Our 12 Favorite Hotels in Lake Placid, the Heart of the ADKs

Field magazine

Named after the nearby lake, the town of Lake Placid is located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, three hundred miles north of the trendy Catskill Mountain range and its not-so distant neighbor, a little island called Manhattan. As a long popular four-season adventure hub, the region has a well-established infrastructure for visitors wishing to take part. This collection of the Lake Placid hotels should help you find the best accommodations for your own trip.

First, some background, and some history. Lake Placid is surrounded by glacial lakes like Saranac Lake and Mirror Lake, plus rivers, streams, and a vast backcountry of nearly unspoiled wilderness that includes the ADK’s well-known 46 High Peaks. (Fun fact: the six-million-acre Adirondack State Park was established in 1892, which made it one of the earliest acts of large-scale public land protection in the nation, after the creation of Yosemite and Yellowstone National Park).

Lake Placid has earned itself a long list of accolades, especially for its winter sports. The town has hosted the Winter Olympics not once, but twice, alongside two other world-class venues, St. Moritz and Innsbruck; its capstone event being the epic showdown between the USSR and USA hockey teams in 1980.

As a year-round destination, Lake Placid has nearly every outdoor recreational activity on offer. Depending on what you’re into, the best times of year to visit are during the winter, from December through March, where visitors can go downhill skiing at Whiteface Mountain, cross-country skiing on the outskirts of town, or ice skating on scenic Mirror Lake. Another amazing time to visit Lake Placid is during the summer from June through September. Summertime provides endless opportunities to hike and camp in the wilds of the Adirondacks, go boating, kayaking, and fishing, or simply enjoy a quiet respite in one of the most beautiful places in New York State.

With all of the outdoor pursuits to take advantage of, you’ll inevitably need a place to rest your head. Here, we’ve rounded up the best hotels in Lake Placid that give you everything from mountain views to easy access to main street, and yes, even free wi-fi, along with the genre-defining rustic architectural style that the area is well-known for.