From Adirondack Regional Airport in Saranac Lake, the surrounding region opens up quickly, with High Peaks, lake chains, and Olympic history within easy reach. Saranac Lake is a working mountain village rather than a resort, with a walkable downtown, cure cottages left over from its days as a tuberculosis health retreat, and water on nearly every side. The mood is unhurried and outdoorsy, the kind of place where people carry a canoe on the roof year round.

Standout experiences around Saranac Lake: - Paddle the Saranac chain of lakes from a downtown put-in - Hike Mount Baker for a quick summit view over the village and Lake Flower - Visit in February for Winter Carnival and its ice palace built from lake blocks - Browse Main Street galleries, bookstores, and the Adirondack Carousel - Tour the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage where the author spent a winter - Climb Ampersand Mountain for a bare rock summit over the Saranac lakes - Walk the Wild Center in Tupper Lake and its treetop Wild Walk - Catch a bobsled run or skating session at the Olympic venues in Lake Placid

Saranac Lake sits about 15 minutes from Lake Placid, home of two Winter Olympics, and a half hour from Tupper Lake. Whiteface Mountain and its summit highway are under an hour away, and Plattsburgh and Lake Champlain are about an hour east. Order a michigan, the local chili dog, at a roadside stand, then plan around the season: leaf color in late September, frozen lakes and the ice palace in winter, and long loon-filled evenings on the water in summer.