Overview

Mention Lake Placid and you think winter sports, right? It's something of a legacy in these parts, memories of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics that were held here.

But in summer, long after the snowpack has edged away and the Adirondacks are abloom, there's still an Olympic feel to the place, with many winter Olympians coming here to train for a shot at the gold.  Lake Placid has been a summer vacation destination for more than a century, long before skiing came to the region, and the area comes alive when the warm winds blow.

Golf always has been a favorite pastime here. The biggest names in golf laid out major golf courses in the region decades before anyone cut a ski trail.

There's something wrong if you can't find a place to camp, New York State established the Adirondack State Park in 1882, more than six million acres of prime forestlands, as large as the entire state of Vermont. The region boasts the highest peaks in the state, 46 are over 4,000 feet high, and an extensive shore line along Lake Champlain. Hiking (2,000 miles of trails) and boat access on state lands are free and treasured by those who take to the woods and lakes to unwind.

Take your pick. Pitch a tent or check into a budget motel or luxury hotel. Most summer visitors head to Lake Placid to escape the city and most prefer to "rough it" a little. That said, there are plenty of places where you can check in and be pampered for a few days.

Lake Placid lies in the northeast portion of the Adirondacks. Most visitors arrive by car or bus. Interstate 87 runs to the east. From the south, exit at Route 30. Take Route 9 to Route 73 which goes straight into the Lake Placid area. From the north, exit at Exit 34 west. Take Route 9N to Route 86 to the Lake Placid region.

The closest major airport is in Albany, 120 miles to the south. Other major airports within 2.5 hours are at Burlington, Vt., and Montreal, Canada. Smaller airports are in Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake, and Lake Placid.