In partnership with our friends at Cape Cod Potato Chips
Foliage season is one of my favorites. Okay, it’s definitely my favorite. The food, the colors, the cozy fires. If you blink, you might miss it, and that’s why we like to stretch our enjoyment of the season as much as humanly possible. Come September 1st, I’m glued to the foliage forecast websites. We start the season peeping the foliage in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks, followed by Vermont from north to south, and around mid to late October, we’re finally able to enjoy the peak colors a bit closer to home in the Lake George region of New York.
Last weekend, we packed our favorite road trip snack - Cape Cod Potato Chips - and made a day trip up the western shore of the lake. Read on for a few of our stops along the way!
SEE + DO
Hike | The Pinnacle | A popular local hike, this is a quick one with an amazing view. We lucked out with the lookout to ourselves, and as we sat there, the first snowflakes of the season began to fall - pretty magical! Since it’s just not possible for us to hike without a snack, we couldn’t help but open up our Cape Cod Potato Chips to enjoy just a few before we stopped for lunch later on.
Drive | Prospect Mountain | If hiking isn’t your cup of tea, you can still get a great view of the lake by driving up Prospect Mountain. It’s a 5.5 mile drive up the mountain with a few places to pull over and enjoy the view along the way. And fun fact: this was actually one of the first things Tom and I did together when we started dating :)
See | Sabbath Day Point Overlook | As you make your way up Route 9N (Lake Shore Drive), you’ll pass Northwest Bay (one of our favorite spots for a quick paddle!), and after winding your way through a colorful forest, you’ll find yourself back on the shore at an expansive lookout of the northern portion of the lake. We’ve stopped here dozens of times, and the view never gets old.
Stroll | Silver Bay YMCA | It’s been on my list for ages to pull off and explore the Silver Bay YMCA (founded in 1902 and on the National Registry of Historic Places!). We finally made the stop and I’m so glad we did. With stunning views of the lake and historic buildings dotting the property, this is definitely a place I could spend a full day exploring. We are already excited to come back in the summer months to take advantage of the canoes and kayaks. This trip, we were pretty happy just pulling up a couple of Adirondack chairs and enjoying the view and a few leftover Cape Cod Potato Chips before we got back on the road.
EAT + DRINK
Breakfast | Bolton Beans | We love the nostalgia and charm of this 1946 Service Diner. Though we opted for a light breakfast sandwich to fuel our morning hike this time, the pancakes and omelets are in our regular rotation here. This is a popular spot amongst locals and tourists alike, so if you go during busy season, get there early to snag a spot!
Lunch | Hague Market | While Vermont tends to get all the love for its country stores, we have a hidden gem tucked right into our own backyard. The Hague Market is the Adirondack’s oldest running general store, and the perfect spot to grab a couple of sandwiches, sodas, and peanut butter cookies for lunch. We brought along our trusty Cape Cod Potato Chips, and while Tom had already eaten half the bag, we somehow managed to have enough left to enjoy with lunch (which by the way, we ate in the Hague Town Park across the street while enjoying the prettiest view!).
SHOP
Antiques | We’ll brake for antique shops and barn sales, always. A couple of our regular stops in Bolton Landing are Black Bass and Lakeview Antiques, and while we didn’t have time this trip, we’re itching to get up to Longergan’s Antiques in Ticonderoga.
Would love to hear your Lake George area favorites! And I’m sure Tom would love to hear your favorite road trip snacks ;) Until next time, Lake George!
This post was in partnership with Cape Cod Potato Chips, a brand we’ve brought along on many a road trip over the years. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that support The Yellow Note!