Vacation Lodging in the Adirondacks
Blue Mountain Rest was featured in THE WEEK magazine in the Travel section. Page 30 under Leisure, May 15th, 2015
Enjoy spring in a cabin just south of the High Peaks region in New York’s Adirondack Park. Through June 23, book a white-water rafting trip and save 20 percent on lodging. Hiking, swimming, biking and kayaking are also available. bluemountainrest.com
If you are a birder the Birding Festival is in June. Here is a list of all the species of birds one of our guests saw a few years ago, all within 20 miles of Blue Mountain Rest:
American crow, American goldfinch, American redstart, American robin, Barn swallow, Black and white warbler, Black-capped chickadee, Black-throated blue warbler, Black-throated green warbler, Blackburnian warbler, Blue Jay, Bonaparte’s Gull, Boreal chickadee, Brown-headed cowbird, Cedar waxwing, Chipping sparrow, Common grackle, Common loon, Common merganser, Common raven, Common yellowthroat, Dark-eyed junco, Downy woodpecker, Gray catbird, Great blue heron, Hairy woodpecker, Herring gull, Hooded merganser, Magnolia warbler, Mallard, Mourning dove, Northern flicker, Osprey, Ovenbird, Palm warbler, Pileated woodpecker, Pine warbler, Purple finch, Red-breasted nuthatch, Red-tailed hawk, Red-wing blackbird, Ring-necked duck, Rose-breasted grosbeak, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Ruffed grouse, Scarlet tanager, Song sparrow, Swainson’s Thrush, Swamp sparrow, Tree swallow, Tufted titmouse, Turkey vulture, Veery, White-breasted nuthatch, White-throated sparrow, Wild turkey, Wood thrush, Yellow-rumped warbler, Yellow warbler, and Yellow-bellied sapsucker.
Effective August 30th – Sept 8th
If you are into Canoe or Kayak racing come out today to watch or participate in the 55th Annual White Water Derby in upstate’s Adirondack Mts. This is a two day event scheduled May 5th, 6th. If you are an avid skier, Gore Mt in North Creek should ring a bell. Most of the afternoon & evening festivities will be celebrated here. Morning registration at the Train Depot gets the Slalom racers started upstream in North River with the race starting at 11AM.
Saturday May 5th- a host of activities will ensue. Slalom awards at Cooperfields later in the afternoon, craft fair and food vendors, pony rides at Riverfront Park, fly fishing demos, free raft rides on the Hudson, a guided hike to Rabbit Pond, Bike rides and Mt Bike Tours as well as several exhibits. Including the Spinning Wheel, Wild Center/Adirondack Wildlife, Birds of Prey and Warren County Hatchery Trout Release Exhibits. There will be live music, Adirondack Bluegrass in the afternoon and the Lazy Sons perform right on main street capping off with Michael La Point and at Copperfields in the evening where you can get $4 Margaritas.
Sunday May 6th- 11 AM, The Whitewater Derby continues down steam starting at the Hudson River Pavilion North and Down River awards end up in Riparius at race end. Besides many of the 2 day exhibits the North Creek Depot Museum will be open, there will be a Horseshoe Tournament, various kids games and live music by Finger Diddle at Riverfront Park.
Also, this weekend The White Water Challengers will host the grand opening of the Aerial Zip Course and Woods Paintball and Target Range in North Creek. The Aerial Zip Course is a series of eight bridge elements, two zap lines and the Big Finish zip line. The paintball range will have family activities and the Woods Paintball fields will feature natural rock & tree barriers and strategically positioned blinds for all players.
It’s going to be a beautiful spring weekend in the Adirondacks, so bring the family and have some fun.
Took my first mountain bike ride in ions. A quick jaunt to the old Lake Durant carriage road. Pretty lake side ride. Perfect biking weather, about 56 degrees and sunny today.
Have been a member of the ADK Mountain Club for 3 years but inactive. I just found out they get together every week for hiking, canoeing, kayaking, snow shoeing & x-country skiing. Wondering about mt. biking. Gotta get the old bones moving again. And want to experience the lakes with the club. So many lakes near Blue Mt Lake.
Sure there are higher mountains elsewhere but it is sure pretty here in the Adirondacks. There are some great trails for hiking too. Trails to Blue Mt, Snowy Mt and Oak Mt are all less than 15 minutes away. With the exception of the High Peaks in Lake Placid these are some of the highest mts in The ADK’s.
Lenny Baglieri
Proprietor
Blue Mountain Rest
First I applaud your initial efforts but as you know the game is changing now. The powers that be are starting to crack down. It’s time to get serious. Not only should you start marching on Washington in massive numbers, here is my message to the leadership of the movement- it is time to come up with simple but concrete action. Talk in their language….money. Three strategies will get their attention. 1) For all those who have bank accounts with big banks: Bank of America, Citibank, Chase and all the others that were bailed out, pull your money out. Pull your money out of their accounts and put it in your local community banks and credit unions. 2) Stop using their credit cards, period. In fact, cut them up. 3) If have invested in the stock market sell or move your stocks out of the big brokerage houses like Goldman Sacks, Merrill Lynch and the like. I am certain they will no longer see your efforts as not having a unified message. So spread this gospel to all that should hear it. Beat the drum and make it your mantra.
It’s the prime season- summertime! If you haven’t made your vacation plans now is the time to do it.
The Adirondacks in New York State attracts vacationers from all over the US but also, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, the Mid – East, Northern Africa, Central & South America.
What’s the draw? Maybe it is the 6 million acres of untouched and unspoiled environment, over a thousand crystal clear lakes, gorgeous mountain views, with some of the highest peaks in New York near Saranac & Lake Placid, Blue Mt. Lake and Indian Lake. Deemed “forever wild” the Adirondacks is one of, if not the largest, National Parks in the country.
Maybe it is the wildlife which amazes vacationers in there natural habitat. Dozens of species of bird: including the iconic Loon & Osprey, deer, moose, black bear, coyote, bobcat, coy dog, otter, beaver, hawk or the endless number of steams and lakes stocked with hundreds of species of fish.
Maybe its how much fun you can have sharing this precious space with nature. Canoe, kayak, go white water rafting, rent a pontoon boat, water ski, wind surf, horseback ride, take a seaplane ride, hike, mt bike, spend time on a beach (that’s right I said beach, almost every lake has one and that means swimming in some of the freshest water that streamed down the mountain after the big winter melt offs), golf, jet ski, and fish, fish, fish.
Maybe it’s the history. Learn about W. Durant and how he built the Great Camps in the 1800’s, go to Sagamore and especially the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mt Lake. A world class facility that you can literally spend two days in learning about how the railroad barons built the camps for their summer guests. Did you know that Prospect Point in Blue Mt Lake had the first hotel in the world with electricity?! A 300 room facility with spectacular lake views.
Maybe it’s the designer shopping in Lake Placid or the 1980 Olympic Center. The Wild Center in Tupper Lake an interactive, naturalist museum educating adults and children alike about the indigenous wildlife of the central Adirondacks. Or the Arts and Cultural Center in Blue Mt Lake. Or taking a Dinner Cruise on Raquette Lake. Going to the Enchanted Forest, an amusement and water park in Old Forge.
In a brief interview with Lenny Baglieri a hotelier in Blue Mt Lake, owner of Blue Mt Rest, kind of summed it up. “In the five and a half years we have been operating I’ve had clients come from: Denmark, Finland, Holland, England, Germany, Spain, Italy, a country in the Slovac region which was once part of Yugoslavia, Israel, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Panama, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Japan and India. That’s just one’s I can remember off the top of my head in addition to all the Americans that come from all over the US. It’s a wonderful place to bring your family”.
It certainly is an international destination, don’t hesitate to reserve a room today because before you know it the summer will be over.
The central Adirondack region has a maze of trails in a topography that can range up to 3,900 vertical feet. Snowy Mt in Indian Lake, Blue Mt in Blue Mt Lake and Oak Mt in Long Lake are some of the highest peaks in New York. The Adirondack State Park is a perfect unspoiled back drop to your vacation adventure offering spectacular panoramic views overlooking dozens of crystal clear lakes.
The NY State Trail System in this central region has a rich variety of terrain for the beginner or expert; Sprague Pond offers the flattest, easiest and shortest trek of just .3 mi, more moderate to difficult trails Chimminy and Wakely Mts are 1.1 to 3 mile jaunts or the 7.9 mile difficult to steep Sucker Brook trail is in Indian Lake. Hiking Blue Mt has the Castle rock and Tirrell Pond trails that can even connect you to the Northville- Lake Placid Trial – which extends 130 miles for the hard core long distance enthusiast. But there are dozens of other trails Rock Lake, Baldface Mt, Sawyer Mt & Bullhead Pond just to name a few.
If you road bike Rts 28, 30 & 30N are the main thorough fares that will bring you to the towns of Speculator to south, Indian Lake, Blue Mt Lake, Raquette Lake to the northwest and Long Lake or Tupper Lake to the northeast. Just pedaling thru these areas will give you the true flavor & sheer beauty of the Adirondacks. You’ll see majestic mountains, blue lakes and picture perfect vistas at almost every turn.
All of the off road trails are good for hiking, many for mountain biking in the warmer seasons and snowmobiling, snow shoeing or x-country skiing in winter. In the town of Inlet there are some of the best mountain biking trails in the whole northeast. The Black Fly Challenge just sported over 390 contestants this past Saturday June 11th. For the avid mt biker contact Pedals and Petals for more info about the area and next years contest. Over $3,000 in prize money was given away at that event.
The local chambers of commerce have trail maps as well as many of the lodging facilities for easy review of the general area.
Blue Mt Lake is the epicenter of this hiking and biking mecca. Blue Mountain Rest has Hiking and Biking Specials for discounted lodging rates and is just one of the recommended lodging facilities there; as well as, Prospect Point Cottages, The Hedges & Hemlock Hall. Do a Google search and enjoy your experience in the overwhelming expanse of the Adirondack State Park.
June 17th – 19th Fathers Day Weekend. Get Dad out of the office and into nature. Is he the outdoorsy, adventurous type? Book a room in a rustic cabin, cottage or lakefront resort so he can spend some quality time with the whole family.
Does he like to go fishing, kayak, canoe, hike, mt bike, water ski, golf, horseback ride or go white water rafting? How about something more laid back like renting a flotilla like a pontoon boat for a lazy afternoon on a lake; go to the Adirondack Museum, take a dinner cruise on Raquette Lake or see one of the Great Camps at Sagamore. What about something a little more exciting like taking a seaplane ride to get a birds eye view of some of the most beautiful lakes and mountains in the central region of the Adirondack State park in NY.
Blue Mt Lake is the central hub of all of this activity where you will find some wonderful lodging and all of these fantastic activities. A few to mention- some historic seasonal full service resorts like The Hedges & Hemlock Hall or more moderate, cozy accommodations like Curry’s Cabins or Blue Mountain Rest who was featured in Time Out Magazine, NY. All dressed in Adirondack decor and a great place to give dad a relaxing respite from the everyday.
ADIRONDACK BOREAL BIRDS
Bird watching in the Adirondacks is marked by the Hamilton County Birding Festival, held annually the second weekend of June. This year’s Festival will be held June 10-12, and has grown to become a premiere regional attraction in celebration of Adirondack Boreal Birds. The three-day event will feature guided hikes, canoe excursions, driving safaris, walks, a cruise and evening presentations.
Registration is required for each outdoor activity. A complete festival schedule of activities is available at the Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce, participating Festival businesses, the Indian Lake Town Hall, at www.adirondackexperience.com or call 518-548-3076.
Welcome Birders… to the 7th Annual Hamilton County Birding Festival Featuring… The Usual Suspects: A Sampler of ADK Specialty Birds The Boreal birds of the Adirondacks Presented By John Thaxton, author, photographer and noted Adirondack Birder Saturday, June 11, 7:30 PM Indian Lake Theater Admission: $5.00 Sponsors: Hamilton County Tourism, Indian Lake Chamber of Commerce, Town of Indian Lake.
INDIAN LAKE – As part of this year’s 7th Annual Hamilton County Birding Festival, join author and noted Adirondack birder, John Thaxton , for an evening of educational entertainment highlighting the lives and habits of boreal species found in the Adirondacks. John will present, “The Usual Suspects: A Sampler of Adirondack Specialty Birds”, Saturday June 11, 7:30 pm at the Indian Lake Theater. He will share information about bicknell’s thrush, black-backed woodpecker, palm warbler and others including: wood warblers, olive-sided and yellow bellied fly catchers, gray jays, three toed woodpeckers, boreal chickadees unique to the boreal landscape of Northern Hamilton County.
John is the author of 6 books and has written articles for “The Kingbird,” “Birder’s World” and “Adirondack Life.” He recently has started writing a regular column, “Birdwatch,” for “Adirondack Explorer.” John is also an accomplished photographer whose work has appeared in numerous magazines and a veteran leader of birding field trips.
Discount coupons will be available at the Chamber of Commerce, Town Hall, at participating businesses and at www.indian-lake.com. For further Festival information, please call Kristina Eldridge at the Chamber: 518-648-5112.
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