Will be in the Adirondacks/Lake George area for 3 nights in late June. We are a family of 4--kids will be 8 1/2 and nearly 5 this summer. Interested in outdoor things--hiking, boating and swimming. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Here is a link to the NY State Website for Tourism:

http://www.nysegov.com/citGuide.cfm?...3&content=main

There is plenty to do around Lake George. I would suggest visiting this link as they also have info on trails, etc. Have fun.

Thanks, Mixter for the website. I will follow up.

Also wondered if anyone out there has visited the Wild West Ranch?? We were planning on visiting there this summer but their website states they are currently closed due to a Queensbury lawsuit. I have tried unsuccessfully to find out more info. If anyone has any input into that, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

When we visited the Adirondacks, we stayed in the Lake Placid area.

We spent a fun day canoeing with our kids on Saranac Lake. We rented canoes from the St. Regis Canoe Outfitters. They drove us to State Bridge and we starteed our paddle there. We are not experienced paddlers but this was easy, scenic, lots of little islands to stop at, no portaging. We stopped at Bluff Island for lunch and ate on a cliff overlooking the lake. We walked around to where a group of kids were jumping off a cliff into the water. We paddled to Ampersand Bay where we left our car.

Our only visit to the Adirondacks was last minute, everything was booked, but we ended up getting an apartment on Main Street in Lake Placid. It is rented out by the Best Western. It was a nice apartment--not exactly the Adirondack experience, but convenient.

I would love to stay at one of the camps. To me that is the Adirondack experience. They seem to be available in a range of prices. We checked out the Lake Placid Lodge(elegant adirondack), the Wawbeek(cottages looked rustic),Hemlock Hall, the Hedges.
Lots of camps to choose from.

We also found a great swimming hole off of Rt 30 between Tupper Lake and Long Lake. heading south on Rt 30 we turned right on 421 toward Horseshoe Lake. There was a natural pool there with a small waterfall that made a great slide. You can see it from the street at the stone bridge.

Not sure what that Lawsuit is about, but this might be it:
http://prfamerica.org/speeches/4th/Surmounting.html

Well, Lake George is super touristy - not very Adirondacky. But, if you get off the beaten path, it is a beautiful area.

The best hiking in the area is on the Tongue Mountain Range - but don't attempt the whole thing with little kids. There is one section, the Deer Leap, that is about one and a half miles long and can be accessed off of Rt 9. (Exit Rt 87 at exit #24, head east, then turn north on Rt 9 go about nine miles north and look for the parking area for Deer Leap.)

Obviously, if you are serious about hiking, you should probably get some hiking books out of the library and plan a few hikes. Good guides are by Barbara McMartin.

There is a very nice state interpretive center in Newcomb (about an hour from Lake George proper) that has some very scenic but easy trails and a lovely lake to put some kayaks in. You can also take a horse buggy or bikes into Santanoni up there.

Boating in Lake George is dominated by large power boats - I'm a little terrifien in there with a kayak or canoe - but other people aren't as chicken as me.

We like Davidson Brothers (google it) for food in Glenns Falls. It's a very casual place with a nice sidewalk cafe thing going on. (It's actually a microbrewery.)

check out the Adirondack Loj on heart lake, near lake placid. not sure if this is what you are looking for, but there are dorm style big rooms, and several rooms with 6 beds. showers/bath down the hall. LOTS of hiking trails in the area. the lake. rent a kayak for $2.