirondack Mountains. So, whether it is the middle of summer or the dead of winter, make your travel plans today!
