Lake Placid Lodge a Paradise in Winter

The slopes at Lake Placid, NY. Shelley Rotner photos.
The slopes at Lake Placid, NY. Shelley Rotner photos.

Lake Placid Lodge in New York’s Adirondacks: A Piece of Paradise in Winter

By Shelley Rotner

Executive chief Mark Hannon of Artisans at the Lake Placid Lodge.
Executive chief Mark Hannon of Artisans at the Lake Placid Lodge.

I’ve been to Lake Placid, in the Adirondacks, many times, in every season. This is one of the few places that I return to time after time. Each season has its beauty.

The road off the highway to Lake Placid is narrow. It twists and turns through wild, beautiful primeval nature. There are peeks of the high peaks. This is when I have an aha moment and realize how lucky I am to to enter this monumental landscape.

Ice Climbers Dot the Ice

White birch, conifers, vertical rock faces, lakes and rivers line the road. Signs to trailheads appear in multitude. Ice climbers dot the ice formations wearing brightly colored gear. The ever-changing landscape is altered by weather and light and at moments it’s so grand and mysterious it feels like a near religious experience.

The Biggest Park

Wow! The Adirondack Park is huge! It’s 6 million acres with 46 high peaks rising over 4,000 feet, 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles of rivers and streams. It’s larger than Massachusetts, bigger than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon and the Great Smokies National Parks combined!

It’s the largest protected wilderness area east of the Mississippi constitutionally protected as a “forever wild” forest preserve. Old growth and second-generation forests with 34 species of conifers and hardwoods are home to a diversity of wildlife and birds. There are over 50 species of mammals and immense beauty.

People learned of this unspoiled beauty and wilderness in the later part of the 19th century. Besides primitive camping, Great Camps were being built by the guilded-age millionaires like the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts.

A conifer cathedral in the vast Adirondack Park.
A conifer cathedral in the vast Adirondack Park.

On spectacular sites, they built compounds of cabins that were designed to blend in with the natural surroundings. They incorporated the rugged landscape using giant stones and twigs in a rustic but luxurious way that came to be known as Arts and Craft style. It still characterizes the Adirondack style.

We stayed at the Lake Placid Lodge, which was one of these Great Camps built in 1882. In 1946, it was transformed into an inn. The porch was lined with skis and snowshoes. The entrance hall lined with twisted branches immediately sets the style and tone.

It’s the gateway to entering a time from long ago. The fireplace warms and welcomes and so does a glass of champagne on arrival. Everyone is relaxed and friendly. There’s an abundance of stone fireplaces, twig railings, diamond paned windows and wrap around porches and terraces to enjoy the wondrous and panoramic view of this 5-mile lake and surrounding mountains. It’s a new “show” everyday depending on the weather.

Our room was no exception with much attention to detail. There was extraordinary beauty inside and outside. The view from our room and balcony framed the lake and mountains.

There was a one-of-a-kind, hand built king-size birch bark-and-twig canopy bed facing the fireplace. It was especially magical to wake up and witness a glorious sunrise while still in bed. Offerings of wine, almonds, grapes, and local cheeses were always present. There was a beautiful bathroom with a deep soaking tub. It was hard to leave the serenity of the room.

Lake Placid Lodge room, decorated in the old time style.
Lake Placid Lodge room, decorated in the old time style.

In addition to the setting and architecture, Lake Placid Lodge has one of the largest private collections of Hudson River School landscape paintings. The stairwell walls, halls and rooms double as a gallery with paintings prints and photographs, some of which are for sale. There are handmade artifacts and furniture made with local woods by recognized masters like Barry Gregson. P.J. LaBarge does handcrafted bronze sculptures and often creates her clay molds on site in the pub.

The lodge has two restaurants; Maggie’s Pub, the less formal of the two and the Artisans, with a four-course tasting menu. Chef Mark Hannon features many local farms and creameries with acknowledgement on the menu to those farmers as the true artisans.

The first night we had dinner at Maggie’s Pub- a cozy room with billiards and various seating areas. We chose the table in front of the fireplace. Keeping true to the local philosophy we ordered accordingly by starting with a martini made with 46 Peaks Vodka. It’s small batch potato vodka made with Lake Placid water and potatoes grown on the nearby Tucker family farm. House-cured trout and a venison stew made with local root vegetables was the perfect fare for a winter’s night.

Loj trail, in the big park.
Loj trail, in the big park.

The next night at Artisans we dined in front of a massive stone fireplace with a giant mounted moose head looking down on us. Our server was friendly, professional and a source of information about the local lore. We found the staff at the lodge genuinely passionate about living in the area and happy to share their love for it.

I had the Coriander Roast Duck with quinoa, parsnip, baby root vegetables, beet greens, Satsuma and pomegranate jus. The plate was creatively composed and delicious too!

For dessert there was a bit of a play on S’mores- a camping favorite. Guanaja Chocolate s’mores was made with hazelnut praline, toffee oatmeal crunch and toasted marshmallow ice cream-. There areauthentic S’more kits to go to make by the bonfire at the edge of the lake or by the fireplace in your room.

Venturing in to Town

Another night we ventured into town to Liquids and Solids. It’s a funky “dive-bar” facade with a no-frills interior that serves creative, innovative farm-to-table food. They have a daily Poutine – a Canadian dish, made with French fries and cheese curds topped with light brown gravy.

That night it was curried goat and fennel gravy- certainly their own unique spin on the most famous of all Quebequoise dishes. The local goat farmer, who was sitting at the next table, came over to introduce herself. It’s nice to know where your food comes from.

Sledding is just one of the fun winter activities at the Lodge.
Sledding is just one of the fun winter activities at the Lodge.

There’s plenty to do in the area to experience the great outdoors in Lake Placid.

If downhill skiing is your thing, the signature ski mountain is Whiteface Mountain–the ski mountain for the 1980 Olympics. Besides the challenging terrain it’s a chance to take in the breathtaking views of the Adirondack peaks at 4,386 feet above sea level.

The mountain has the highest vertical drop (3,430 feet) of any ski resort east of the Rockies., There’s an uncut portion of the mountain that takes skiers over frozen waterfalls, rock outcroppings and through forests for a backcountry experience.

Sledding is just one of the fun winter activities at the Lodge.Lake Placid has two cross-country centers. Cascade X-C Ski is a family friendly center with a lodge and restauarant and Mt.Van Hoevenberg Center has 50 km of Olympic Cross Country and Biathlon trails that originally opened for the 1980 Olympics. Both are groomed.

There’s also the Jackrabbit Trail, free to the public with 24 miles of trails with some long wilderness sections. We accessed this trail right from the lodge. It’s named in memory of Herman (Jackrabbit) Johannsen, who was a pioneer of cross-country skiing and developed some of the original network of trails over a half century ago. He just died in his native Norway at the age of 111 skiing almost until his death!

Lake Placid Lodge Artisans Restaurant dining room.
Lake Placid Lodge Artisans Restaurant dining room.

Avalanche Lake

There are other options for those who want to have more of a backcountry ski in wilderness. A few years ago we skied out to Avalanche Lake- a spectacular 9-mile ski that takes about 4-6 hours.

It’s a long narrow lake flanked by Mt. Coldin’s vertical cliffs and Algonquin’s 3000 ft rise in the distance. Magic!

Some may want to tap into the remnants of the Olympics past. The towering 70 and 90-meter ski jumps glass-enclosed elevator up 120 meters to the top of the Olympic Jumping Complex have quite a presence. The observation deck offers spectacular views of the Adirondacks’ majestic peaks.

“Miracle on Ice” is also a reminder of the town’s Olympic history. It’s right smack in the middle of town and is one of the country’s few Olympic-size (400 meter) rinks. There’s open skating every afternoon-$8 a person and $3 to rent skates.

We were most grateful for the simple pleasures- just to breath the fresh mountain air and walk through cathedrals of conifers. And we were most grateful for the foresight to preserve this piece of paradise to stay forever wild.

Visit the Lake Placid Lodge: website, 518-523-2700

For more information about Lake Placid, visit their local tourism website

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