Monday, Sept 24, Lake Placid

We drove to Whiteface mountain to take the "Cloudsplitter" Gondola ride from the base lodge to the summit of Little Whiteface. Unfortunately, it is only running Friday to Sunday.

We decided to drive the 5 mile long Veterans' Memorial Highway almost to the summit, which affords grand views of the Adirondack High Peaks, Lake Champlain, and on a clear day, Canada! The highway ends at the Whiteface castle, just below the actual summit.
At the summit, at 4610 ft., is a castle built from native stone.

There is an unusual electric elevator deep inside the cone of the mountain, which goes to the summit, or you can hike the .2 mile hiking trail to the summit (which we did!) It is a steep climb over boulders, but features incredible views.

The alternative route is totally unique and features an elevator reached by a 426 foot long tunnel bored into the mountain, then the elevator climbs 276 feet up to the Stone Summit House. Clouds drifted over and dissipated while we were at the summit. We did take the elevator down to the outside world. 

After driving back down, we went for lunch at Saranac Sourdough - great sandwiches!

 

Then it was off to |Lake Placid Boat Tour, an hour-long narrated tour that travels 16 miles on one of the world's most beautiful lakes (a matter of opinion!)  Many stately manors are situated along the shores. It was a chilly, but intereating tour.

                                      

 

Whiteface Mountain