Winter Family Fun!
Festivals, Fireworks and Outdoor Adventures for the entire family in the Adirondacks.
Go hiking, ice fishing or cross-country skiing at Point Au Roche State Park. A little more than an hour away, at Whiteface Wilmington (the 5th highest peak in NYS), you’ll share the slopes with world-class athletes or beginners on the Kids Kampus and every level in between. Bobsled, take a lap on the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, mush across a lake in a one-of-a-kind dog sled, race down a snow tube chute, cross-country ski and showshoe. Nearby High Falls Gorge offers a spectacular nature walk with 700 feet of frozen waterfalls.
Six Flags Great Escape & Indoor Waterpark near Lake George is just the ticket when the whole family needs a break from the snow and cold – it’s always 80 degrees inside! Nearby, you’ll find one of the best Nordic ski centers in the country: unwind and relax at Garnet Hill Lodge or enjoy some of their excellent cross-country ski trails. The Lake George Land Conservancy has winter adventures and programs at its preserves, beginner to advanced levels; x-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, wildlife tracking and more.
Plan an entire day of fun with the whole family at Frozen Fire & Lights (February 23). Bonfire, book sale, sledding, ice skating, snowshoeing, x-country skiing, cardboard sled race, Noah’s Ark Animal Workshop – and it ends with a bang -- with a BIG fireworks display (plus wine & chocolate)!
Long Lake and Raquette Lake can put LOTS OF WINTER FUN on your family calendar: Poker Run (February 8); Lake Eaton Ice Fishing Derby (February 9); Romantic Valentine’s Day dining; Raquette Lake Winter Carnival (February 16-17); Winter Wacky Week (February 17-22); 4th Annual Hors D’Oeuvres Tour (February 21); Adult Child Fishing Derby (March 2)…..AND there’s skating, sledding, free x-country ski classes and a Broomball Tournament.
The 116th Annual Saranac Lake Winter Carnival (February 1-10) truly has something for everyone, indoors and outside. It’s a one-of-a-kind event with sports, dances, performances, two parades, and two sets of fireworks above the world-famous Ice Palace – and, despite all the events, it retains the charm of a hometown celebration. Enjoy an Adirondack style dinner and sleigh ride at an authentic 1886 lodge, Hohmeyer’s Lake Clear Lodge: Einstein relaxed here – why wouldn’t you?
Every February, the New Bremen Fire Department holds an Ice Harvest Festival on Crystal Pond. Blocks of ice (12” x 16” x 18”) are cut and stored in a 19th Century style icehouse for sale during the summer months.
Frozen Fire & Lights - Inlet
Garnet Hill Lodge – North River
High Falls Gorge
Hohmeyer’s Lake Clear Lodge
Ice Harvest Festival – New Bremen
Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) – several events
Long Lake and Raquette Lake – numerous events
Point Au Roche State Park - Plattsburgh
Saranac Lake Winter Carnival
Six Flags Great Escape & Indoor Waterpark – Queensbury
Whiteface - Lake Placid
Find more Family Fun ideas at Visit Adirondacks.