The first week of August brought us to Long Lake, New York, in the heart of the Adirondacks Park, a spectacular park system as big as most New England states. We rented a little cottage right on the lake, with a dock and and a little beach area for swimming steps from our front door. The boys played in the water and on the dock for hours at a time, while the grownups lounged in the classic wooden chairs, reading and napping. Evening dinners were at the picnic table overlooking the water, as we sat under the glow of the setting sun; ice cream cones from a stand in town were the perfect finish.

Ours days took us out on excursions out to see the area. The remarkable Adirondack Museum 11 miles down the road in Blue Mountain Lake, with more than 20 exhibit halls and buildings displaying all aspects of the life in the Adirondacks - history, art, natural life, industry, and recreation - was a favorite (and a source for maple sugar, a treasured treat). A muddy and steep hike up to Castle Rock, on one of the hottest and most humid days of the year, rewarded us with a stunning view of the surrounding mountains and lakes, and netted us one of our Geocache finds, this one with a travel bug in it. (Click here for a log of our Geocache exploits.) Our final hike, up Goodnow Mountain, brought us to the windy top of a 90 foot high fire tower overlooking miles and miles of rolling hills.

Photo Gallery

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Long Lake photos - swimming, sunning, the setting sun...
Natural Beauty of the mountains, lakes, and flora
Hiking the trails
Buttermilk Falls, the waterway that brings the Raquette River into Long Lake
Activities, including visits to the Adirondack Museum and a seaplane from Long Lake