28 LEISURE Travel
From the windows of our bush
plane, my friends and I could see
nothing but forest, rolling moun-
tains, rivers, lakes, and streams, said
Zach Montague in The New York
Times. The landscape could have
been Alaska or Canada, but it was
much closer to home. New York’s
Adirondack Park is a vast wilderness
into which I have been disappearing
since childhood. Though most visi-
tors to the region stay in towns such
as Lake Placid and Old Forge, my
favorite way to see the Adirondacks
is to charter a floatplane and fly to
a backwoods lake or pond far from other
campers. After our pilot touched down fol-
lowing a 15-minute flight, he ferried us to a
rustic lakeside campsite. “He would be the
last person we saw until we flew out again
three days later.”
“That the four of us could have an entire
lake to ourselves is a testament to the
remarkable success of New York state’s
This week’s dream: Camping in the Adirondack wilderness
Tony Cenicola/The New York Tim es/Redux, Dina Mishev/The Washington PostDon’t expect Wi-Fi at this
remote mountain lodge, said
Dina Mishev in The Washing-
ton Post. Open through mid-
October each year and acces-
sible only via charter plane,
horseback, or an 8-mile hike,
the former hunting camp in
northeastern Oregon is as
isolated as it is beautiful.
We took the long trail in,
hiking 60 miles through the
Wallowa Mountains, “the
Alps of Oregon.” Our guest
cabin had a rain shower,
crisp linens, and front-porch
rocking chairs. There are also
luxury tents or rooms in the
lodge, where group dinners
are served before square
dancing in a nearby barn.
minam-lodge.com; luxury tents
from $195Hotel of the week
Forget Lake Como, said Olivia Martin in Town
& Country. Though that beautiful lake just north
of Milan has been a deservedly popular retreat for
aristocrats since Roman times, “to local Milanese,
the real status symbol is a private villa at Lake
Orta.” The smaller lake is “renowned for its
crystal-clear waters” and “surrounded by Alpine
mountains dotted with medieval and Baroque
buildings.” The summer palazzi of well-heeled
Italians, Germans, and Swiss share a picturesque
island with cloistered Benedictine nuns, but you’ll
find the best lake views at Sacro Monte di Orta,
a village-like complex of 16th- and 17th-century
chapels. Travelers bound for Rome or Florence
should consider Lake Trasimeno, located halfway
between the two cities, said Vicky Hallett in The
Washington Post. “Instead of glam resorts, expect
rustic-chic farmhouse accommodations at family-
run agriturismi. Even if you’re on a budget, you
can land a place with a pool and a view.”Getting the flavor of...
A welcoming cabinLast-minute travel deals
Tour de Jordan
Pedal across the ancient des-
erts of Jordan or the lush jun-
gles of Sri Lanka with Intrepid
Travel’s cycling tours. Take
30 percent off trips departing
before Oct. 31. A nine-day tour
of Jordan now starts at $1,267
per person for a shared room.
intrepidtravel.comBahama bliss
Enjoy the turquoise beaches,
golf courses, and landmarks
of the Bahamas while sav-
ing 20 per cent on rooms at
the oceanfront Grand Hyatt
Baha Mar in Nassau. Book
by Aug. 27 for stays through
Sept. 2. Rooms start at $180.
hyatt.comA Maldives seaside spa
Lounge in a hammock at
your private villa just above
the lagoon, then dive in and
swim or snorkel at Six Senses
Laamu in the Maldives. Visit
by Sept. 30 and get 30 percent
off rooms, a free massage, and
more. Use code SSF30.
sixsenses.compreservation movement.” Nearly half of
the Adirondacks’ 6 million acres are lands
protected as “forever wild” by the state’s
constitution, and most of that wilderness
is open to public recreation. These days,
the floatplanes that use Long Lake as their
runway fly to only six lakes and ponds,
and “each has its own subtle character.”
Some offer easy access to hiking trails,
while others are known for plentiful brooktrout and smallmouth bass. Some
of the ponds and lakes have sandy
beaches, and Upper Sargent Pond
has islets that campers can explore
using canoes left on-site.We camped on Pine Lake near the
Cedar River, whose gentle rapids
we could hear through the pines.
Each morning, we woke to the
lonesome calls of loons, and each
evening we heard beavers slapping
their tails against the water. We
spent our days fishing from the
dock, “watching clouds merge and
fray and roll over the mountain terrain.”
After sundown, we stargazed, except on
our last night, when a thunderstorm rolled
in. “Captivated by the energy of the storm,
we sat silently, enjoying the rhythmic pat-
terns of the rain, and watching the flashes
beyond the treetops.”
Helms Aero Service (518-624-3931) offers
round-trip flights from Long Lake for
about $150 a person.Italy’s lesser-known lakes
The original Lion King wouldn’t be the same
movie without its setting, and the real-life inspi-
ration is “no less majestic,” said Abigail Higgins
in NationalGeographic.com. Before inventing
the film’s iconic Pride Rock, Disney’s animators
traveled to Kenya’s Hell’s Gate National Park, a
section of the Great Rift Valley where cliffs ring
a prehistoric lake bed. Visitors won’t see Simba
(which means “lion” in Swahili), but that’s a
good thing: Because there are no big cats, Hell’s
Gate is one of the few parks in East Africa you
can safely hike from end to end. “You’re likely
to see animals all day, such as families of wart-
hogs dashing across the road, or herds of gazelles
frolicking through acacias.” And instead of peek-
ing out the top of a Jeep, you can take a safari
on bicycles. “There’s nothing like pedaling past a
herd of zebras or trying to keep pace with a gal-
loping giraffe.” The park’s volcanic landscapes
also offer excellent rock climbing.The Lion King’s Kenya
Lostine, Ore.Minam River LodgeA floatplane rests peacefully on remote Pine Lake.