New York & the Mid-Atlantic Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

Champlain narrows

between New York and

Vermont. The British,

after several failed

attempts to wrest control

of the commanding

overlook, finally

succeeded in 1759 after

it was abandoned by the

French. Today, the Crown

Point State Historic

Site (%518-597-4666; http://www.

nysparks.com; 21 Grandview

Dr, Crown Point; hgrounds

9am-6pm) ruins look like

they’re in the midst of an

archaeological dig. Still,

views of the mountains

and lake are beautiful

and it’s interesting to

imagine the numerous

forks history could have

taken when the French

first built the stone

citadel in the 1600s.

Check out the exhibits in

the small museum (adult/

child $4/3) to understand

the area’s role in the

quest for empire.

The Drive » On this 50-mile

drive, Rte 22 north passes

through beautiful countryside,

alongside shore line train tracks

and the Boquet River; note

the falls in tiny Wadhams. Just

before the historic village of

Essex (c 1775) and its highly

recommended inn (p83), you

pass by Essex farm, made

famous in Kristin Kimball’s book

The Dirty Life: A Memoir of

Farming, Food & Love.

4 Ausable Chasm

One of the country’s

oldest natural

attractions, the

dramatically beautiful

Ausable Chasm (%518-

834-9990; http://www.ausablechasm.

com; 2144 Rte 9; adult/child

$17/10; h9am-5pm summer,

to 4pm rest of yr; c) is

a 2-mile long fissure

formed by a gushing

river that over thousands

of years carved its way

through deep layers

of sandstone, creating

200ft cliffs, waterfalls

and rapids. The privately

owned sight, in danger

of shutting its gates

for good after the

devastating floods of

Tropical Storm Irene

in 2011, has rebuilt

its walkways and

connecting bridges

and added a rappelling

course for those seeking

an alternative to the

riverside trail. In the

wintertime, strap on

microspikes to see

majestic icicles that

complement the unique

rock formations. When

the weather warms, lazily

slide downriver in a raft,

rented kayak or inner

tube, gazing at the birds

and butterflies that fill

the light-drenched gorge.

Along with a large

cafe there’s a small

museum, primarily about

the life and work of the

naturalist, writer and

photographer Seneca

Ray Stoddard, whose

guidebooks, photos

and maps of the region

were instrumental in

the formation of the

Adirondack Park in

1892 – unregulated

logging was threatening

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

REVOR JOHNSTON/EYE MEETS WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES ©

NEW.YORK.TRIPS

5

(^) ADIRONDACK PEAKS & V
ALLEYS