08/30 to 09/03 Lake Placid/Whiteface Mtn KOA

  Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA

08/30  to 09/03/2026

Welcome back. I've returned from California with family after a memorable trip for the wedding of granddaughter, Beca and Ryan. Winnie was in temporary storage in Poughkeepsie while I used the  following few weeks to relax, decompress, catch up and give the aching body a chance to recuperate. At my age, dancing at granddaughter's weddings takes on a new style, new meaning and new aches never before experienced. I don't believe it will recuperate; rather, it prefers to punish with the phrase, "What were you thinking?"  Glad I did it though, looking forward to the next one and I'm gonna keep on movin' anyway. 

Oillie kept me company

Fellow Hudson Islander, Jack, and I planned a trip to Lake Placid. We took the straight shot north with an overnight stop at Lake George's KOA. After 224 miles, we arrived in Lake Placid and the Whiteface Mountain area. The village of Lake Placid sits inside the 6+ million acres of Adirondack State Park. The significance of Lake Placid can be viewed HERE for those who've never been. This includes me of course, and one of the reasons why I'm making the trip. New York State has so much to offer and I've only scratched the surface. Jack is familiar with the area and will be my guide and Uber. Thank you, Jack. The drive up I-87, the New York State Thruway, north of Albany it becomes the Northway and the scenic backroads to reach Lake George and Lake Placid are stories and memories in and of themselves. What beauty. The Catskills and Adorondacks are sights to behold and cherished. 

From our conveniently located KOA campground, which is physically situated in Wilmington, NY, all attractions and dining were less that a 30-minues drive. Our first adventure was a drive to Whiteface Mountain.

The Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway was dedicated in 1929 when FDR was governor of New York and rededicated it in 1935 when he was president. The $45.00 toll for driver and one passenger began a most memorable afternoon.

Our 5-mile trip to the summit saw a steady 2,300 foot rise in elevaton along curvy switchbacks with temps dropping about 10º. Along the way, scenic stops described the geography and geology of the mountain. The day's incredible weather allowed us views into Vermont and Canada. Montreal is only 80 miles away.

At the summit and completed in 1938, the Castle was mostly built from rock excavated during the construction of the highway. Inside, there's a gift shop and cafe.

My choice for lunch of course was the Caprese Flatbread pizza: Creamy mozzarella, bright tomatoes, a pesto basil sauce finished with a balsamic glaze. 

You can imagine our discussion about the driver who decided to screw up the already precious parking spaces available at the summit. The backdrop, however, of the truly ancient rock making up most of Whiteface, is anorthosite bedrock that is more than a billion years old. 

Also completed in 1938 and with consideration for FDR's polio affliction, a tunnel was bored into the center of the mountain. There, a 26-27 story elevator was constructed that could bring visitors, who could not otherwaise hike the 300' steep trail, to the summit. Jack and I opted for the elevator. 

426 feet to the elevator. A bit of an incline but you do what ya gotta do no matter what your scremaing knees say. As you walk, you cannot but marvel once again at how it was all done. Accomplished during the Depression, this project was not part of the New Deal's Public Works program. Instead, it was financed totally by New York State. We waited about five minutes before the six or seven-passenger car arrived. We reached the summit 276' above.

I took this photo from the summit and submitted it to ChatGPT for labeling. My view visually shows the three islands as a peninsula rather than three separate islands in the Lake.

Sitting at 4,867 feet is the 3-story silo-shaped Atmospheric Scientific Research Center.

Its loclation makes it perfectly suitable for studying cloud chemistry, air pollution, acid deposition, ozone, particultates and weather which its been doing for over fifty years. 

This visit to Whiteface was terrific and especially unusual. I witnessed the combination of an Adirondack High Peak, an Olympic ski mountain, an automobile road, a tunnel and elevator inside the rock, and a working atmospheric research station—all on the same mountain.

We took advantage of another clear visiblility day to visit the Whiteface Cloudsplitter Gondola complex just up the road.

Immediately upon tunring into the entrance road, one can visualize the attraction of a white covered mountain beckoning skiiers from afar. 

The ski area has 94 trails totaling more than 24 miles, with its longest single run, Wilmington Trail, stretching about 2.1 miles. With a light "tourist day" we took advantage and enjoyed a ride to the summit of Little Whiteface about 3,676 feet in elevation.

The 8-minute ride will rise over 2,000 feet in about a mile and a half.

The ride, beautiful as it is, would not be a favorite to those with acrophobia. Slow and steady, you silently descend into valleys and then...

...have to crane your neck to see how far up we have left to go before reaching the summit. Now you can understand the origin of the "Cloudsplitter" name. Meanwhile, I marveled once again at the engineering and construction feat that went into accompishing this project.

At the summit, the ski trails carved into Little Whiteface are clearly visible. Much of the alpine racing durng the 1980 Olympics took place in this area. 

What goes up, must come down. That trip was as breathtaking as the ascent, maybe more so. The gondola is used year-round, not just for skiing. Imagine the view at the height of the Fall Foliage season.

The next trip was into Lake Placid, 12 miles away. Driving along NY-86, the curvy road adjacent to the Ausable River was very scenic and took about 15-20 minutes.  

This huge complex houses the Lake Placid Olympic Museum as well as the two historic arenas.

Renamed The Herb Brooks Arena, the 5,000 seat arena is the site of the "Miracle on Ice" that took place of February 22, 1980 when the U.S. Olympic hockey team defeated the heavlily favored Soviet team 4-3 with Herb Brooks as coach.

The U.S. didn't win the Gold during this match. That came two days later when the U.S. defeated Finland.

To appreciate the "Miracle..." visit this link on YouTube for the last exciting minute of the 1980 game.

The fun fact of Lake Placid's history is that two arenas represent both of the town's Winter Olympics under one roof. After viewing the Herb Brooks arena, it's a short walk to the other end of the complex to view the 1932 Jack Shea Arena with a seating capacity of only 2,000.

Named after Jack Shea, the Lake Placid speed skater. He won two gold medals in 1932 and took the Olympic oath at those Games. The Olympic Oath is a formal pledge made during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games on behalf of the athletes and officials. Norwegian figure-skating legend Sonja Henie won one of her Olympic gold medals there in 1932.

While viewing the 1932 arena, I was captivated by what could be two future Olympian champions receiving lessons. 

 

After a short drive, we visited the twin towers at the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. Modernized since the 1980 Olympics and used as a training center, this site has been used for over a century. Open year-round, the ski jumpers land on specially prepared synthetic surfaces instead of snow. 

Our very efficient planning resulted in perfectly timed days of having a late breakfast before visiting an attraction, returning to the campground for our afternoon cocktail hour and then on to dinners that won high marks from both of us. A summary with links follow. Follow the links to see the usual and delicious choices available.

For lunch across the road from the KOA, I enjoyed my first visit to an A&W Restaurant. Cheeseburgers were terrific.  Breakfast at The Breakfast Club overlooking Mirror Lake had pancakes as large as the plate affording me two more breakfasts at home.

Up A Creek. 

Less than a mile from our KOA, this cozy roadside cafe had the typical and essential offerings. With only Julie serving, breakfasts were pleasant and relaxing.

Players Waterfront Eatery

Located on Main Street, balcony dining overlooking Mirror Lake was special.

Lobster Ravioli: Ravioli stuffed with tender lobster and tossed in a lobster cream sauce with tomatoes and asparagus

Caffe Rustica

An upscale dining venue with a wide selection of offerings. Their chefs are Culinary Institute of America trained.

Jimmy, our server, was personable and attentive.

A long awaited Filet Mignon: Blue cheese encrusted, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, roasted shallot cabernet demi-glace and string beans. The Montepulciano d'Abruzzo paired perfectly and made the meal even more memorable.

Probably because our visit was at the end of the season, Jack and I did not find the crowds we expected as the Labor Day weekend approached. We drove to nearby Saranac Lake and were not impressed. We dined at the downtown brewery but were not impressed with our Fish & Chips at Bitters and Bones. 

The highlight of all our dining experiences was searching for the best Smoked Old Fashioned. We found Top of the Park to be our favorite hangout, located just upstairs from Players.  Bartenders, Jason and Zack provided awesome drinks as seen in the videos below.

From their website: "At Top of The Park we invest the time to find the best Wine, Scotch, Bourbon, Craft Beers, and Top Shelf Liquors available today. We’ve also come up with a beautifully prepared and presented selection of small plates and signature cocktails."

A smoked old fashioned is a classic bourbon cocktail infused with rich, woody aromas using a cocktail smoker

From Zach:

From Jason: 

Watch how Yuzo Komai, the "Samuari Bartender" in Tokyo makes a Popcorn Smoked Old Fashion HERE

Final Notes:

Our Lake Placid/Whiteface Mountain KOA

Entertainment in a park in Lake Placid. A large segment of visitors and employees at restaurants and bars were of Serbian/Croatian descent. This little fella apparently was preparing for takeoff.

A morning visitor

When I opened Jack's chair for morning coffee, this little fella and its sibling were nestled nice and cozy against each other. One remained for the photoshoot.

And, of course, the evening campfires:

“Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter.” — Izaak Walton