The Adirondacks, by PBaruch (October 2020)

[PBaruch]

Not long after returning from our crazy summer road trip (https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=119570.0), the big city blues set in.  For whatever the reason, we are usually happiest on the road and trail.  Also, NYC is quite depressing and miserable these days.  After going through the mail, paying the bills, and sleeping for about a week straight, the itch started up again.  With chol hamoed Succos falling out optimally this year, we decided to drive upstate to the Adirondack region.  Our plan was to visit Ausable Chasm, do some hiking in the Adirondacks, and visit a few historic sites.  A friend and his family joined us, although we only ended up visiting Ausable Chasm together. 

We decided to stay at the Fairfield Inn in Plattsburgh, New York, near the Canadian border.  This hotel was the closest Marriott branded property that I was able to find near Ausable Chasm, was relatively new, and a bargain at only 17.5k Marriott points per night.  My only complaints related to the lousy shower water pressure and shower head, and the cheap bath towels.  We called the hotel ahead of our visit to inquire if the pool was open, and were told that only one person/family was permitted to use the pool at any given time.  During our stay, we reserved a time slot and had the entire pool and hot tub to ourselves for several hours. We could have had more pool time as the hotel was relatively empty, but were too busy with other activities.  Information about this hotel can be found here:

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/pbgfi-fairfield-inn-and-suites-plattsburgh/

Part 1 - Ausable Chasm

I visited Ausable Chasm years ago when I was single, but DW and the kids had never been there.  Having fond memories of my last trip there, it was a worthwhile visit to return with the family.   Information about Ausable Chasm can be found here:

https://www.ausablechasm.com/

We visited Ausable Chasm during the last week it was open, and it is now closed for the winter.  There are many different activities at the Chasm, but pretty much all were closed due to the pandemic.  We booked a "Riverwalk" guided tour and purchased "Basic Admission" tickets for entry to the trails.

 Ausable Chasm, NY (DSC_9443) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Ausable Chasm, NY (DSC_9388) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Walking through the gorge:

Ausable Chasm, NY by P Bryan, on Flickr

Traversing a rope bridge:

Ausable Chasm, New York by P Bryan, on Flickr

Friends in the woods:

Ausable Chasm, NY (DSC_9418) by P Bryan, on Flickr

We spent half a day at the Chasm and all had a good time.  If you are in the general vicinity, it is a worthwhile visit.  However, it may not be suitable to visit with very young children.

Since there was still some daylight left, we decided to venture into Vermont, a short distance away over a bridge, so little one could add to his list of visited states.  We passed by a sign for Alburgh Dunes State Park and decided to visit.  Apparently, there are dunes somewhere, but we couldn't find them.  We did find a playground and beach and little one had lots of fun at the playground:

Alburgh Dunes State Park, VT, USA (DSC_9446) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Alburgh Dunes State Park, VT, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

The beach - must be a pretty nice place in summer:

Alburgh Dunes State Park, VT, USA (DSC_9449) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Part 2 - Catamount Mountain Hike in Adirondack State Park

Wanting to get out and hike in the Adirondacks, I researched various trails near Plattsburgh, and discovered Catamount Mountain.  Based upon a description of the trail, it looked like we probably couldn't complete it with the entire family but I thought we might be able to do most of it.  Wishful thinking. 

I used a few resources to research hiking trails.  One good resource is the Alltrails website:

https://www.alltrails.com/

Another good resource is a book called 50 Hikes in the Adirondack Mountains, which provides very thorough information.  This book can be purchased here:

https://www.amazon.com/Hikes-Adirondack-Mountains-1st-Explorers/dp/1682683036/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2EDX3K7N1TQ1U&dchild=1&keywords=50+hikes+in+the+adirondack+mountains&qid=1603249025&sprefix=50+hikes+in+the+ad%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-2

We looked up the weather forecast before leaving and saw that it called for rain on the second day of our trip (not counting the first day spent driving up to Plattsburgh).  We kept checking the weather forecast which didn't change and ultimately the prediction was for 100% chance of rain.
 
Weather Forecast, Plattsburgh, NY by P Bryan, on Flickr

However, the morning was supposed to be clear, giving us a few hours for some hiking.  DW roused us out of the hotel for an early start and we were off.  My friend's family, however, didn't get an early start and couldn't join us for the hike.

Catamount Mountain, New York (DSC_9460) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Parking at the trailhead:

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9463) by P Bryan, on Flickr

The trail register:

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9466) by P Bryan, on Flickr

And we were off:

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9469) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9475) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9477) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Beautiful fall colors:

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9480) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Trail marker on a tree - makes it kind of hard to get lost:

Catamount Mountain, NY (DSC_9504) by P Bryan, on Flickr

After about an hour on the trail, 2/3 kids started to kvetch and it began to rain, so it was time to turn around and head back.  The remainder of the day was a complete wash out, but we took the opportunity to drive around and explore the Lake Placid area.

Part 3- The Long Way Home

Not wanting to waste the final day of our trip with simply driving home, we decided to stop off at various spots along the way back to NYC.  Our first stop of the day was Fort Crown Point, where you can see the ruins of a British fort built in 1759.  Information about Fort Crown Point can be found here:

https://parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/34/details.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Crown_Point

There was no charge to enter the site.  We mostly had the entire fort ruins to ourselves, and were able to wander around undisturbed.

Fort Crown Point, NY, USA (DSC_9512) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Crown Point, NY, USA (DSC_9521) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Crown Point, NY, USA (DSC_9532) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Crown Point, NY, USA (DSC_9545) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Crown Point, NY, USA (DSC_9548) by P Bryan, on Flickr

A short distance away is Fort Ticonderoga, another 18th century fort.  Information about Fort Ticonderoga can be found here:

https://www.fortticonderoga.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga

Road to the fort:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9551) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Like Fort Crown Point, Fort Ticonderoga was also built in the 18th century and was the site of many battles.  It's interesting to think about how so many fought and died over these installations that are now tourist attractions. 

We paid the admission fee and first went to the corn maze.

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9553) by P Bryan, on Flickr

So many choices - which way to go?

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

Yes, there was still corn on the stalks:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9555) by P Bryan, on Flickr

An then we were off to the actual fort. 

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9587) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9571) by P Bryan, on Flickr

We are in חשוב company:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9576) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Looking for redcoats:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9566) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Cannons at the fort:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9563) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9568) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9572) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9575) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Staring down into the barrel of a cannon:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9581) by P Bryan, on Flickr

We found redcoats, but don't worry - they were friendly:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9584) by P Bryan, on Flickr

We saw a shoemaker making shoes the old-fashioned way.  The shoemaker said it took him 40 hours to make one pair of shoes, and if he sold a pair, he would charge $800 USD:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9577) by P Bryan, on Flickr

And we visited the tailor:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9583) by P Bryan, on Flickr

We were too late for lunch:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9580) by P Bryan, on Flickr

Crumbling walls after more than 200 years:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9582) by P Bryan, on Flickr

We saw a demonstration where the soldiers shot one of the old-time cannons.  If you look closely to the left of the soldier wearing the blue jacket you will see a cannonball in midair:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (Cannon Demonstration) by P Bryan, on Flickr

A short drive from the fort was Mount Defiance.  View of the fort from the top:

Fort Ticonderoga, NY, USA (DSC_9588) by P Bryan, on Flickr

After Mount Defiance, we drove to Lake George where we visited the Adirondack Indoor Gun Range, information about which can be found here:

https://www.adirondackgunrange.com/

Adirondack Gun Range, NY, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

So many choices:

Adirondack Gun Range, NY, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

We rented two semi-automatic assault rifles - a SIG and a Tavor and bought two boxes of ammunition.  For some reason, the Tavor didn't like the ammunition we were using so we had to swap it out for another SIG.

The older kids had a blast and said it was their favorite part of the trip:

Adirondack Gun Range, NY, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

Adirondack Gun Range, NY, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

Middle kid was the best shot of the group:

Adirondack Gun Range, NY, USA by P Bryan, on Flickr

After the gun range, we made our way home, arriving late at night.  Along the way we stopped at a rest stop for an impromptu meal using our butane camp stove.  Little one was so hungry that he ended up eating one burger and two hot dogs. 

Part 4 - Parting Thoughts

I was on the fence about posting this trip report, but ultimately decided that someone would probably enjoy it (hopefully I am right) and find the information useful.  As with almost everything else this year, this isn't one of our typical trips.

Thanks for reading and we hope that you enjoyed this trip report.

[Yehoshua]

You write such nice TRs and share very nice pictures! Thanks for sharing!

[yitzgar]

Excellent, thanks!

[Traveler718]

Another great TR, thanks so much for taking the time to write it up, and in such a user-friendly format!

Do you recall the approximate prices from the gun range for the rentals and ammo? I tried looking on their website but couldn't find any concrete numbers.

[PBaruch]

Another great TR, thanks so much for taking the time to write it up, and in such a user-friendly format!

Do you recall the approximate prices from the gun range for the rentals and ammo? I tried looking on their website but couldn't find any concrete numbers.

For one rifle and a box of ammo came out to about $90 total.

[BrooklynCPA]

Grear TR. It's good tp know there are some good trip options drivable from Tristate area!!!

[PBaruch]

@Yehoshua, @yitzgar, @Traveler718, and @BrooklynCPA

Thank you for your kind replies.

[BKYW]

Thank You.
Did Ausuble chasm several years ago.
Lake placid had some indoor stuff.
You can take a ferry to Vermont.
An hour and so + from Burlington is Stowe.
Howe Caverns is an option on the way

[iluv2travel]

Wow, amazing stuff! Going onto my bucket list. Thanks!

[Moshe123]

Thanks so much! I've driven up the 87 so many times in my life and didn't know about any of this.

[Moes Tavern]

Great TR.

Ausable Chasm is now on my to do list.

[mgarfin]

Thanks for sharing.
Was at Ausable Chasm with my parents 25 years ago.
Still planning to get the family back at some point.

[Yitz]

Beautiful, really enjoyed review

[Yehuda25]

Beautiful, really enjoyed review

+1

[Cat18]

Never heard of this place. Definitely worth a trip.

[CountValentine]

Nice TR and I agree with your older ones. 

[yitzgar]

Is it worth doing ausable chasm with a toddler? Anything to see without hiking?

[PBaruch]

Is it worth doing ausable chasm with a toddler? Anything to see without hiking?

There are some easy level trails that you can do but if that is all you will be doing it's not worth paying the admission price.  I'd skip it until the kid(s) are older.

[ushdadude]

Awesome write up!
Who knew there is cool stuff to do in NYS

[yitzgar]

There are some easy level trails that you can do but if that is all you will be doing it's not worth paying the admission price.  I'd skip it until the kid(s) are older.

Thanks