Tri-Lakes region driving tour

22 Self-guided historic driving tour

Tri-Lakes Region

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If you want to take a road trip that is relaxing, fun and educational, try this self-guided historic driving tour through the Tri-Lakes region of the Adirondack Park — Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and surrounding hamlets. Start at one end, and go to the other. Or just pick one or two villages and spend some time there.

The communities here are much larger than those in the rest of the Park, and they offer many opportunities to grab a take-out meal for a picnic.

There’s a lot of history here, much more than we can squeeze into this guide. For more information, visit www.lakeplacid.com, www.saranaclake.com and www.tupperlake.com.

Tupper Lake

Tupper Lake has a long history surrounding the wood products industry, as lumber companies set up mills along the shore of Raquette Pond.

Oval Wood Dish: In the middle of town along Demars Boulevard is a sprawling abandoned factory with a water tower and large smokestack that was once home to the Oval Wood Dish Corp. The Michigan-based Oval Wood Dish Corp. built this complex in 1916-17. It manufactured hardwood products such as clothespins, hardwood floors, maple bowling pins and tableware called Ritespoon. The name of the company came from an early product, an oval wood dish. Ownership changed several times after 1964, and the last company, Jarden Plastic Solutions, closed in 2008.

The Big Mill: A tablet on a rock in front of the Municipal Park ball field on Demars Boulevard explains the history of the Big Mill: “Here stood, from 1890 until 1930, the North Country’s largest sawmill built by John Hurd. It had the largest bandsaw in the world and twice broke the world’s record for lumber sawed in a day. The Santa Clara Lumber Co. was its main operator. Hundreds of jobs resulted from the industry it fostered. It was often called ‘the mill that made the town. ’”

Beth Joseph Synagogue: The historic Beth Joseph Synagogue at 59 Lake St. was built in 1905 by Russian Jewish immigrants and served 36 families between 1910 and 1924. It is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Today, the synagogue is only open in the months of July and August, offering services, a museum and special events.

Sunmount DDSO: Located at 2445 state Route 3/30 on the way to Saranac Lake, the Sunmount Developmental Disabilities Services Office is operated by the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities. The complex was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1924 as the Sunmount Veterans Administration Hospital to treat veterans with tuberculosis. The federal government closed the hospital on Aug. 11, 1965, and the State of New York took over operations in the fall of that year, receiving its first patients from overcrowded mental institutions in late September.

Lake Clear

Adirondack Fish Hatchery: Several miles south of Lake Clear on State Route 30, the state-operated Adirondack Fish Hatchery specializes in landlocked

Ball game at Tupper Lake’s Municipal Park

(Staff photo — Aaron Cerbone) Atlantic salmon. The original fish hatchery on this site was built in 1885, and the new facility was completed in 1990.

Fish Creek State Campground: Located on State Route 30, the state Conservation Commission set up a lean-to and a few fireplaces at Fish Creek in 1920 to accommodate car campers. In 1926, 20 campsites and sanitary facilities were added. The number of campsites doubled in 1927 and doubled again in 1928. The Civilian Conservation Corps expanded the campground from 1933 to 1935. In order to deal with overflow, a new campground — Rollins Pond — was built in 1955 adjacent to Fish Creek campground and was expanded in 1958 and 1960. Rollins Pond now has 287 campsites, and Fish Creek has 355.

Charlie’s Inn: There are many reasons to visit Charlie’s Inn: snowmobiling, camping and dining. Railfans, however, call this the Lake Clear Junction. The train depot, built in 1891, remains, under private ownership. This was once one of the busiest rail junctions in the Adirondack Park, under the operation of New York Central’s Adirondack Division, originally finished by Dr. William Seward Webb in 1892. It ran from Herkimer to Malone, earning the name “Mohawk & Malone” or “M&M” railroad, with a rail line also heading east from the junction to Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.

Paul Smiths

Paul Smith’s College: Located on State Route 30, the 14,200-acre Paul Smith’s College on the shore of Lower St. Regis Lake was once home to the Paul Smith’s Hotel. Apollos A. (Paul) Smith (1825-1912) moved to the Adirondacks in the mid-1800s and bought 50 acres at the site of the current college campus in 1858, building a resort empire that eventually included transporting guests to/from Lake Clear Junction on the only electric railroad in the Park. Under the conditions of Phelps Smith’s will, the hotel’s holdings were to be used to establish a college in his father’s name. The college’s first class matriculated in 1946. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu. Continued on Page 24

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Paul Smiths VIC: Opened in 1989 by the state Adirondack Park Agency, the Visitor Interpretive Center on Route 30 is a 2,800-acre preserve now operated by Paul Smith’s College. Transfer of operations from the state to the college took place in January 2011. This environmental education and traveler orientation center offers special events, public programs, the nation’s first Native Species Butterfly House, natural history exhibits and a network of fourseason interpretive trails. Learn more at www.paulsmiths.edu/vic.

White Pine Camp: This Great Camp at the end of White Pine Road in Paul Smiths was the 1926 summer White House for U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. On June 7, 2020, four buildings at this complex were destroyed by fire. The camp was built as a private family retreat in 1907 by New York banker Archibald White and expanded in 1911. It has had several owners, including Paul Smith’s College. The 35-acre property is on a remote section of Osgood Pond and includes a Japanese tea house, a boathouse, guest cabins and a two-lane bowling alley.

Saranac Lake

The village of Saranac Lake, named an All-America City in 1998, was once one of most popular health resorts in the world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and now serves as a mountain muse for the arts community.

Union Depot: Located on Depot Street, this train station was built by the D&H Railroad in 1904. It was reopened to the public after being renovated in 1997 and 1998 and has since closed again. In 1904, the services of the Chateaugay Railroad to the east and the New York Central Railroad from the west were consolidated into the Union Depot. The station closed in 1965 when passenger service was terminated. The Adirondack Railway Preservation Society operated Adirondack Scenic Railroad passenger train excursions between here and Lake Placid from 2000 to 2016.

Historic Saranac Lake Walking Tour: This tour features many of the fascinating and unique architectural features of this quaint village, as it was transformed from a backcountry hamlet to one of the most successful health resorts in the world. Learn more at www.historicsaranaclake.org.

Saranac Laboratory Museum: Operated by Historic Saranac Lake, this museum tells the history of the village’s health care industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Edward Livingston Trudeau came to the Adirondacks with tuberculosis in 1873 and founded the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium in 1884. He beat TB and created a place for patients to “take the cure” and scientists to study the disease. Trudeau built the Saranac Laboratory next to his home in 1894, and it was the first lab in the nation exclusively used to study tuberculosis. Trudeau’s home — on the corner of Church and Main streets — was recently acquired by Historic Saranac Lake. Learn more at www.historicsaranaclake.org.

Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage: Located on Stevenson Lane, Robert Louis Stevenson — the Scottish author of novels such as “Treasure Island” (1883) and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1886), spent the winter of 1887-1888 at this Saranac Lake farmhouse taking the cure for tuberculosis. While here, he wrote “The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter’s Tale, ” which was published in 1889.

Lake Placid

The village of Lake Placid is best known as the home of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic Winter Games. It is home to USA Luge and USA Bobsled and Skeleton and still hosts national and international winter sports competitions.

Olympic venues: The state Olympic Regional Development Authority operates several venues that hosted Winter Olympic competition. Learn more at lakeplacidolympicsites.com.

The Olympic Center on Main Street features the 1932 Arena where Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie won a gold medal and the 1980 Fieldhouse where the U.S. hockey team beat the Soviet Union in the “Miracle on Ice” game. The Lake Placid Olympic Museum is located in the 1980 Fieldhouse.

The Olympic Speedskating Oval next door is where U.S. speedskater Eric Heiden won five gold medals during the 1980 Olympics, and it is the site of the 1932 Olympic stadium where Lake Placid speedskater Jack Shea won two gold medals.

The Olympic Jumping Complex still has the two ski jumps used during the 1980 Olympics; the ski jump used in the 1932 Olympics is no longer there.

The Olympic Sports Complex at Mount Van Hoevenberg — located on Route 73 east of the village, was the home of the 1932 and 1980 Olympic bobsled runs, the 1980 luge run (no longer standing), and the 1980 biathlon and cross-country ski trails. The current bobsled/luge/skeleton track was opened

Saranac Laboratory Museum

Olympic Center, Lake Placid

(Staff photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

Adirondack White Pine Cabins

Custom built for 20 years, Adirondack White Pine Cabins are locally constructed in Saranac Lake, NY. Our small team of carpenters led by the President, Bill Plumb and his son Joe, will work with you from start to finish to design and build your custom micro home. Once completed in our 5,000 square foot heated shop, your home arrives on your land completely fi nished and ready to be hooked up to utilities. Our customers can choose from a long list of options and upgrades which include appliances, lighting, faucets, fl ooring, builtin storage options and many more. Some of our homes have two bedroom options, screened in porches and or storage lofts to give the most possible space. Being 500 sq ft in total size, we make sure to use every possible inch of space to ensure both function and design is just right for you. Use your custom home year round as your : primary home, a vacation home, a new short term rental or a backyard home for a family member of any age.

Contact us to arrange a tour of our facility [Cabin homes are always in various stages of completion]

You can see us at: Website (www.adirondackwhitepinecabins.com) Facebook (Adirondack White Pine Cabins)

Shop Phone: 518-891-1444

Adirondack White Pine Cabins - 5025 NY Rt 3 - 18 Plumb Creek Ln - Saranac Lake, NY 12983

S a r a n a c L a k e R e g i o n

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The History Museum: Located on Station Street, the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society operates this museum at the Lake Placid train station. It was constructed by the D&H Railroad in 1903-04. The museum opened in 1967. The Adirondack Railway Preservation Society operated Adirondack Scenic Railroad passenger train excursions between here and Saranac Lake from 2000 to 2016. Learn more at www.lakeplacidhistory.com.

Self-guided walking tour of Lake Placid:

Download the Historic Walking Tour of Lake Placid on the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society’s website, www.lakeplacidhistory.com. 1980 Olympic cauldron: Located on state Route 73 at the North Elba Show Grounds, a plaque on the monument reads: “Here on February 13, 1980, the XIII Olympic Winter Games were opened by Vice President of the United States Walter F. Mondale and here the sacred Olympic flame was brought from Olympia, Greece to shed its light for 12 days on the quadrennial renewal of the ancient Olympic spirit of excellence, brotherhood and peace. This tower was erected to hold that flame and stands as an everlasting monument to the 1,282 Olympians from 37 nations who took part in these Olympic Games. ” This is the site of the 1980 opening ceremonies.

John Brown Farm State Historic Site: Located at 2 John Brown Road, this is the burial site of abolitionist John Brown, who was hanged for treason on Dec. 2, 1859 after he and his supporters captured the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia). Brown moved to this farm with his family in 1855, and he was buried here on Dec. 8, 1859. The property includes hiking/cross-country ski trails, the farm house, a pond and a barn.

Adirondak Loj: The Adirondack Mountain Club, celebrating its centennial in 2022, operates the historic Adirondak Loj at its Heart Lake property near Lake Placid. At the foot of some of the tallest High Peaks, it is the largest and most popular trailhead for hikers and campers in the Adirondack Park. The Loj was built in 1927 when the Lake Placid Club owned the property. Learn more at www.adk.org.

Wilmington

Santa’s Workshop: Located on the Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway, this was one of

Adirondak Loj John Brown Farm State Historic Site

(Staff photo — Andy Flynn) America’s first theme parks, opening in 1949.

Whiteface Mountain Ski Center: Located on state Route 86, the state of New York opened this ski center on Jan. 25, 1958. It was home of the alpine events during the 1980 Winter Olympics. Learn more at www.whiteface.com.

Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway: Drive up the highway to reach the top of New York’s fifthhighest peak (4,867 feet). Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the road in 1929 and opened it in 1936 when he was the U.S. president. The alpine-style gatehouse where motorists pay their toll was constructed in 1934. Lake Stevens at the toll house was named for 1932 Olympic bobsledder J. Hubert Stevens, and it is stocked annually to provide fishing opportunities. The Lake Stevens Tree Trail offers a self-guided, 10minute walk. Learn more at www.whiteface.com.

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Fast, daily flights between Saranac Lake and Boston Logan International Airport or JFK make it easy.Convenient connections, too.

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