It’s winter, and when you live in the northeast you have two options: complain about it, or enjoy it!
If you’re the type who chooses to enjoy it, you’re in the right place. The Adirondack region is the ideal spot for all things good about the cold and snow (and yes, there are plenty)
Let’s start at the top and go down, literally. Being mountains, the Adirondacks are ideal for skiing and snowboarding. The Adirondacks offer the best skiing in the northeast, for those who’ve never been on skis to lifelong enthusiasts. McCauley Mountain, in the heart of Old Forge, boasts a 633-foot vertical foot drop with long cruisers to steep bumps and glades, to double-black diamond challengers, twenty-one slopes and trails up to a mile long, a double chairlift, two T-Bar lifts, and rope tows.
Maybe you’re into something more powerful. To you, winter means firing up your snowmobile and heading out. Old Forge, with hundreds of miles of trails, calls itself the “Snowmobile Capital of the East.” Trails, groomed twice daily during the winter, connect with all of New York’s other major trail systems and the Canadian border. Trails open in early December and stay open as long as conditions permit.
In Old Forge, most of the trails are loops, allowing riders to begin and end their trip in Old Forge. Snowmobiling is allowed on trails in nearby Fulton Chain and Moose River Plains Wild Forests. Some of the trails in the region are mapped for GPS and smartphone users.
If you’re coming from out of town, Old Forge provides serval options for dining. The Thendara Pine Restaurant serves steaks, chops, and seafood. Pine Knoll Lodge with direct access to the trail system.
The Glenmore Bar and Grill is just off Trail No. 10. Snowmobilers also can get to the restaurant from the lake when it’s frozen. Daiker’s restaurant overlooks Fourth Lake serves casual fare and hosts Friday night fish dinners. Weekends feature live entertainment.
After dinner at any of the restaurants in the Old Forge area, you can always grab some shuteye at the cozy Old Forge Camping Resort or the luxurious Water’s Edge Inn.
