This is my first trip report. I'm hoping some find it useful and informative, especially since this is an area on which I don't find much information, but believe it's worth a visit! My husband and I headed for the Adirondacks on Friday. We ended up with a bit of a quirky schedule because we couldn't get a reservation for Fri. night at the place we wanted to stay for the weekend. However, sometimes good things result when one adjusts. On Friday night we ended up staying at the Black Mountain Lodge in North Creek. As reports on Trip Advisor suggested, accommodations were extremely basic..Someone on TA described it as "one step above camping" and that's fairly accurate. What wasn't basic, was the dinner we had at the restaurant. Reviews we'd read were outstanding, but my husband feared it might be one of those cases of "great, considering you are in the middle of nowhere." Far from the truth! The menu was diverse, interesting and the food was delicious. Understand, my husband and I have a love affair with onion rings, so we try them almost anywhere we can. They did not disappoint...nor did my chicken parmesan or his flank steak with a flavorful salsa verde. Turtle cheesecake for dessert. I have probably gone on long enough. Try it. We went to Indian Lake and took in a live performance at the Indian Lake Theatre - a singer/songwriter, Dar Williams, we love who we happened to find out would be playing at this little spot - unusual place to find her (normally in a bit bigger venue), but we were so pleased! Charming little theatre shows movies regularly and has live performances.

Saturday we visited the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. It, too, lived up to all the raves! A walking museum about life in the Adirondacks. Lots of interactive locations, great for kids...some kid specific activities...a fascinating look at a mostly lost way of life. They haven't just made copies of boats and buggies and rail cars and blacksmith shops and log cabins...they have moved them to the premises, in some cases as in the blacksmith shop, dismantling it and putting it back piece by piece at the museum just as it looked. I could go on and on...Worth at least 3 hours of time...

We then checked in at Hemlock Hall. What a gem! Friends had told us about this small treasure at Blue Mountain Lake that has lodging in the "home", cabins and a small row of about 4 motel-style places. Wonderful meals are served family style - Sat night is a good old turkey dinner. Breakfast - eggs, homemade bread, bacon, cereals, pancakes, etc. Families come back year after year, many for the same week each year, so it isn't the easiest place to get a reservation. People are friendly...they have a small private beach available, kayaks, sunfish and paddle boats, etc available for use. The lake is beautiful, peaceful and exactly what you hope for an Adirondack lake experience. We enjoyed kayaking and a paddle boat ride as well. I can't say enough about this place. We stayed in a room in the lodge itself with a private bath - a great bay window looking out to the lake. The staff was welcoming and helpful. We will definitely return!! On a side note, we didn't stay, but I also heard lots of good remarks about a place at Blue Mountain Lake called The Hedges.

On Sunday, we took a hike up to Castle Rock on Blue Mountain - the trail head is just up from Hemlock Hall. It's about a 2 mile hike, one way. Generally pretty easy, but because you have some rocks to maneuver, it wouldn't be the easiest place to take a dog - we tend to take our pup with us, but were glad once we saw the last bit of the hike that she wasn't along for this one. The views out over Blue Mountain Lake and several of the other adjoining lakes were amazing! Go early - it's a popular hike and the rock cliff can get a bit crowded at times.

For next time, we'd love to stay a couple of additional nights and will bring our bikes! It's definitely a good place for cycling.

I hope someone finds this helpful. I don't know how to post pictures or I would! We have some great pics of Hemlock Hall, views from the Adirondack Museum and our hike.