Adirondacks, NY

After a crazy busy, blessed, 60 hour a week year at the salon I was feeling like I was in a much needed escape from my reality. So, I looked out on my schedule to the first week that I didn't have a client booked yet + marked myself out for a week. I wasn't sure in that moment what I was going to do, but it was for the first week in October. If you haven't been to New England in late September/early October, you may not know that it's what we call "peak season". For those of you that DO know that, you know that the north can be inundated with what we like to call "leaf peepers". AKA, all the out-of-staters coming up to check out all of the fall foliage.

I started doing my research about the surrounding areas + decided to plan a trip to the Adirondacks. There were some insanely beautiful photos I'd seen while checking out which hikes to do, so I became more + more excited as my plans progressed. We decided to take Tewks (my 10 month old golden doodle) with us, as well as meet another couple there.

We were bummed to find out that we needed a permit for one of the hikes that we had been looking forward to doing. When we went to get said permit, we were too little to late. (So plan ahead!) The trail was booked for our weekend. But, that didn't deter us from going. We ended up doing a hike up Mount Jo which was definitely the highlight for views of the trip. There's a hidden summit before you hit the main summit that overlooks Heart Lake that is just breathtaking with all of the foliage colors.

Mount Jo

Heart Lake

We also explored the town of Lake Placid which was bustling with fellow tourists. We ate at The Breakfast Club, etc. for brunch + it did not disappoint, from the service to the food + extensive cocktail list. The next day we hiked up Balanced Rock off the Pitchoff Mountain trail. This was an awesome hike + we got so lucky on the perfect weather over the weekend. I can't ever describe the views, but these two hikes are must do's if you're visiting the Adirondacks in the fall.

We stayed at a campground centrally located for all 3 nights that we visited the Adirondacks called Drapers Acres It was super convenient having electrical hookups as Jimmy was having some solar panel charging issues. They were spacious spots considering the time of year + how busy campgrounds get. Their shower house was very clean as campground standards go. Each campsite had a picnic table and fire ring which made for convenient cooking + dining.

All in all the Adiriondack's were a 10/10 experience + I can't wait to go back next year to hike the Indian Head Trail (with a permit) + explore more of what they have the offer. Fun fact for any of your big hikers out there, there's 46 4,000 footers in the Adirondack's! We only hit a tip of what this vast area has. There were so many gorgeous pull offs with waterfalls. We ooo'd and ahhhh'd around so many turns admiring the insane foliage that the fall had to offer us this season.

I highly recommend a visit if you're looking to do a fun foliage trip in 2022! It's totally worth it.