Things to do in Lake Placid
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Lake Placid
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter Olympic season. Skiing, Nordic, sliding and skating. Peak holidays are most expensive, January non-holiday weeks are value.
Mud season. Lowest prices and an empty village, but closures and muddy trails. Late May previews summer.
Summer paddle, peak and Ironman season. August has the warmest lake water after Ironman leaves.
Foliage season, peak colour typically last week of September through first week of October.
Stick season, grey and cheap, for spa weekends and early ski gambles only.
What's on
- IRONMAN Lake Placid Usually a Sunday in late July
Closes roads and fills every room at surge prices. Spectate or pick another July week.
- Lake Placid Horse Shows late Jun to early Jul
Horse shows worth timing a summer trip around.
- Lake Placid Marathon June
Marathon held in June.
- Saranac Lake Winter Carnival early Feb
Ice palace carnival 9 miles away in Saranac Lake.
- Whiteface Oktoberfest fall
Fall festival at Whiteface.
- Flaming Leaves Festival fall
Fall festival at the Olympic Jumping Complex.
- Lake Placid Film Festival late Oct
Film festival at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts.
- Songs at Mirror Lake Tue evenings in season
Free concerts at Mids Park on Mirror Lake.
Best things to do in Lake Placid
Mirror Lake
Calm motor free lake with a 2.7 mile loop, swimming beach and Whiteface reflections at sunset.
Lake Placid Olympic Center
Home to the Olympic Museum and Herb Brooks Arena where the 1980 Miracle on Ice happened.
Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex
Ride to the top of the 128 metre jump for the view jumpers face at the start gate.
Whiteface Mountain
The only High Peak reachable by road or gondola, with a summit castle and 360 degree views.
Mount Van Hoevenberg
Ride a real bobsled with a professional crew or take the long Cliffside Coaster down the old run.
Lake Placid Boat Tour
A narrated cruise is the easy way to see Lake Placid lake, its islands and Great Camps.
John Brown Farm State Historic Site
Small historic farm and gravesite of abolitionist John Brown with a High Peaks view.
Mid's Park
Village lawn on Mirror Lake with a band shell, free summer concerts and the best picnic spot.
Where to stay in Lake Placid
Main Street / Mirror Lake east shore
first trip, all-round base
Walk to restaurants, the Olympic Center and Mirror Lake beach without needing a car.
Mirror Lake Drive, south and west shore
couples, luxury and quiet stays
Leafier and calmer lake first base, still a 5 to 10 minute walk into the village centre.
Whiteface Inn Lane / Lake Placid lake shore
resort-contained and golf trips
Great Camp resorts with big lake frontage and total quiet, a short drive from Main Street.
Saranac Avenue / Route 86 west entrance
families, ski groups and mid-budget stays
Chain hotels and motor inns with more parking and lower prices, a short drive to the centre.
Wilmington
skiers and anglers focused on Whiteface
Closest to the mountain and river at dawn, but a poor base for village dinners.
Saranac Lake village
budget alternative base
A lived in town with lower prices, its own Main Street and the Rail Trail and Saranac chain.
Think twice about
- Isolated highway motels far out Route 73, Route 86 or Route 9N
No walkable dinner and a 20 to 30 minute drive on unlit mountain roads after dark.
- Rentals marketed as Lake Placid area in Jay, Upper Jay, Vermontville or Bloomingdale
Fine villages but the wrong base, often 25 minutes each way from Main Street.
- Right over a Main Street bar
Not a safety issue but a noise issue in summer and event weeks for light sleepers.
- Anywhere without confirmed parking in peak weeks
The village fills completely in Ironman, foliage, holiday ski and tournament weeks.
Best restaurants in Lake Placid
The View Restaurant at Mirror Lake Inn
Formal lake facing dining at Mirror Lake Inn, the village anniversary and proposal table.
Salt of the Earth Bistro
A small cottage dining room serving a short rotating locally sourced menu.
Smoke Signals
Wood smoked barbecue on a Main Street terrace over Mirror Lake, with live music downstairs.
Lisa G's
The neighbourhood favourite locals name first, with creative American cooking and a patio.
Caffè Rustica
Warm small Italian dining room with handmade pastas and unhurried service.
Top of the Park
Second floor cocktails, oysters and small plates with the best elevated Mirror Lake view.
The Cottage
Lakeside pub plates on a deck sharing Mirror Lake Inn's lake without its formal prices.
Lake Placid Pub & Brewery
The original village brewpub since 1996, three floors and a lake view deck serving Ubu Ale.
Outdoor things to do in Lake Placid
Whiteface Mountain
Serious eastern skiing with 94 trails and 3430 feet of vertical, the most in the East.
Cascade Mountain
The best first High Peak, a 4.8 mile round trip with a big view for the effort.
Algonquin Peak
A steep step up to New York's second highest summit and a view into Avalanche Pass.
Mt. Jo
A short two mile climb to the classic Heart Lake and High Peaks panorama in under two hours.
Mirror Lake
Paddle at dawn when the water is glass, with loons and Whiteface reflected upside down.
Saranac Chain of Lakes
Linked lakes, ponds and locks forming some of the finest flatwater canoe country in the Northeast.
Ausable Chasm
A two mile sandstone gorge walked on trails and catwalks, with rafting and an adventure course.
High Falls Gorge
An easy walkway past four waterfalls, done in 45 minutes and suitable for all ages.
Best hotels in Lake Placid
Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa
Defining luxury inn since the 1920s with a private beach, spa and lake facing rooms.
The Whiteface Lodge
Timber and stone Great Camp resort with suites, spa, pools and a private beach club.
Lake Placid Lodge
Adults oriented big lake cabins and suites where seclusion is the point.
Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort
Best located mid range resort, directly on Mirror Lake with a private sandy beach.
High Peaks Resort
Larger modernised Main Street resort with pools, a Lake House and easy parking.
Crowne Plaza Lake Placid
Hilltop hotel above the Olympic Center with big views and golf club access.
Hotel North Woods
Historic Main Street hotel for location first travellers who spend on food instead.
Cambria Hotel Lake Placid
Newer chain reliable hotel at the village entrance with rooms and a pool.
Is Lake Placid expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $120 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $240 a person |
| Splurge | $480 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lake Placid Olympic Jumping Complex: a few days ahead
- Mount Van Hoevenberg: months ahead
- The Wild Center: a few days ahead
- Whiteface Mountain: weeks ahead
- Ausable Chasm: a few days ahead
- Whiteface Club Golf Course: weeks ahead
- The View Restaurant at Mirror Lake Inn: weeks ahead
- Salt of the Earth Bistro: weeks ahead
- Book the Mt Van Hoevenberg Bobsled Experience first after lodging, it runs limited days.
- Reserve The View, Salt of the Earth and Caffe Rustica days to weeks ahead in peak periods.
- Arrive at Cascade, the Loj and Whiteface summit parking before 7 to 8am on peak weekends.
- Book hotels months ahead for Ironman, foliage peak, Christmas to New Year and Presidents Week.
Is Lake Placid safe?
- Overall a very safe village. Risks are environmental, not criminal. Lock your car at trailheads.
- Carry map, headlamp, layers, food and water in the mountains and turn around on a bad forecast.
- Use the lifeguarded Mirror Lake beach if not a confident swimmer. Bear canisters are required for Eastern High Peaks overnighters.
Lake Placid travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do not do the Whiteface summit without checking the summit forecast and webcam that morning.
- High Falls Gorge is a paid 45 minute walk, not a wilderness hike.
- The Ausable Chasm float is short with a long line. The gorge walk is the value.
- Do not rush all Olympic venues in one day. Pick two properly.
Getting around Lake Placid: public transport and more
- You need a car for Whiteface, Van Hoevenberg and trailheads, but not for the compact village.
- Walk Main Street to the Olympic Center and Mirror Lake beach. A seasonal trolley has run in past years.
- Winter driving needs snow tyres or AWD. Download offline maps as High Peaks service is patchy.
Who Lake Placid suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Lake Placid your trip
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