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Adirondack Adventure (page 3 of 4)

6. Lake Placid
Alpine skiing was introduced near the sleepy village of Lake Placid nearly 100 years ago. As the sport has grown, so too has the community, which hosted the Winter Olympics in both 1932 and 1980. The cheers and thrills that characterized the athletic events have long since subsided, but today Lake Placid -- no matter what its name may suggest -- remains the vibrant hub for the High Peaks region. Visitors to its downtown area can browse in art galleries, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, or simply enjoy the views of the lake.

Sightseers can also spend their time taking in the many signs of the past Olympics. Luge and bobsled runs slash down the hillsides at the Mt. Van Hoevenburg Recreation Area; two massive ski jumps, set atop a prominent knoll, tower high into the sky; and the Olympic Center houses ice-skating rinks. These areas are not just showpieces, either; many American athletes aspiring to one day win a gold medal come to train here and perfect their skills year-round.

A dreamer of a different sort, abolitionist John Brown, lived and farmed in the Lake Placid area more than 100 years ago -- his 244-acre homestead lies to the southeast of town. Visitors are welcome to explore its woods and fields and to learn about the man who was tried and executed for leading an attempted raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

7. Whiteface Mountain
For many visitors to the Adirondack Park, the drive up the slopes of Whiteface Mountain, whose bold summit stands at 4,867 feet, is the superlative experience. The winding eight-mile Veterans Memorial Highway, opened to traffic by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, ends just 500 feet below the summit, which visitors can reach by means of a stone walkway or by an elevator that ascends through a shaft carved deep within the mountain's granite core.

An observation deck crowns the mountaintop, where the assault of winter weather is quite apparent. Only a few hardy lichens are able to survive -- quite a contrast to the views of the forests that stretch all the way to the horizon in every direction. On clear days you also see Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River.

Backtracking to Lake Placid, take the time to stop at High Falls Gorge, situated near the base of the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area. The deep cleft was sliced into a mass of layered rock by the West Branch of the Ausable River. A thundering waterfall shoots between the walls, dropping 100 feet, then another 600 feet over three downriver ledges. Bridges and pathways -- wooden boardwalks that cling to the cliffsides -- make for unforgettable views of the river, which rushes and roars below.

You should also keep an eye out for unusual vegetation. One plant, the rare Lapland rosebay, resembles a rhododendron and manages a toehold in the merest of crevices.

8. Saranac Lake
The thermometer's ''mercury ... curls up into the bulb like a hibernating bear,'' lamented the noted author Robert Louis Stevenson, who spent six months at Saranac Lake in 1887-88. He had come hoping that the crisp air would check his tuberculosis, which was being treated at a sanatorium established by Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau. Stevenson's onetime cottage, preserved as a museum, displays memorabilia recalling his life. The village of Saranac Lake, settled in 1819, provides travelers with yet another entryway to the wilds. Camping, hiking, canoeing, and fishing await among the inter connected lakes and streams, parts of which are designated as the St. Regis Canoe Area. Popular too is the town's Winter Carnival, an annual festival highlighted by the creation of an elaborate castle built of ice.