Hi-- my wife and I are going for a shortish trip to Lake Placid (5 days) and are staying at an inn right ON the lake. They have kayaks that they lend to guests, but we’re bringing our Pungo 12’s anyway so we can paddle at other locations.
How is Lake Placid itself for paddling? The idea of paddling in the evening/night right from our inn’s dock sounds wonderful (we DO have head lamps). Any particular parts of the lake to see, or avoid?
Other reasonably close day trips with no portages, suitable for our rec kayaks? Many thanks.
Three Decent Sized Lakes
nearby.
Tupper, Cranberry, and Saranac. Lot’s of people do canoe/camping on all three. If IRC, there is a launch site right on Rt 3 at Saranac Lake.
I used to canoe on these many moons ago. Things have changed and I haven’t been back to the area for about 6 years, so I don’t want give you bad info about what’s current now.
TheBigYaker
Edge of the Lake?
My wife and I have stayed ther a few times, a nice place, in a nice town. Paradox Bay is a no wake zone, so that is ok. The rest of the lake is open to power boats, but they are pretty good about respecting paddle craft. Enjoy your stay.
The area is loaded
with places to paddle. Once you get into the Saranac Lake area you can throw a rock an have a place to paddle!
Mirror Lake in Saranac Lake is a nice paddle but watch out for jet skis and power boats.
I surveyed a mine near
Cranberry in the 80s. I always wanted go back a paddle it since moving to the NE.
Not sure where to paddle, but…
One of the coolest things about Lake Placid to me was every 2nd or 3rd car had top of the line racks or racks with high-end boats. We were staying in the area at the time of the big brown out only to read later that our home power company in N.E. Ohio was the cause…
Great place early in day
Wonderful Lake to paddle later in year as way north and high up waters are frigid earlier. Now is great!
At far east of lake is a small place to camp and a trail up the back side of Whiteface mountain. We call it surf and turf paddle and hike.
I am leading a paddle there with ADK in a few weeks email me to be on our listing!
Evan
A beautiful place…
My husband and I have canoed on Lake Placid, and kayaked on Lower Saranac, Middle Saranac, Lake Colby and the St. Regis Canoe Area. It is fun going through the lock on Saranac in a kayak. I enjoy seeing the beautiful homes, boat houses and camps that surround some of the lakes as well as the scenery and wildlife. Good hiking too. In Lake Placid there is a deli that has the most delicious sandwiches and salads. I can’t remember the name, but it’s across the street from the Wildwood on the Lake motel. We have always been there during leaf-peeping season rather than summer so we have had cool weather and occasionally snow and ice when we were hiking on Whiteface.
It’s a good thing
you are taking your boats. I think there is a law that says that all vehicles must have a boat on the roof. We also stayed in a motel on LP and paddled from there. Not exactly wilderness but pleasant nonetheless. A lot of private land but there is public, especially, as noted, the back of Whiteface. One of the islands also has public land. There is no water access to Mirror Lake and we couldn’t find a legal carry to get into it.
Lake Placid, Florida
The lake is pretty big at 2.5 miles wide and over 4 miles long so it can get very choppy. In the summer time this is only likely before thunderstorms. The entire lake is beautiful and their are dozens of other pretty lakes nearby. Also about 40 minutes away is the Peace river which passes through an incredible cypress swamp and you can find many great fossils if you look hard enough.
However, this is the worst time of year for paddling because of the heat and the bugs so bring bugspray, suntan lotion, and take lots of swimming breaks.
Lake Placid Lore
There’s a short book called, I believe, “The Lady of the Lake” about a woman whose body was found at the bottom of a deep part of Lake Placid after being there a long time. Foul play was theorized but I can’t recall if they ever determined this for sure. Anyway, I found it an intriguing read if you like mystery stories - it will give you a feel for some of the history of the place.
Its by Chris Ortloff
former news anchor for WPTZ 5 and now a NY state assemblyman. The story details the finding of Mabel Smith Douglass body. They believe she commited suicide as she’d had a history of mental illness.
She was the founder of the NJ College for Women, now Douglass College, part of Rutgers University.
My grandfather told me the story 20 years ago but I didn’t know her name. In a but of odd syncronicity I latter attended Cook College at Rutgers which shares academic buildings with Douglass College.
Weird that my home area shared a part of this weird tale with my college town!
flies
Black flies are brutal sometimes, bring bug spray. My wife and I enjoyed gondola up whiteface and had picnic up there were it is 15 dgrees cooler than bottom and 70 meter ski jump because they were jumping and doing flips- triple- triple into pond from ski jump. Go to olmpic center and see the ice where us won miracle gold in 1980. often top skaters are practicing. Lots of lake on your way up.
Thanks
for the added info and for refreshing my memory.
I read the book a few years ago and found it absorbing. Ortloff writes well.
mirror lake access
there is a access to Mirror lake right across from Lake Placid Marina. It is a bit of a carry but open to the public.
Paddle to & hike up Whiteface Mountain
At the northeast corner of Lake Placid, there is small bay called Barrel Bay, which has a dock area called Whiteface Landing. This meets up with the Connery Pond Trail up to the summit of Whiteface Mountain, which is a good day hike to the top. It’s a High Peak (4,867 ft), so it is classified as a “harder” hike. According to the ADK guide book, the hike is about 7 miles round trip, and the paddle is about 6 miles round trip from the south end of the lake. The views of Lake Placid, Mirror Lake, and the High Peaks are awesome from the top.
The “bonus” of this hike is a snack bar at the top of the mountain at the visitor’s center! I had a cheese burger, and after a long hike it was wonderfull!! I did this hike a few years ago, so you may want to check to see if they still serve food and what the hours are.
Have fun
Ubu at Lake Placid!
Don’t miss the Lake Placid Brewery. Sit on the upper deck and watch the rolling practice going on in the city park across the street!
Ubu Ale! Mmmmmmm, my favorite! Great food too!
http://www.ubuale.com/
I had the coordinates in my GPS, but they got wiped out…
whalen
I’ve not been there but
Have had UBU at the Adirondack Hotel in Long Lake. Agree it’s a very good beer. It goes particularly well with the end of a day of paddling.
Chubb river paddle in Lake Placid
I addition to the many lakes in the area, you do have the option for a nice - flatwater- paddle on the Chubb. Access is off Averyville road on the SW edge of town where the Northville-Placid trailhead is. You must carry perhaps 50 yds to get to the river, with a short simple carry after paddling maybe 1.5 miles. After that you continue to be in fairly remote waters with great views of 4000’ high Street & Nye mtns. Any local map will get you there.