Vermont/Adirondacks
 

My husband and I are in the initial planning stages of a trip to Vermont and the Adirondacks this June and would love to benefit from the input of those familiar with the area. With our Southwest Airlines rewards, we plan to fly into Albany and rent a car. We will be there for 7-10 days, and our desire is to combine hiking and fishing in the Adirondacks with some sightseeing in Vermont. Our plan is to rent a rustic cabin with cooking facilities away from high-volume tourist areas (preferably with a screen porch for the anticipated black flies) for 5-7 days in the Adirondacks, and we would love suggestions for what area(s) to consider. Access to good fishing waters is important. We are thinking of visiting Vermont either at the front or back end of our trip and staying at B&B's while there or making side trips throughout the week to various towns in Vermont while staying overnight at our cabin. Is this latter idea feasible? (We could do 2 or 3 day trips to Southern Vermont [Grafton/Newfane/Weston], Central Vermont [Woodstock/Norwich], and Northern Vermont [Stowe/Burlington].) I have more to ask, but will limit my questions to the aforementioned ones for now. Thanks for any help you can provide!

anyone?

You may want to check out the adirondack mountain club website
www.adk.org.
It is a regional conservation and hiking association that operates two lodges in the Adirondacks for hikers.
Also the Green Mountain club in Vermont www.greenmountainclub.org offers hiking and lodging information about hiking the Long Trail through the Green Mountains in vermont.
June would be peak black fly season in the mountains, good luck!
As for fishing, Vermont is world famous for fly fishing, the Battenkill River is world famous also it is the home of the Orvis Fly fishing school and of course Ovis Company.
Check them out at www.orvis.com

I like the area around Saranac Lake myself - there are lots of options. It's been a while since I rented. Many lakes, big and small. Remote, but not too remote.

Sorry, I don't have tips about specific properties or agencies that handle rentals.

Thanks so much for your help. I will check out the recommended websites and the Saranac Lake area.

An original Adirondack rustic cottage:
www.taiga67.wordpress.com

Laura - Fishing in the Adirondacks is iffy, there is still a pretty acidic problem with the lakes. That said, it is not a total wash out. My family owns a place on Piseco Lake and they seem to catch fish out there most of the time, especially if you know where to go.

It's not that easy to find decent rentals in the Adirondacks. A place we like to rent is always booked up years in advance, as the same families get their week every year and never give it up. On Piseco is the Irondequoit Inn which is OK (maybe a little uneven). You can look att heir web site and think about that. It is not int he high-peaks region, but it is very pretty around there with some decent kayaking right out the door.

Don't underestimate the size of the place - it's huge. Be careful planning day trips, or you may feel like you've spent the whole day in the car.

Here is a forum I always recommend for Adirondack info. http://www.adkforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=8
It has sort of annoying log in process, but it's well worth it.

Have a great trip. We love the Adirondacks. Bring head nets and you'll be fine!

Thank you very much for your replies. Adkdanl, the pictures of that cabin are wonderful. We ended up making reservations at Prospect Point Cottages on Blue Mountain Lake and got the last available cottage. (They are very highly rated on TripAdvisor.com and are near the Adirondacks Museum.) It's not as secluded as we originally hoped for, but on the plus side we're able to rent it for $550 for 5 nights and it comes with a gourmet brunch each day plus free canoes and rowboats. wliwl, thanks for the info on fishing in the Adirondacks. I didn't know about an acid problem. We will try our luck at Blue Mountain Lake and I know my husband will want to fly fish in some of the streams of Vermont. I appreciate your comment about day trips. I think we're going to tack on days in Vermont on the back end of our trip and just focus on the Adirondacks the first 5 days. I'll be checking that forum you mentioned. Thanks for the link!

Don't worry Laura - the cabin may not seem totally secluded, but Blue Mtn Lake is a lovely region and and really very uncrowded.

In June Blue Mtn Lake will be quite COLD (the water - and maybe the air too, lol) but it will be lovely. Things don't really get going (such as it is) in the Adirondacks until after July 4th - it's a short season.

One caution - if you head out on Blue Mtn Lake in a kayak just be aware of the prevailing winds. You can be in for a nasty surprise as the morning warms up and it gets really windy.

Have a great trip!

P.S. Best restaurant int he Adirondacks - but a little bit of a haul from Blue Mtn Lake (an hour) - Melody Lodge in Speculator.

wliwl, thank you for all the tips. I had to laugh about your comment on the cold water and air in June. It actually will be a nice contrast to what we'll be enduring in San Antonio in a few months. And honestly, there's no way we'd think about swimming in upstate New York, even in July or August. We are too spoiled with the 90-degree+ water temperature in the Gulf of Mexico!

Well it is not rustic but it is gorgeous and there are lots of things to do there - The Equinox Resort

http://www.equinoxresort.com/