Three Reasons To Visit Adirondack Park

In early August – my family and I took a trip to upstate New York to visit Adirondack State Park. Here, we have our home away from home – the Adirondack Loj (yes it’s intentionally spelled that way). We’ve been coming here for many years on our family vacations. I’ve spent summers here as a care free child, an awkward teenager, and now a nature loving adult. My dad discovered it while he was a young boy scout, took my mother there while dating, and then introduced it to his three daughters. He says it hasn’t changed since he was a young boy and that’s why we love this place. Even though we keep changing it stays the same. The mountains, the trails, the lake — they stay constant in a fast changing world!

Outside of the sentimental reasons, the ADK is a fantastic place to explore and take a break. Check out my top three reasons to visit below. Hopefully I’ll convince you to plan your next trip here!

Why I Love the Adirondack Park

1. Simple Living

Located in the middle of Adirondack State Park, you have to drive about 8 miles through a winding road off the main highway to get to the Loj – it’s far away from the noise and distraction of the modern world. The Loj itself is rustic – built in the 1920s, it offers simple, community minded lodging. There is a huge communal room with a gorgeous stone fireplace and an old piano that sits in the corner. Event better, there are no TVs, no computers — just books, games, and conversation. Family style breakfast and dinner (which are announced by the banging of pots and pans) are served and made on site from locally sourced ingredients. It’s some of the best eating I’ve ever had, especially after long days spent hiking. The rooms themselves are spartan but offer warm blankets and beds. The bathroom is communal which further emphasizes the lodge’s community spirit. Its not what some people would call luxurious and is instead about living simply – which is what I love.

2. Incredible Hiking

I love the green forests and rounded peaks of the Adirondack Park. There is nothing like waking up early in the morning and spending a day in the woods to climb your way to a mountaintop with a rewarding view. My parents always joke that when we were younger my sisters and I would do nothing but complain and cry on the trails – but now we’ve grown to love the journey up a mountain. The hiking we do isn’t for the faint of heart since the trails can get pretty steep! I love trying to figure out the best way to scale huge rocks and boulders, splashing through streams, and stepping in the mud. Once you reach the top of a peak there is no better feeling – I will not lie the whole way up I’m cursing whose idea it was to go on this hike (usually mine) but I promise once you see the views its all worth it. The first pic below is the scene you see when you’re coming out of the woods just before the peak – its always a welcome sight!

3. Heart Lake

There is something so special to me about Heart Lake. The first thing I do each morning at the Loj is grab a cup of tea and head to the pier to see the morning mist on the mountains. In the afternoon after a long day of hiking our family spends time swimming, reading, and kayaking in order to rest our sore limbs. In the evening Heart Lake never fails to provide my favorite sunset view in the world – the pier faces west and I love watching the sky turn from a fiery orange to dusky purple. The atmosphere is incredibly quiet on the lake and when you’re the only one around you hear the occasional splash of a fish or bird and that’s it — its such a contrast to the noise of the outside world. If you need to come to a place to find inner peace, Heart Lake is it.