Traveling With Kids to The Adirondacks, NY

Around the end of May, we went on a family vacation in the Adirondacks to celebrate our 15^th wedding anniversary. I’m still not sure where the last 15 years went, but here we are, celebrating a decade and a half of marriage bliss!

Where We Stayed

Having visited the Adirondacks a couple years ago, we were already familiar with Fourth Lake in Old Forge, New York; so we decided to find an Airbnb in the same location. We booked a few nights at a truly charming and gorgeous, historic boathouse. The newly renovated home is built over an early 20^th century 2-slip boathouse, so we were attached to the shore, but also floating on the lake.

The home has three bedrooms—perfect for a family with two kids. At night, you can hear the water below you, splashing softly. It was a tranquil way to drift off every evening. In the mornings, you can watch the mist rise off of the lake from the balcony while enjoying a cup of coffee.

We weren’t able to take advantage of the boats provided (kayak and canoe) because the weather was a bit damp most of our stay, but we did spend some time on the private dock, grilling dinner and blowing bubbles.

What We Did

Before traveling, we did a little research to find the best trails suited for us. We were looking for hikes that were reasonably short and accessible for a toddler. Nothing too steep or technical and nothing more than a few miles.

Fortunately we found three options within a very short distance of our boathouse. We completed one hike each day of our stay.

Bald Mountain

• 2 miles (out and back)
• 416 ft. elevation gain
• Kid and pet friendly
• Great views
• Ample parking

Bubb and Sis Trail

• 1.8 miles (out and back)
• 219 ft. elevation gain
• Kid and pet friendly
• Popular trail
• Easy to locate trailhead

Moss Lake Trail

• 2.5 miles (loop)
• 187 ft. elevation gain
• Kid and pet friendly
• Leisurely
• Ample parking

The time of year was great for wildlife and Lyra was quick to spot all of the red efts (the juvenile stage of an eastern newt). Though it was also wet enough to attract ALL of the mosquitos. The DEET-free repellant we have for the kids was sadly ineffective against the buggy vampires, but with temperatures in the 60s during much of our stay, it was easy enough to throw an extra layer of clothes on the kids to protect them from bites.

Callum was happy enough going for hikes in the harness, attached to Mom or Dad. Lyra had free roam and was in her element, climbing and running and balancing from rock to rock. My heart stopped a few times when she got a little too close to a ledge or balanced a little to precariously on a boulder, but like her dad, Lyra has remarkable balance and she emerged from each hike unscathed.

Where We Ate

Never knowing how the baby will respond to visiting a restaurant, we opted to pack pretty much all of our meals and ate at the boathouse. We did, however, stop for a scoop of ice cream at Twisters Ice Cream in Eagle Bay. It was a quaint, little, cash-only shop that served Hershey’s ice cream. Lyra got her usual scoop of cotton candy flavor and, for the very first time, ate it all!

We also stopped for some nitro cold brew at the Blue Line Coffee House in Old Forge. We settled for a few minutes while Callum slept, enjoying our drinks and a massive fudgy cookie. The shop is more than just a café. It has lots of souvenirs for their brand as well as visitors to the Adirondacks. I was tempted to buy a sweatshirt, but decided against it because I really don’t need another one.

All in all, it was a lovely trip and I fully expect to return to the Adirondacks in the near future.