We’re still on the tail end of an extended fall, but it won’t be long until the snow sticks and the Adirondacks are transformed into a beautiful snow globe scene. Now is the time to start planning snowy adventures and exploring things to do in the Adirondacks in winter. From challenging or chill outdoor adventures to cozy experiences inside, the Adirondacks offer experiences for all interests, fitness levels and temperature preferences.
Read our handy guide below for events and activities to enjoy throughout the Lake Placid region of the Adirondacks, all winter long!
Start Planning Now – 10 Fun Things To Do in the Adirondacks in Winter
1. Visit A Craft Show
The holidays are just around the corner! It’s the perfect time to visit a craft show and find locally made gifts and goods to surprise your loved ones. There are three convenient opportunities to discover local artisans’ goods and check some gifts off your shopping list. From the end of November to the beginning of December, popular craft shows are held in Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Plattsburgh.
Lake Placid
The LPCA offers a holiday craft show weekly from Thursday to Saturday from 1pm – 5pm. The Holiday Craft Show showcases artists’ pieces as well as artist demos to feature artists at work. Running November 14 – December 21, crafts may include woodworking, jewelry, painting, illustrations, ornaments and more! You can view this year’s artists on the LPCA site.
Saranac Lake
To enjoy the Sparkle Village Craft Show, stop by the Harrietstown Hall in downtown Saranac Lake to discover local artisan gifts. Open Friday, December 6 and Saturday, December 7, there is a $3 fee for adults (kids 12 and under free).
Friday, December 6, 4pm – 8pm
Saturday, December 7, 10am – 3pm
Plattsburgh
Located at SUNY Plattsburgh, this craft show has been a popular annual tradition for over 50 years! This year’s craft show will be held November 16th and 17th. More information can be found on SUNY Plattsburgh’s website including an extensive list of last year’s artisans so you can plan your shopping gift
list before you go.
2. Hit The Trails
Whether you enjoy downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing or snowshoeing, the Adirondacks is full of opportunity to enjoy the winter wonderland, both close to town and far out in the wilds!
Downhill Skiing & Snowboarding
If you are looking to explore some downhill skiing or snowboarding there are some great local options that make it easy to hit the slopes!
Whiteface Mountain – Offering the highest vertical on the east coast, Whiteface Mountain offers a challenge for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, from beginner to expert. Located in Wilmington, NY
Mt. Pisgah – A small mountain in Saranac Lake with a T-bar lift, Pisgah offers a variety of terrain. Being able to pop off the lift mid-slope, it’s a great place to learn on less vertical terrain.
Titus Mountain – Located just outside of Malone, NY, Titus offers the perfect mixture of Whiteface and Pisgah. With less vertical and a good mixture of trail difficulty, a majority of the trails are fit for beginner to intermediate riders.
Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoeing
The Adirondacks are filled with trails that are perfect for exploring during winter. months on cross country skis or snowshoes.
For groomed and prepared trails, check out Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, Dewey Mountain in Saranac Lake. Also, some sections of the new Adirondack Rail Trail will be easier to explore.
For a more natural exploration of the trail networks, venture to Henry’s Woods and Heaven Hills in Lake Placid, Bloomingdale Bog Trail. Other trails heading up local mountains are also an option and partially broken, but generally not groomed or prepared.
If you want to hit the back country to get a mixture of cross country and downhill skiing, the Lake Placid town website offers 5 trails to explore for backcountry skiing.
3. Grab Your Skates And Hit the Ice
Colder temperatures bring many ice skating opportunities throughout the region. This is a perfect way to get out to enjoy the winter beauty or learn a new skill. Our region offers both indoor and outdoor skating rinks.
Outdoor
If you are looking to skate outside in Lake Placid, there are several options to explore! The Olympic Oval is open throughout the winter and offers rentals in the heart of Lake Placid near the Olympic Center. The Oval has a fee for admission and rentals. Lake Placid also offers skating on Mirror Lake once the ice is thick enough. The town clears off a loop around the lake as well as some areas for pond hockey.
Skating outdoors in Saranac Lake can be done just outside the newly updated Saranac Lake Civic Center. An outdoor rink is made by flooding and freezing a nearby field. A nearby skating hut makes it easy to put on and take off skates or warm up from the winter chill.
Many of the communities surrounding Lake Placid and Saranac Lake also flood and freeze fields or lots to make ice rinks. Some communities will even have hockey boards installed separate from the community skating area to play pickup or practice skills.
Indoor
With lots of hockey using rink time in local communities, finding indoor skating time can be a little limited. Checking in at the various locations on free skate times will help you determine your skating days.
The Olympic Center has three rinks within it providing more opportunities to find some free skate days. Unfortunately, the Olympic Center does charge an admission fee in order for the public access skate times.
The newly renovated Saranac Lake Civic Center also offers public and free skate time through fall and winter. Check out there schedule here. Public skate can have an admission fee, but if you per-register it is free.
4. Go Sledding Or Tubing
Not into the more demanding outdoor sports? Find a hill and jump onto your sled or tube to take a fun ride! This is a fun way to get outside for all ages to make memories and have some laughs together. There are quite a few options if to sled or tube around the area. Here are some of the more common areas to visit:
Sledding
Sledding can be done on most of the hills throughout Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and surrounding areas. If you are not sure where to start check out:
Lake Placid – Many of the golf courses offer the perfect vertical hills to ride your sled! Also, Teddy Bear Park on Hillcrest has a great hill to sled down.
Saranac Lake – North Country Community College hill near the gym offers a giant hill that usually has a variety of tracks built on snowy winter days. Also, the golf courses around Saranac Lake usually have some tracks from other people.
Tubing
A few of the local mountains offer tubing with lifts, so you can get a ride back to the top during certain hours of the day. This normally comes with a fee, so you will have to check with the mountain. The two mountains that offer tubing are:
Mt. Pisgah – While Mt. Pisgah in Saranac Lake offers downhill skiing and snowboarding, it also offers a lift for tubing. Take an easy, fun ride to the top of the hill where you will find two tracks to race down.
Titus – While this is a little farther of a trip from the Tri-Lakes area, Titus Mountain also offers a more expansive tubing hill with a conveyor lift to bring you back to the top. They have recently added new lanes as well as double tubes so adults are able to ride with anyone under 42 inches tall!
BONUS! The Lake Placid Toboggan Run
The toboggan run can take a while to open up. With the run finishing on Mirror Lake making, it is very weather dependent. The run does have a cost per person, but comes with unlimited rides per session.
5. Enjoy A Dog Sled Ride
Winter time brings dog sled rides to Lake Placid once Mirror Lake becomes frozen. This is another weather dependent activity where conditions must be suitable for the mushers to head out. If conditions are being uncooperative, the teams set up at the horseshow grounds across the street from the Lake Placid Ski Jumps.
There are two locations on the lake where you will be able to pay the driver to hop in for a fun ride around the lake. Both of these locations can be found just off of Main Street: one is right behind Players waterfront restaurant and the other is on the ice behind the Golden Arrow Hotel.
These rides generally begin around Christmas time and run Thursday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm. During the holiday weeks (Christmas, New Years and President’s week), they will normally run every day of the week. Again, this is weather dependent, so if there is unusually warm winter weather, times or days may change.
6. Catch A Hockey Game
One of the reasons Lake Placid is well known around the world is the Miracle On Ice in the 1980 Olympics when college-aged U.S. hockey players beat a power house Russian team. This event has lead to Lake Placid hosting a variety of hockey events where athletes can feel the history and magic from that game. While some areas if the Olympic Center have been updated and maintained over the years, the hockey players who visit to compete still have the excitement of playing in the same rink. You can take in some of this magic by stopping in to spectate on of the many hockey games that occur throughout the winter. Below are a few:
CanAm Hockey – CanAm Hockey is in town almost every weekend throughout the winter. Competitions vary in age class from Youth to High School, and travel teams from the US and Canada meet up to compete. CanAm Hockey begins in October and finishes the last week of March. There are even a few weekends for adult divisions that include a pond hockey tournament played on Mirror Lake!
Adirondack Winter Invitational – This year will be the second year of the Adirondack Winter Invitational held in the last weekend of November. This invitational brings in four Division 1 schools to compete in a weekend tournament. This year’s schools are UMass Lowell, St. Lawrence, Providence and Clarkson. This is a great way to see some Division 1 talent compete during the winter.
ECAC Hockey Tournament – The ECAC Hockey occurs each March with this year’s tournament scheduled March 21-22. This tournament brings in the best teams in the Eastern College Athletic Conference to compete and move on to the NCAA Division 1 Championships. This is an exciting, fast-paced event with the opportunity to see some classic rivalries face off before the larger NCAA championship games.
7. Explore Saranac Lake’s Winter Carnival
Saranac Lake hosts one of the biggest winter events in the region, the longstanding annual Winter Carnival. This 10- day event starts the first weekend of February and runs until the next Sunday each year. Saranac Lake’s Winter Carnival has been a village tradition since 1897 with only a few years missed!
Every year there is a carnival theme with the most recent being Jukebox Heroes (2025), Creepy Carnival (2024), Roman Around The Carnival (2023), and Totally 80’s (2022). The crown jewel of the event is the ice palace that is built on the shores of Lake Flower with ice sculptures around the palace to bring in the years theme.
This is a true celebration of winter with sporting events, galas, parades, local entertainment and firework displays. The event starts with a coronation to announce the “royalty” of the carnival, a court made up of local community members who have represented the foundation and character of Saranac Lake.
- King and Queen – Voted on by letters that the Winter Carnival Committee receives to determine notable community members
- Chamberlain – Generally a member of the school that is chosen by the royal couples
- Archbishop – Chosen by the elementary schools
- Royal Couples – 7 couples that are high school students
- Pages – 6 elementary students
These royalty members try to make appearances throughout the week at various events. The main event that brings the largest attendance to the community is the Winter Carnival parade. Happening on the Saturday of the second weekend, the community comes together to celebrate and watch the parade making its way through downtown Saranac Lake.
8. Participate or Attend the Empire State Winter Games
The Empire State Winter Games are the largest olympic-style winter sport competition in the Northeastern United States. This event takes place in Lake Placid, Wilmington, Saranac Lake, Paul Smiths and Tupper Lake. These games cover a variety of sports throughout the communities including:
- Long Track Speed Skating
- Alpine Skiing NYSSRA U16 & U19
- U10 (Squirt) Hockey
- Cross Country
- Curling
- Figure Skating
- Freestyle Moguls
- Girls U12 Hockey
- Girls U14 Hockey
- Ski Orienteering
- Sled Hockey
- Biathlon
- Junior Bobsled
- Luge
- Short Track Speed Skating
- Skeleton
- Snowshoe
- Ski & Snowboard Cross
- Winter Triathalon
This event also covers adaptive winter sports including:
- Adaptive Bobsled
- Adaptive Cross Country
- Adaptive Alpine
- Adaptive Biathlon
- Adaptive Skeleton
9. Check Out The World Cup Bobsled & Skeleton Event
World class venues bring in world class events to our community. Many of the Olympic Venues have been recently renovated due to upgrades made for the World Collegiate games. Lake Placid hosted these a few years ago and upgraded several facilities to provide venues for World Cup events. This year, Lake Placid is hosting World Cub Bobsled and Skeleton World Championships from March 3- 16th at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex.
This world cup event will bring in visitors from all over the world to take in the excitement of athletes racing down the track at speeds over 80 miles per hour. The event provides a great way to experience a new sport by watching top athletes as well as cheering with and meeting other visitors.
10. Visit The Main Streets
Whether it is holiday time or later in the winter, the Main Streets are a great way to get together, grab some food, shop and have some fun. During holidays, Adirondack Main Streets are lit up with lights bringing cozy warmth to the chill. Local restaurants stay open throughout the winter season to stop in, warm up, grab a cup of coffee and a hot meal while looking out over the mountains and lake.
Bonus! Take A Snowmobile Ride
With the new Adirondack Rails to Trails trail, there are new opportunities to explore local communities, as well as new groups to help in that process. One of the new local groups, Sara-Placid Sled & Spoke, hopped on this opportunity to provide bike and snowmobile rentals to explore the trails. They currently have two locations to visit (Lake Placid and Saranac Lake), or you can book online. If you do not own a snowmobile, this is a great way to enjoy the winter weather and explore a variety of communities in a new way.
If you already have a snowmobile, then it is time to explore the trails throughout the Tri-Lakes region. Whether it is the new Adirondack Rail Trail or some of the older trails (Bloomingdale Bog Trail or other former railroad tracks), there are several options of multi-use trail ways to take a ride on your sled.
Whether you are a year-round resident or a visitor, there is no shortage of things to do in the Adirondacks in winter. If you can’t get enough of Adirondack winter fun, contact an experienced forever agent at Adirondack Premier properties to get started on booking your vacation rental or looking for a home to purchase. Call 518-523-3333 today!