2022’s Journey will entail 25 Campsites – 4,315 Miles (in Rosie the RV) and countless other SUV miles to get us to our adventures. We will see such vacation hotspots as St Augustine, Savannah, Charleston, Lake Placid, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine [primarily Acadia National Park, and Baxter State Park], then head south to West Virginia and Virginia before landing back in Central Florida for the winter months.
On June 5th, 10-weeks into our 2022 adventures, we landed in Lake Placid, New York right in the center of the Adirondack Mountains where we will spend 14-days to re-explore some of our favorite hiking and paddling spots as well as visit family along the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Island Region.
Because we’ve been vacationing in upstate New York for over 20 years, this was one of many visits to this region. We’ve done quite a bit of hiking including some of the high peak summits like Gothic, Armstrong and Wolfjaw. This trip we are going to focus on gentler hikes and paddling adventures.
Campground
Lake Placid / Whiteface Mountain KOA Holiday
We camped at the Whiteface Mountain KOA and, once again, were disappointed with our site. Because we didn’t pay the extra $20 to lock in a specific site, our huge windshield was facing the bathrooms, dish washing area and garbage can. We immediately asked to be relocated to one of the 5 adjoining sites that were very similar but did not look directly at the bathrooms and were told there was nothing they could do. We were bewildered because our reservations were for 2 solid weeks made 1-year in advance so why would they face us directly in front of the bathrooms? The entire 2-weeks, the more desirable spot next to ours only had a total of 3-nights occupancy.
The sites were mostly hard packed dirt. Not very much gravel so it was DUSTY!
Otherwise, we happened to be there when the pine trees were doing their thing and pollen was EVERYWHERE! It was no joke. Everything was coated in yellow.
The worst part was the method they used to tidy the sites between campers was to use a leaf blower which spewed dirt and pollen all over everything.
Our site was in the back, which mostly stayed quiet with fewer campers and were spaced out a bit. The sites closer to the front were very tight.
In closing, we might choose to stay there again but not during spring and we would definitely pay the extra to lock in a specific site even though we don’t exactly agree with the methodology of the process.
The thing that would change our mind is the other newly created KOA a few miles down the road, the Wilmington/North Pole KOA. They were to be creating full hook up sites along the River. That may be a better option when we return in 2024.
Hiking
Flume Trail
This is an easy but beautiful 3’ish mile walk in the woods along the Ausable River accessed right from the campground. We enjoyed this mild adventure and even took time to talk to a young fly fisherman.
Jackrabbit Ski Trail
Looking for an easy gradual hike in the ADK can be challenging so if you are looking for one, this is a great option. Easily accessed right in Lake Placid in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area. We considered this an easy hike with a few ups but nothing tricky. We reached the top of Haystack Mountain in good time and enjoyed a few snacks while snapping pics.
Cobble Lookout
This hike is definitely in the running for the best view for the least effort. At just 2.6-miles out and back, the trail is mostly flat or gently rolling. There is very little climbing to a spectacular view of the Ausable Valley and the surrounding mountains. The great bulk of Whiteface and Esther mountains are to the right, with Giant Mountain and other High Peaks straight ahead.
Paddling
Quebec Brook / Madawaska Flow
Madawaska Flow to Upper Quebec Brook is a beautiful day trip with a 3-4 hour paddle. The drive into the Madawaska Flow parking area is a long 5 mile gravel bumpy road than an easy 1-mile portage to the water.
The trip starts at Madawaska Flow with an easy paddle up Quebec Brook and return the same route. The waterways are filled with beaver lodges and water lilies. This trip offers great opportunities for observing wildlife, unfortunately we did not see any. Since this is a remote primitive area we did not see another person, either.
We spent a peaceful 2-hour, 6-mile paddle on this serene mountain waterway.
Long Pond and Long Pond Mountain
One our favorite areas is the 18,400-acre Saint Regis Canoe Area, the only designated Canoe Area in New York State that does not allow motor boats. The number and proximity of lakes and ponds offer numerous remote and unconfined paddling opportunities in a wilderness setting with designated primitive tents sites, campsites and lean-tos are available on a first come – first served basis and cannot be reserved.
Our plan was for a casual overnight with a hike up the Long Pond Mountain trail. A couple of the more scenic camping spots we had pegged have been closed for restoration so we paddled the lake a couple of times looking for just the right available spot. We landed on one that was directly by the trailhead, We set up camp, relaxed by the water’s edge with our lunch then we walked the easy trail up to the summit.
Long Pond Mountain (2,530 feet) - The trailhead is located on the shores of Long Pond and can only be reached by paddling from one of the two hand launch sites on the pond. The trail ascends 930 feet and 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the mountain's summit.
After a dinner around the campfire, we crawled into our hammocks for a deep peaceful sleep.
I stirred awake at 4:30 AM to daylight! The full moon was spectacular and had the sky lit up. Yes this is the moon.
At a more decent hour, we packed up camp and headed out for a morning paddle hoping to be able to watch a few loons on the pond.
That concluded our short stay in the Adirondack’s. We will definitely be back another day.
What’s Next?
Vermont…….
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