New York Adirondacks Road Bike Tour

Spend six days adventuring through one of our country’s most beautiful natural areas: The Adirondacks. You’ll enjoy quiet roads across rivers, past mountains and around lakes. The ride begins and ends in Burlington, making a rough loop into the mountains and around Lake Champlain.

The ride begins in Burlington, Vermont and travels south along Lake Champlain. From the hills of Vermont, you’ll travel into the mountains after crossing the narrowest part of Lake Champlain into New York at the town of Ticonderoga. Then pedal through the mountains all the way to Saranac Lake, ending the tour with a beautiful loop into Lake Placid and finally a scenic ferry ride back to Burlington. Along the way you’ll experience Ausable Chasm, tour Fort Ticonderoga and discover why this area has been a classic vacation destination since the 1800s.

Day 1:  We will meet in Burlington, Vermont and begin our ride south, along the shores of Lake Champlain to Middlebury, Vermont. Enjoy the country roads, covered bridges and all the beautiful farms along the way (including the historic Morgan Horse Farm at the University of Vermont). We’ll spend the night at the comfortable Swift House Inn. 

Day 2:  Today we’ll catch a ferry across the narrowest part of Lake Champlain to Fort Ticonderoga. (Welcome to New York!) We’ll spend some time touring this impressive star-shaped fort, then start the day’s ride. From Ticonderoga, we’ll pedal our way up Swede Mountain, then cruise down the hill and around Brant Lake. This evening we stay at the Friends Lake Inn, a luxury Adirondack hotel with beautiful, woodland-inspired rooms. It’s just a three-minute walk down to the lake from the hotel — the perfect place to take a dip after your ride! 

Day 3:  Our route today undulates through the Hudson River Valley. We’ll skirt the Hudson River for a while, then start climbing back into the pines and roll along through the forest. Drop back down to the Hudson and through the quaint town of North Creek. Enjoy fine dining and rustic charm at the Garnet Hill Lodge this evening. 

Day 4:  In the morning, take some time to appreciate the peace and quiet at Garnet Hill — step out onto the lawn and relax in an Adirondack chair with a cup of coffee. The view of the lake below is spectacular. Today we have a shuttle to Tupper Lake. From there we’ll pedal through lush forest around Upper Saranac Lake, taking a quick stop at the famous Adirondack ice cream stop, Donnelley’s Soft Ice Cream. Tonight we’ll stay in the adorable town of Saranac Lake and enjoy a night of luxury at the historic Hotel Saranac. 

Day 5:  No need to pack your bags this morning, becaues we’ll be staying at the Hotel Saranac again tonight. Get a good breakfast this morning, because we’re riding part of the Lake Placid Ironman loop today! We’ll do a long loop from Saranac Lake into Lake Placid, along the Ausable River. Stop to take some photos today — we’ll have a great view of the  4,865-foot Whiteface Mountain, the Adirondacks’ premier ski resort, as well as the Olympic Ski Jump Facility. The ride ends in Lake Placid, so you’ll have some time to change out of your cycling shoes and explore the town. 

Day 6:  After such a lovely week, you won’t want to leave Saranac Lake! We’ll make sure you have plenty of time to relax into the final ride of the week. It’s a mostly-downhill ride today all the way back to Lake Champlain, passing by the impressive Ausable Chasm on the way. Enjoy the ferry ride to Burlington, then we’ll say our goodbyes and shuttle back to where we met on Sunday!