In July 2008 my family vacationed on Upper Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in NY. We rented a house directly on the peaceful lake for 1 week. See description & pictures of the house. We enjoyed our morning coffee on the dock overlooking the lake, hiking on Ampersand Mountain, cruising on my brother Jack's boat, fishing, water skiing, and visiting Lake Placid.
It is great to vacation with family! My husband and I vacationed with my brother Jack and his wife Eileen and their 2 kids Jim and Richie, and my brother Mike. Oh, and how can I forget? 2 awesome Labrador retrievers named Shawnee and Koda! The dogs had the time of their lives swimming in the lake and running around.
My most favorite adventure was hiking to the summit of Ampersand Mountain located in Tupper Lake/Saranac Lake region. It is 5.6 miles and the rise is 1,790! We read about this trail from 50 Hikes in the Adirondacks: Short Walks, Day Trips, and Backpacks Throughout the Park, Fourth Edition
by Barbara McMartin.
The trail started off relatively easy, but it continued to get more strenuous and turned into rock climbing by the end! All of us were exhausted, but we all made it to the top! The views of the lakes, mountains, and trees were breathtaking and made the effort worthwhile. Actually, it was very rewarding because it was so physically challenging. It was very windy at the summit so to anyone thinking about hiking to the top, please be careful.
Hiking Ampersand Mountain in the Adironacks
Ampersand Mountain
Anyway, I recommend going to Upper Saranac Lake for vacation if you want to get away from it all, enjoy the great outdoors, and relax. You will not be bothered by noisy boats zooming around on the lake or your cell phone ringing because there is no cell phone signal! If you want to shop, dine, or talk to someone on your cell phone, you have to drive to Sarana Lake town about 15-20 minutes from Upper Saranac Lake. If you drive about 30 minutes to Lake Placid, NY you have a large selection of restaurants, bars, quaint shops, movie theaters, mini golf, etc. Anyway, I hope you enjoy looking at our pictures and videos!
A Garter Snake
Margie Skiing
Mike Skiing
Richie Tubing
Jack Skiing
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