I spent my Father’s Day weekend together with my family on a photo trip in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, and it was a great experience. We stayed at the Keene Valley Lodge in Keene, NY, a bed and breakfast which I highly recommend due to the great hospitality and comfort we enjoyed. It’s also convenient because the trailheads to many of the Adirondacks highest peaks are just a short walk or drive from the B&B. The inn keepers are outdoor enthusiasts and very knowledgeable about the area which helped us plan our hikes. Down the road from the lodge is The Mountaineer, a great outdoor store which we frequented several times during our stay. Their selection and service were top rate, and it quickly became one of the best outdoor shops we’ve encountered anywhere.
Covering over 6 million acres, the Adirondacks are a nature photographers heaven, and I was able to capture many images of impressive mountains, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, and incredible cloud formations just in the small area of Keene Valley. Because I’m still recovering from my ankle injury, I wasn’t able to hike many of the longer hikes over 6 miles, so I limited myself to exploring smaller mountains and shorter trails.
Personal favorites included Chapel Pond, a beautiful and pristine glacial lake at the base of Giant Mountain, Rainbow Falls, the Ausable River, and Ausable Chasm, sometimes called the “Little Grand Canyon of the East”. Also in this region is the tiny Lake Tear-of-the-Clouds, nestled in the heart of the High Peaks between Mt. Marcy and Skylight, considered to be the source of the Hudson River.
Just 15 miles from Keene is Lake Placid, a great town with beautiful scenery, shopping, restaurants and other attractions. Between the trails and the playgrounds, everyone in the family was happy, VERY important on a photo trip.
My best images from this trip are viewable in my “Latest” gallery, and I’m hoping to add many more on my next visit. There was so much photographic potential, I will certainly return this year to continue exploring this great destination literally in my own backyard.
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