5 Things to do Near Lake Placid NY

We've been really surprised by upstate New York! There's so much beautiful scenery and lots of amazing places to explore. This week we found ourselves at North Pole Campground in Wilmington, NY.

I think we originally booked this place because of the movie Lake Placid, even though it was shot nowhere near here (it was actually shot across three different ponds in British Columbia). There IS an actual lake called Lake Placid, and a town as well!

The town was insanely busy pretty much every time we passed through, and we could really never find a place to actually park (too many people, not enough town).

But if you get OUTSIDE of town there's lots to do!

Flume Trails & Flume Falls

There's a network of 10 miles of trails ranging from easy to difficult. A lot of them offer really good views of the river, and have so much moss!! It's eerily reminiscent of the PNW, and really took us by surprise. Be sure to also visit Flume Falls here!

Cooperas Pond

This pond was a somewhat uphill hike totaling a mile out and back. Really secluded feeling, and is a great spot to cool off on a hot day. There were lots of locals out and about here, some swimming, and some just lounging on the rocks and enjoying the day.

Cobble Lookout

This 2.5 mile hike takes you out to some pretty great views of the central Adirondacks. The view was O.K, but the hike was actually better! The sun was breaking through just right, there were leaves on the ground, and it gave that feeling of FALL IS COMING! Also there was this creepy owl there that was the star of the show.

Stagbrook Falls

This wonderful little waterfall is found in the strangest of locations; inside Whiteface Ski Mountain! The trailhead can be hard to find, but if you park in one of the dirt lots, and start heading up towards the mountain, you should see the sign for the trailhead.

A very, very short walk back and it opens up and there's a waterfall there! Its really cool because you don't expect a waterfall here! And the fact that you don't have to walk very far is the best part. It's a great place to escape the summer heat!

Whitebrook Dairy Bar

This small ice cream place has been in operation since 1968. What's most peculiar about this place is the rather creepy hot dog mascot out front! Not sure where that comes from, but the food was decent, the prices were right, and the maple milkshake was like liquid pancakes!

There was a lot that we didn't get to see here, and we can't wait to return some day in the fall to view those amazing colors!