We will be passing through upper New York State in September on our way to Quebec and wondered which lake would make a two day layover, George, Placid, Champlaine.. or, some other place?

All of the above.

Lake Placid has a nice town center to walk around and browse in. Lake George is busier, and has some ``touristy'' stuff (amusement parks, boat tours, rentals, etc), and Lake Champlain (on the western side) has a remote wilderness vibe.

Do you want to shop, tour, or hike?

Agree the lakes are very different - so it really depends on what you want to do.

Lake George is by far the busiest - with the most activities (arcades, waterslides, tacky tourist shops as well as boat rides etc).

We are going to Lake George in August of this year, family trip with all of dh's family that lives back east (we are in Ca). I have never been, we rented a few homes on the lake (2 years in advance btw). I assume the kids will have a good time.

Dawn-I am sure you will love the lake. I live about 30 minutes from it! Nice but gets very crowded with tourist in summer.Plan on traffic to slow you down.Kids will love it!

Just seeing this - I am actually starting to look forward to our trip in August. We will spend two nights in NYC and then head to Lake George.