Great Northern Getaway  

 

Lake Placid seems an odd name for a place that’s brimming with activity year-round, but once you’re sitting on the porch of a lakeside cabin at Lake Placid Lodge, you’ll feel the quiet.  

 

While well known as a destination for serious hikers, skiers, and triathletes, most visitors, says Kevin Dott, general manager of the historic Lodge, come to Lake Placid for the seclusion, for a romantic getaway. “They return for the timeless, unspoiled beauty.” As did Dott, whose hospitality career took him all over the map. “I grew up in upstate New York and our family loved to camp in the Adirondacks. Last fall, when the opportunity came up for me to run the Lodge, I didn’t hesitate.” 

 

Lake Placid is a four-season town. Summers and early fall are for fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boating. The area is dotted with moderate trails and parks the whole family can enjoy. Lake Placid hosted the Olympics in both 1932 and 1980 and the Olympic Village remains a big attraction. Leaf peeping draws travelers in the fall. Downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and bobsledding are popular in winter and spring.  

 

“April is when it’s really quiet up here,” says Dott. “That’s when we work on small renovation projects.” 

 

With only 30 guest rooms, Lake Placid Lodge, whose roots date back to the 1880s, has always been an exclusive destination. They offer in-room spa treatments, private dining in the wine cellar, daytime wilderness adventures, and evening boat tours. While not originally designed for children, three summers ago, they started offering family programs, including weekly raptor demonstrations, animal encounters, introduction to fishing, cooking classes for children, outdoor ping-pong, and movie nights.  

 

As more families want to strengthen their connections to nature, the Lodge may well become even more exclusive. 

 

• Robin Jovanovich