My husband and I (no kids, like hiking and kayaking) want to rent a cabin/small house in the Adirondacks this summer. Ideally, we'd like to stay in Lake Placid, but lodging seems pretty pricey.

Would Keene/Keene Valley be a better option? Are there real towns with restaurants, etc., in that area? Or should I stop being so, er, thrifty and go for Lake Placid?

Thanks for any advice.

You should look into Saranac Lake which is adjacent to Lake Placid. I would try to find a place on the water. We have so many lakes in that area, it shouldn't be too hard to find one. Both Lake Placid and Saranac Lake are "real" towns with dining, etc.

Keene Valley is a great place for hiking and very scenic too. If you want a nightlife while staying there, they do have a diner and places where hikers and visitors get together at night but for more classy and more options your best bet would be to go to Lake Placid. It is maybe 12-15 miles easy drive if you are visiting during a summer. Saranac Lake is is on the other side of Lake Placid and it is another option but with no too many places for dining. It is only 8 miles to Lake Placid. Keene has some great kayaking on Au Sable River if the water level is not too low and it is closer to Lake Placid than Keene Valley but you would need to drive farther to your hiking trails. IMHO, any of these places would be fine if you don't mind driving for more dining and nightlife options. If you rent a cabin somewhere you could cook some of your meals but you need to go to a supermarket in Lake Placid or Elizabethtown if staying in Keene or Keene Valley. The supermarket in E-town is not very impressive.

Keene/Keene Valley are both gorgeous little towns, but they are just that--little towns. If you are looking for something very quiet than I would recommend those places. They do have restaurants but not the variety or the action you'll find in Lake Placid or Saranac Lake.

Saranac Lake has a few restaurants but we were never impressed with dinners there. IMHO, they are good for a quick lunch or simple dinner but nothing amazing. Saranac Hotel serves nice breakfasts and lunches

I just realized I never posted about what we ended up doing. We rented a house in Keene Valley and it worked out very well. The house had a great deck that overlooked a valley, so we had many of our meals out there. We were very close to the trailheads for several great hikes.

We went into Lake Placid a few times for food, movies, shopping, etc. We ate dinner at the Brown Dog and enjoyed it very much. We also ventured into Saranac Lake to get great, cheap Mexican food at Casa del Sol.

We'll definitely visit the area again, probably in the fall when there aren't as many mosquitoes.

SZ, we are planning this same sort of trip this summer (hiking, kayaking, cabin rental). Can you supply a bit of info about where you stayed/hiked/kayaked? Thanks much.

There are always mosquitoes (and assorted other biting critters) in the Adirondacks. But it's all good - keeps the wimpy tourists out.

Linmom -- we stayed in Keene Valley. We rented a three-bedroom house from Adirondack Realty, which cost $1,500 for the week. It probably would have cost twice as much in Lake Placid.

Keene Valley isn't a hoppin' town, but it was a good base for some nice hikes, including Snow Mountain and Giant's Nubble.

Our favorite hike was Avalanche Pass (http://www.adirondack-park.net/lakes...nche.lake.html), which involved climbing up and down ladders and crossing bridges mounted to the side of a mountain. Fun!

We didn't get to kayak, sadly -- next time!

Whoops, sorry to spell your name wrong, Linmon.