Come bike through the park and explore some of the 2000 miles of trails for hiking and 3000 lakes for kayaking. The trees will change color before our eyes.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: We gather for a rental bike fitting at 11:00am. If you’re bringing your own bike, arrive by 12:30pm for our orientation and shuttle into the Adirondacks. We’ll unload the bikes and finish the trip to our starting lodge at Blue Mountain Lake by bicycle. 14 or 25 miles bicycling.
Day 2: The Hedges is nestled on the shore of pristine Blue Mountain Lake. Awake to the sound of loons calling each other through the morning fob over the water. After a hearty cooked-to-order breakfast, we’ll explore the lake by kayak.
Most of the land around the lake is privately owned but deemed forever wild. It is a prime example of the Adirondack philosophy of managing a mix of private and public lands for the common good. Except for another canoe or kayak, we’ll unlikely see anyone else in our quiet paradise.
We’ll kayak west through Blue Mountain Lake to the smaller Eagle Lake and then into Utowana Lake. We’ll stop for lunch by the roaring Look Brook Falls.
After kayaking back, you can choose to explore our lodge grounds, walk into town, or sit and read a book in a famous Adirondack chair. You’ll surely be hungry for our 4-course diner together at The Hedges. 4 — 6 hours kayaking.
Day 3: After breakfast, we’ll immediately start out for our hike up Blue Mountain. The mountain looms over the eastern end of our lake. At the top, we’ll be rewarded with a wonderful view of the lakes we kayaked through the day before. Or for a less rigorous morning, you can choose to hike around Tirrell Pond. This flat trail just skirts the north slope of Blue Mountain and has beautiful views of the cliffs of Tirrell Mountain. In the afternoon, we’ll offer a shuttle to the wonderful Adirondack Museum. The open-air museum is renown for its fascinating exhibits that tell the stories of life in the Adirondacks. See the stagecoach that carried FDR to his swearing in as President. Walk through a railway car designed of velvet and hardwood to make you long for travel of yesteryear. Watch the effects of global warming on plant life. 4 miles hiking.
Day 4: We leave our private enclave today to further explore the Adirondacks by bicycle. Our first stop will be at beautiful Buttermilk Falls, easily the most visited falls in the area. The cascade is on the Raquette River, named for The French word for snowshoe.
From there, we’ll continue to bike past Long Lake, Shaw Brook Pond and Lake Harris. We’ll stop for lunch at Wine-brook Hills picnic are and you can choose to continue to North Hudson. Then we’ll all shuttle to our inn in Keene Valley. 12, 28 or 54 miles bicycling.
Day 5: Keene Valley is known for being the heart of “high peak” country of the Adirondacks. We’ll take advantage of this easy jumping off point by hiking to the summit of Big Slide Mountain. At 4199’, it is the 27th highest peak in the state.
Along the way, we’ll hike over three smaller peaks called “The Brothers.” Those who don’t want to hike all the way can turn around after catching the magnificent view of the Great Range from the first of these lower vantage points. If you’re not up for a climb at all, then consider the flat hike in the same area along Johns Brook. 3 or 10 miles hiking.
Day 6: We’ll don our cycling clothes one last time to bike to Lake Placid today. We’ll bicycle right past the ski jumps used for the Olympics that rise 120 meters into the air. You’ll wonder how anyone gets up the nerve to ski down the first time.
Lunch will be on your own in this fun town with a main street lined with outdoor shops and organic cafes. Bike or shuttle back to our inn in Keene Valley in time for our last dinner together. 26 or 48 miles bicycling.
Day 7:We’ll say farewell to the Adirondacks today, but not before one last hike to see the Falls on the North Fork of the Boquet River. This river has the distinction of being the steepest river in New York State. After a picnic lunch, we’ll shuttle back to the Albany airport, arriving by 2:00pm to say our good-byes. 2 miles hiking.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
USA
New York
Outdoor: Land Rambler
Bicycle Touring
Women Tours
|
