Adirondacks - 48 Mountains for a Great Vacation

The Adirondacks, found in upper New York, represent the largest area of wilderness in the Eastern United States, consisting of 46 mountains. There are over six million acres, with over 3000 lakes and 2000 miles of hiking trails. I have visited the area 3 times, once in the winter and twice in autumn, as my son lived relatively close to the mountains. The beauty of the scenery in the autumn is breath taking. It is a wonderful place to spend the summers as well.

The Adirondacks are a haven for numerous outdoor sports, including; hiking, camping, trophy fishing, skiing, snowmobiling and even historic attractions. There are numerous resorts, spas, rustic cabins, camping sites and B&BS. There are also many isolated waterfalls and splendid panoramic views. There are several smaller mountains where you can get a beautiful panoramic view without climbing up one of the large mountains.

Other things you can enjoy are outdoor museums, biking, art galleries, nature walks, antiquing and all types of festivals depending on the season. Many people have a second home in the mountains where they spend the summers. The winter weather lasts for many months, and it is not unusual to get 200" of snow fall in a winter. Avalanches are a danger during winter and immediately after major snowfalls.

The Adirondack Forty-Sixers Inc, founded in 1948, are an organization of mountain climbers that climb all 46 of the Adirondack Mountains. Their mission is to educate the public on responsible wilderness use and to encourage stewardship in the High Peaks Region. They also want to encourage people to enjoy the mountains safely.

Hiking is extremely popular in these mountains and many tourist come each year for camping and hiking. Some mountains are more difficult that others to climb due to height and terrain.

The Internet has several sites that give you a wealth of information about the best hiking trails. In addition, there are several types of campsites throughout the mountains. As the weather can be cool at times, even in the summer, it is best to take adequate supplies just in case.

White water rafting is another extremely exciting sport and available at several sites in the mountains. Fishing is very popular and hunting when in season. There is a huge number of deer in the area. It is the first time I have ever actually seen a large herd of deer, as you typically only see one or two. There are also moose in the area.

There are canoes and kayaks available, in addition to boat rentals. There are also some golf courses. As you can see you don't run out of things to do.

We visited the Adirondack Museum which has a lot of historical information about the mountains, and I remember lovely gardens as well.

Winter brings a whole different type of activity, such as; snow skiing, cross country skiing, sledding and snowmobiling,

The 1980 XIII Olympics Winter Games were held in Lake Placid. The winter Olympics had also been held at this site in 1932. We had the opportunity to visit Lake Placid and enjoy the 360 ° panoramic view. The great thing for us was the ability to drive to the top, as Whiteface is one of the larger mountains and I do not have the ability to climb mountains.

The 1980 Olympics was the first time artificial snow was used for the Olympic competition. The Alpine skiing competition was done on Whiteface Mountain which is 4687' high. Whiteface Mountain also has the greatest vertical drop of any mountain in the East of an astonishing 3430'.

There were several problems with the planning of these Olympics and a lot of tension as President Jimmy Carter had already announced a boycott of the Summer Olympics in Moscow. Despite that, Russia did compete and win. The United Stated came in third for total medals with the USSR being number one, and East Germany coming in second. Eric Heiden won 5 gold medals for speed skating which was the most exciting win for the US.

There were three first time competitor nations; Cyprus, the People's Republic of China and Costa Rico. Thirty six countries participated in all.

There is so much to do in the Adirondack Mountains, in addition to hiking and camping.. You can always purchase one of the Adirondack chairs made in the area. In Old Forge, which is the closest city to Utica, they have a huge grocery-everything-you-can-think-of store. I never went skiing but my family spent many great days on the slopes during there long winters. For me, the scenery in the autumn is the draw, as it is spectacular.

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