The Adirondacks

• View a Google Map of the destinations listed below.

Photo courtesy of Adirondack Regional Tourism Council

Going up to the High Peaks region in the Adirondacks may seem far-fetched for the weekend, but the trip will remind you of what’s fun about driving: wildlife; fresh-baked goods at gas stations; and trees and rocks and streams, oh my.

It’s a straight shot north to Long Lake. Pack victuals for the trip, because the Taconic is notoriously poor in food, though things pick up when you leave the road. Right after Lake George, stock up on fresh beef jerky and smoked cheddar bars at Oscar’s Adirondack Mountain Smoke House (22 Raymond Ln, Warrensburg; 800-627-3431).

We chose the deliciously old-fashioned Sandy Point Motel (Rte 30, Long Lake; 518-624-3871; from $95), a marvel of 1970s Swiss Miss architecture and complete with a private beach, as our base-camp. Useful items like flannel shirts and bug repellent can be found just a few miles away at Hoss’ Country Corner (Lake St, Long Lake; 800-952-HOSS).

Though we still had plenty of time for physically demanding activities such as swimming, fishing and gazing blankly into space, we passed a three-day weekend exploring the area via car. The first day we took on the 40-mile Roosevelt-Marcy Trail. Theodore Roosevelt drove down the route in 1901 as he hustled to take the oath of office in Buffalo after President McKinley’s assassination. Is there anything to remind you of that epic ride? Just a plaque by a burnt-out ruin. And that’s about all you’ll see on Route 28N—besides stunning scenery.

The next day we headed north on Route 30 to the MacKenzie-Intervale Ski Jumping Complex (8 John Brown Rd, 518-523-2202), left over from the 1980 Winter Olympics. Just outside of Lake Placid, you can take a chair lift and an elevator to the top of a tower, where you can look down at the 90-meter and 120-meter jumps. Back on the road, we took Route 9N toward Keene: this is where the High Peaks region gets its name, as the two-lanes twist and turn between unspoiled craggy peaks. We turned south at Elizabethtown onto the short, but dizzying Route 24, which is lined with huge trees that give shade to deer and wild turkeys, and beaver-dam filled ponds that would impress any NYC developer.

When it comes to eating, look for simple pleasures: Brake for handwritten signs advertising pies, and check out all general stores and trading posts. A gas stop in Raquette Lake, for instance, led to a nearly-orgasmic encounter with maple-syrup-glazed donuts.

CAPP : photograph: courtesy of adirondack regional tourism council

THE TAB

Three nights, two people
Subaru Outback
avis.com

Car rental $556
(with gas)

Hotel 321
+ Meals 200
TOTAL $1,077

Travel time  6hrs

Choose a getaway:

• New Hampshire: Wide empty space and cozy inns make a perfect pair.
• Cape Cod: Sand dunes and salty air await.
• The Brandywine Valley: Pork-inflected delicacies and palatial mansions are just two hours away.
• The Adirondacks: Fresh-baked pies, quiet lakes and old-school ski jumps.
• Vermont: Journey to a Green Mountain high.