New York's Lake Placid Has Stunning Wilderness, a New Boutique Hotel, and the Longest Mountain Roller Coaster in North America

The American summer vacation was born not at the beach but in the mountains. In the late 19th century, elite families like the Carnegies, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts “vacated” their Manhattan homes in search of fresh air and cooler temperatures, building seasonal retreats called “Great Camps” in the Adirondack mountains, in northeastern New York. Today, the Adirondack Park—which has been protected as “forever wild” by the New York State Constitution since 1892—is the largest publicly preserved area in the Lower 48, covering 6 million acres. That’s more than Everglades, Glacier, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone National Parks combined.

Today, the most charming gateway to this outdoor playground is Lake Placid, a village that has hosted two Olympic Winter Games (in 1932 and 1980) and is close to some of the area’s best hiking. Several hotels have debuted in the past year, including the stylish Eastwind Lake Placid, a cozy property set along the Chubb River. (Eastwind also has two locations downstate, in the Catskills region.) The 21 rooms and eight cabins reflect the brand’s Scandinavian-chic aesthetic, with vintage touches throughout, like wooden tennis rackets on the walls and old copies of Adirondack Life magazine. The grounds also include a sauna, a pool, a fire pit and barbecue area, a private dining cabin, and a bar and lounge.

Many of the town’s historic sporting facilities have had upgrades, too. December saw the opening of the renovated Lake Placid Olympic Museum, plus two revamped ice arenas and a speed-skating oval. The Olympic Jumping Complex and Mount Van Hoevenberg — where bobsled, skeleton, luge, biathlon, and cross-country-skiing events are held in winter, along with indoor climbing and biking in the summer — were also refreshed. Plus, the Cliffside Coaster, the longest mountain roller coaster in North America, opened in 2022. All venues are accessible to the public, and this year, a Legacy Sites Passport bundles admittance to all Olympic spaces.

Still, sometimes an old-fashioned hike is just the ticket. Ten minutes outside of town is Mount Marcy, the state’s highest peak, reached via a 16-mile thigh-burner. For something more mellow, take the 5.8-mile trail to the summit of Hurricane Mountain. At the top, climb the fire tower and soak in the 360-degree view of the wilderness—one almost unchanged from the time of the Great Camps.

A version of this story first appeared in the July 2023 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline "Shaping Up."