When we planned our girl’s trip to Lake Placid and Lake George hiking really wasn’t on my agenda. After all- my poor mom is in a cast after breaking her hand a couple weeks ago so trekking the High Peaks certainly didn’t seem in the cards. However, at her request, I did some research and was pleased to find there are plenty of ways to get out in the woods with no experience necessary. If you’re not ready to tackle the Adirondack 46 High Peaks here’s what we liked:

Roaring Brook Falls

Roaring Brook Falls is located about 30 minutes outside Lake Placid on Route 73. There is parking by the trailheads that fills up early but we were able to find parking on the road and walk back to the trail.

Roaring Brook Falls is 0.3 miles from the road on a fairly flat and open trail. After about a ten minute walk we found ourselves gazing up at the waterfall’s rock face.

While my mom sat and enjoyed, I climbed the rocks over the brook for a better view.

This hike is definitely good for beginners- we saw everyone from young kids to older adults walking out to see the waterfall.

High Falls Gorge

On the way to Whiteface Mountain, High Falls Gorge is a little less of a natural hike and more of a tourist attraction. We debated if it was worth the $11.95/person ticket cost (especially in the pouring rain) and ended up deciding to wing it- very happy we did!

The weather gave us low crowds to enjoy the man-made paths and stairs that wrap around the gorge. We donned our umbrellas and raincoats and out we went:

The paths were easy to traverse and there were plenty of good views without needing to go up or down the stairs at all.

Afterwards we sat in the adjacent cafe by the fire and sipped some hot chocolate, both agreeing we were happy that we didn’t let the rain scare us away.

Overall, lesson learned that you don’t have to climb Mount Marcy to enjoy the wilderness in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks!

Stay adventurous, friends!