Ausable Chasm, NY - billing itself as "the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks" is a shamelessly ambitious boast for an attraction that I'd more accurately describe as Watkins Glen with the consumer interface of Bushkill Falls, but there's no denying Ausable Chasm is a fun, scenic, and daring adventure for all ages! We came during the off season at the end of April, before the more high thrills activities like rafting & tubing, riverwalk, Via Ferrata adventure trail, rappelling, rock climbing, etc. were open for the season (usually around late-May to June through autumn). That was no problem as we are visiting with our toddler who isn't old enough to do most of these activities anyway, and, as we discovered, it was actually perfect and to our advantage, since as first-time visitors we only wanted/had time to explore the chasm itself. And as there were very few other visitors on a weekday, it was as if we had this private park all to ourselves! No need to jostle for views/photos, can enjoy lunch & snacks at the best picnic tables by vista points, and it's also more pleasant than hiking in hot summer, though many of the trails are shaded. The basic "trails only" admission is about $20 for adults & teens, $12 for kids 5-12, and free for under 5. All the other activities have additional fees, which can add up so you might explore packages, or even stay overnight at their campground & cabins. We are a family of hikers so wanted to do the whole perimeter and see the entire gorge (about 2 miles). But if you only wish to see the exciting parts and leave time for other activities, then you can turn back halfway and do the shorter loop (1 mile if you do the Inner Sanctum Trail which I 100% recommend as this is the "signature" trail along the canyon's edge. But note it has many stairs up & down). We took the Inner Sanctum (yellow) trail, crossed over to Big Dry Chasm and hiked to the Whirlpool Basin Overlook at other end, then looped back around on the orange trail via Little Dry Chasm. The trails are well maintained, with most of the outer edge trails on comfortable soft padded ground. They're mostly well marked except the end part is not really shown clearly on the park map so I used AllTrails. The orange trail (Dry Chasm Trail) is marked as more difficult, but it's basically just a regular wooded hiking trail that's not paved, with rooty and rocky sections. The park is very walkable for most able-bodied people. Even our 3yo was able to hike the whole thing by himself, with a bit of help over the orange trails. We loved our visit and are excited to come back when our child is older to do more activities! Will update my review when we've had a chance to experience all the action-packed adventures the park has to offer. TIP #1: No trail maps are given out so take a photo ar a screenshot. But there are maps placed along the trails marked with where you are. TIP #2: Porta-potties only on either end of the trails, so I recommend taking your nature break before setting out. TIP #3: There's a cafe by the Welcome Center but it's only open seasonally. Bring water. No garbage bins along the trails (cos bears!) so trash is carry-in carry-out. read more

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This place is the best. Great for families. Do the explorer package with river walk...ropes bridges are awesome. Boat is mild, it's not white water rafting. Very safe. Go here and enjoy! read more

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Wonderful attraction with well maintained trails and staff that seem to enjoy their jobs. We took the lower rim trail to the raft ride and the upper (easy) rim trail on the way back. The raft ride (Alden was a great raft guide!) was better than I remembered and would love to try the tubing option when warmer. Really enjoyed our visit. read more

My friends and I had a wonderful time visiting this place. We chose the premium package, which includes the adventure trail, basic trail admission and the scenic float tour. We went on a weekend so it was fairly busy, but once we got onto the trails, it was not crowded at all. First up, we completed the adventure trail which I'd say is an intermediate level ropes course that consists of crossing multiple cable bridges and cliff edge walks. All safety equipments are provided for and the instructions were easy to follow. The views on the trail was absolutely incredible! My favorite parts were definitely crossing the first bridge that only had a single cable (kind of like walking on a tightrope) and the cliff walk which became progressively harder. From there, a second tour guide took us on a short hike through the upper portions of the chasm. There were a few falls and caves along the way. Lastly, we hiked down to where the float tour starts. You can either choose to do the raft or the float. The raft provides a smoother experience and you are less likely to get wet. The float experience is more unique as you get your own individual tubing but you will get wet! Overall, we had a wonderful time here! The whole activity took about 3-4 hours to complete and it was definitely worth it! read more

Ausable Chasm - Hiking Near Me - Keeseville, New York

nothing says stop and have a peek like a giant hole in the ground... and if it's especially deep or long or BOTH! it must be viewed... water in the bottom? and it's moving?? just take my money!! and that's what's happening here. the cleft is about two miles long and 150 feet deep with a river running through it, the Ausable River no less, imagine the luck ;-) glacial melt, soft over burden, vertical fractures in the hard stone below and a couple millennialater VOILA! chasm... local rumor has it there used to was a spectacular waterfall at the short end of the gorge cutting through the stone ever so slowly but reduced flow for a variety of reasons means no progress in gorge lengthening for a couple ten dozen years or so. bummer... there's a couple options to tour the canyon but the cutest of chicks didn't feel up to the excursions after an unfavorable mix of walking all over Acadia and Montreal between excessive periods motoring across the north east... read more

Ausable Chasm - Hiking Near Me - Keeseville, New York

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I went to Ausable Chasm this morning and had a lot of fun. I didn't do it all but I did do the Adventure Trail, plus I hiked all the trails including the Big and Little Dry Chasms. It was a lot of fun. I especially liked the Adventure Trail which included edge walks and crossing cable bridges. I wish it had been a little longer than it was but it was worth it. There was nothing quite like crossing over the chasm while standing on a single steel cable. read more

The mini-Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. A 90-minute drive north from Diamond Pont, Lake George. Beautiful vistas. Five miles of trails. Rafting. Tubing. And a via ferrata. After hiking the trails on a hot and humid morning going into the afternoon, I was looking forward to the raft trip down the river. But BAM, the line for the rafting and tubing took over an hour. Bummer. And as some other reviewers noted, the life vests all had funky body odor smells. Clean those bad boys with some bleach. They lost a star for the long line and funky vests. Worth the trip if you are vacationing in the area. read more

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We had an awful experience today. Drove 3 hours round trip with our 9- and 10.5-year-old kids (64" and 68" reach) to do the adventure course at Ausable Chasm. We were turned away upon arrival even though the website states the reach requirement is 63". Very disappointing and a complete waste of a day. Call before you go! read more

The pièce de résistance of our family's Adirondacks summer vacation - how did I never hear of this place before accidentally stumbling upon it while looking up places in and around Lake George?! (Warning: it's a good 90-minute-plus drive to/from Lake George.) Pronounced "Aww-say-bull" (I was butchering that word the entire time before I was corrected) - this is the oldest (and largest) natural attraction in the United States. (And it's pretty damn awesome, lemme tell ya.) We went with the deluxe package and they immediately throw you to the wolves... after a bit of practicing with your harness and carabiners (you'll be dreaming of that very specific clicking-clacking sound from having to do over 250 transfers... trust me!) - you'll find yourself on a pretty high and thin bridge and now you're on the side of a mountain trying to jimmy across to the next bridge... lather, rinse, repeat, etc. It was an amazing time from start to finish. Mother Nature did most of the work and some clever people decided to make it a profitable interactive adventure and my entire family had a blast. Next up was the tubing (or rafting) and this might not make much sense but it was awe-inspiring and boring. It starts slow and you can't help but be amazed at the wonders our planet has if you're willing to look but there ended up being only 30-40 seconds of the "roaring rapids" portion and it's back to... snoozeville and getting your feet (and socks/sneakers) soaked as you attempt to get out of the tube (and river) to find the trolley to bring you back to the main building. Sam - our first/main guide - incredible all around. Addy (aka "Ted" - if you weren't a fan of hers!) - super cool. Sierra - a literal lifesaver when she lent me a waterproof bag because I had a wallet, phone and keys on me when we realized that after the nature walk (another moment you'll be gob smacked by the amazing nooks and crannies our planet has waiting for you to explore) and now you're supposed to tube/raft and there's nowhere to safely store your items. There's a small museum, solid gift shop, cafeteria and crummy Wi-Fi all at the main building. Get there early because it seems to fill up fast a few hours after opening. Definitely recommended! (And that's coming from a city kid that's not all that keen on the 'Great Outdoors'.) read more

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Ausable Chasm is a sandstone gorge. The gorge was carved out of 500 million year old post sandstone from the Cambrian period. The movement and melting of glaciers from the end of the Pleistocene Epoch ice age 10,000 years ago created a series of gorges, caves, and tunnels. The Ausable River crossed paths with these gorges, caves, and tunnels creating the beautiful chasm and eventually empties out into Lake Champlain. We enjoyed our two mile trek into the chasm! Ausable Chasm is a great sight to visit while in the Adirondacks. My husband and I went in April. Not many people there and the cool weather was perfect! Great trails to select from while walking along the path of the Chasm. Very photogenic! I'd love to experience the full experience when summer comes along with a raft ride and tubing down the river. The cost was worth it to us and I would totally visit again! If you have small children you may want to consider the intermediate trail and how close you are to edge of the rock cliffs. I only mention this because we crossed paths with a father who had mentioned this very thing. And I would agree! read more

Ausable Chasm - Hiking Near Me - Keeseville, New York

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Great hikes and tons things to dorafting,tubing,hiking,it's up to you!highly recommended for all family! read more

Ausable Chasm - Yellow trail line - Hiking Near Me - Keeseville, New York

A little pricey for a hike, but still a beautiful place to visit. We are not hikers and we were still able to do the smallest course. A beautiful place to just soak it all in read more

I have been coming to the area for my entire life and somehow have never been here. So we made a day trip here for my birthday to check it out. We did the easiest hike and it was very nice and not challenging, which is exactly what we wanted. We also did the River rapids tour. Our guide was great and knew the history very well. He also did a great job guiding us through the small section of rapids. The water tour is pretty short so I do wish it was longer but it was a lot of fun. Overall really nice scenery and a fun afternoon outdo read more

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Had a great experience here with the River Walk. My group had some people afraid of heights, so it was a good fear-conquering moment for some. The hike was quite easy, and the views were fantastic. The only thing is, the water raft ride at the end was a bit boring. Our wait was very long, plan 1.5 hours or more and we were delayed a bit due to some people on line getting dehydrated and possible heat strokes. Bring water, bring sun screen, and bring bug spray. The entire water ride was relaxing and our guy Matt was fantastic. read more

We did the tubing experience which was nice. Only took about 45 minutes once we were on the water. Remember you should have a shoe with a heel and there will be a short hike to get to the boats and tubes there are people along the trail to make sure you don't get lost or miss out on any cool sights. I will say, the life jackets stunk like I was wearing someone else's body odor, even though they wash them. If you're sensitive to smells be warned. At the end there is a bus stop that comes around every 15 minutes if you don't want to hike back. (Which might be uncomfortable if you are wet.) The guide giving us a safety talk was problematic. The way he spoke sounded like he didn't know or it wasn't important. He was rambling and using safety terms and assuming people understood what he meant. Everyone was confused and I was having to explain what he meant to the people around me. Everyone was getting nervous rather than feeling confident about the easy journey we were about to make. read more

We spent 7 nights at the campground, it allowed us enough time to enjoy all the activities. I would highly recommend the lantern tour, our guides Rose & Larry were very informative & kept the perfect pace walking through the chasm, the campfire was the perfect touch! We also went rappelling one day, our guides Dave & Big Al definitely calmed our nerves & gave us confidence we could do it...so glad they did, it was a lot of fun! Laurie in the gift shop not only answered our 100 questions about the area, she gave us great recommendations! We loved the gift shop, so many wonderful things to shop for, very well organized & Laurie even found a larger size for us in the back! We would recommend visiting Ausable Chasm to anyone that enjoys adventure & nature...the views are amazing!! read more

Ausable Chasm - The water falls were amazing! - Hiking Near Me - Keeseville, New York

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I'll let the pictures justify this rating, haha I can see where the pricing is high and confusing.. but really, for a not so strenuous hike- that's well paved and laid out for great pics- plus a rafting experience that's guided, it was a fantastic deal. Plus, my group in general aren't avid hikers/adventurers, so it was really ideal for them to have a scenic walk and then relax on the water. Tip - go on a weekday and early. We showed up 10/11am but the river rafting line got really long after us! The visitor cabin was very informative- learned a lot about the location. It was clean, modern, and the cafe was really convenient! Definitely want to do again! read more

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Upon recommendation of a friend we made our way to Ausable Chasm this weekend. We just made it to enjoy it fully as Oct 10 was the last day to enjoy the rafting down the river. The scenery is breathtaking. One of the most beautiful hikes i have ever done. My son is 4 and we did the intermediate hike without any issues followed by the raft tour. What an awesome experience and sooo close to Montréal wish i would have known about this place before. It can even be done as a day trip but we chose to rent a rustic cabin at Ausable Chasm Campground. read more

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Beautiful place to visit, definitely recommended, known as the Grand Canyon of the East, tinier version. Welcome center is very clean and well organized but better be early because the place and line can be packed after 11am during the weekends. Love the view and their cafe is well kept and food is fairly priced. The trails has wood chips makes good traction to all beginners. The rocks can be slippery in the yellow train maybe not recommended when raining but the staff knows when it's too dangerous, they will close the trail. The raft is also a perfect treat to beginners and the staff are well trained. Definitely a perfect getaway! read more

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Laurie in the gift shop was awesome. She helped us with our purchases and gifts. Rose and Larry were knowledgeable and fun. We also did rappelling with Big AL and Dave. Genuinely knowledgeable and great at their jobs. All in all, these people made our visit exceptional. read more

Absolutely beautiful and relaxing as well as an incredible feat of human ingenuity. They used the falls to creat a power source at the turn of the century that still exists today! read more

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This is an awesome place to stop if you're in the Adirondacks. It's touted as "the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks." It's truly a wonderful sight. We would have liked to have walked around, however it's $30 per person.. yes. $30. VERY expensive. If it was a $5 admission perhaps... Great to see from the bridge. The little museum on the underground railroad was pretty cool too. read more

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Fantastic hiking trails and beautiful photo ops chances galore! Only giving it 4 stars because their advertising is super misleading because they show people walking across a rope bridge in the $17.95 pricing...BUT once you get there, you're told there is an additional $12 to get closer to the chasm floor and crossing 2 rope bridges plus a tour guide. So not happy about that portion of this trip but loved being in nature. read more

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A nice and easy hike. I went on a weekday, late in the afternoon, on a rainy day. It wasn't packed at all which was great but I wasn't able to go rafting as I planned. It was too close to closing. I did however witness an employee rightfully so, yell at a group of rafters after they ignored his calls for them to strap up the chair lift, as it was time to go. I also thought, the price for entry is a little high considering that it's self guided hike. There's also a small cafeteria that looked less than appetizing. Towards the end of the trails you will see signs for a bus stop. I thought that was super convenient and great for people like me who don't hike often. read more

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Nice trails. It's a great place to work and see some nice rock foundations and water features. We took the guided raft ride. I'm so glad we went. read more

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Ausable Chasm is dope! It's an incredible park whether you want to do some chill hiking in nature, or whether you want to have some more adventure with rock climbing or white water rafting. It's very green and beautiful. read more

I have a childhood memory of not completing the walk across the bridge and having to have an adult come out and guide be back. 50 years later I returned as a visitor to the area with my spouse. I did the walk across the foot bridge this time. I really like what the place is - a natural experience. But the price is a bit steep and while the kids that work there were great, they were kids doing a summer job and some lacked the interest and enthusiasm to match the price tag. read more

5 stars for our adventure guide Manny who was amazing! The views and the experience was incredible. ***The reason two stars is the confusing pricing. It says on the website that the adventure guide is $35 each. We were charged 60$ each. When asked what the price was for just the adventure guide I was told $40 by one worker . Then another worker said you could not buy the individual adventure trail just the premium packages. Makes no sense to me. Especially after one worker said $40. read more

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It was my second visit and still find the place amazingly beautiful despite the bad weather we encountered. The hike for this visit was shorter but worked well for the group. The trail was awesome where we hit most of the best spots of the park. There is nothing more lovely to explore but the true wonder of nature - a Gods gift to mankind. There is a free shuttle at the end of the trail that brought us back to the welcome center. Where we dropped off by the driver is a scenic vista of the waterfalls that hindered us to immediately walk back to the welcome center. There is a gift shop, café, children activity center and an information room that visitors can roamed around while waiting. Highly recommended place to visit when in Adirondacks area. Definitely anyone could have a blast in this place. read more

I wish I could give this experience negative stars! They over charge, and under deliver!! Website is purposely misleading! Boating or rafting you must also pay the fee to enter the trails which is another $20 per person. Trails are poorly marked, or not at all and maps are not given or posted along the routes. Wait time was quoted as 1 hour. We waited almost 3. (good thing we decided to try this one without the kids !!!!) there are no amenities while waiting in line. No snacks no water no bathrooms no cell service. No cell service, so we were basically just stuck. The only way out was through... it was finally our turn. I was so excited! Then I went to put the helmet and lifejacket on, and nearly puked from the disgusting mildew smell. Pretty sure it got me sick, and a week later, I'm still very sick. Would it kill them to spray the equipment down with some Lysol in between uses? Especially after we just had a global pandemic ???!!! The rafting experience was fun, it lasted 20 to 30 minutes read more

Love, Love, Loved this place!!!! What a wonderful way to spend a beautiful afternoon with my family. Due to it being early spring only the walking trails were open, but, that was perfect. The staff are so helpful and friendly, and the trails are beautifully kept. We took the yellow trail down and green trail back. Being right in the Chasm makes you realize how tiny we are. It was a great to be one with nature for a little while. There are some bridges that may get those scared of heights a little weary, but the views are worth it. Do, go visits this natural wonder! 100% Worth it! read more

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Beautiful scenery. Our guide and raft pilot, Conner, was personable, knowledgeable and funny. Fascinating place.

For such a nothing area, I did not expect such an amazing park! Besides from being a bit touristy and pricy, the park was great! Most of the trails were not too difficult, but the narrow paths and low railings make it a bit treacherous. Highly recommend! read more

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When in the Adirondacks, the Au Sable Chasm ("Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks") tops the list of places to see. I don't want to make this review too in depth or post too many pictures because I encourage you to experience this wonder for yourself! My boyfriend and I did the following while we were here: - ROCK AND RIVER ADVENTURE ($109.95/adult): Covers basic admission into the chasm, the scenic float tour (approximately 15 mins on a raft in the chasm), the adventure trail, and 1.5 hours of rock climbing. Katie was a pleasure as our adventure trail guide, and Hunter was an awesome and very knowledgeable guide during our rock climbing experience! Both made our experiences super enjoyable and ensured we were safe at all times. - TUBING (only $5 if you've already done the float tour): Tubing down the river took us almost an hour because we took our time to really take in the views. Really beautiful and awe-inspiring. - LANTERN TOUR ($25/person): Exploring the chasm at night with a tour guide that ends with a bonfire and roasting marshmallows 150 ft deep into the chasm. Stargazing there was absolutely unreal, and if you're lucky like we were, we saw the Big Dipper during the bonfire and it looked like it was pouring into the chasm. Super cool! (Our tour guide was this quirky and hilarious guy with glasses, lol if anyone knows him, let me know so I can shout him out!) I deducted a star because of how much money we had to spend to do everything we wanted, but the chasm is privately owned and the money goes to maintenance so I understand. And there's not a single thing we did here that I would've wanted to miss out and not spend the money on. *Things to note: - I suggest getting there as early as possible to skip the long lines! As the day went on, people were waiting over an hour just to actually get in. We got there about 15 minutes before it even opened to avoid the lines and get good parking. - Rock climbing, rappelling, and lantern tours require online reservations. - Rock climbing, float tours, and tubing are weather permitting so I suggest booking no earlier than a few days in advance because they have a no-refund policy. read more

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This is a beautiful place but beware of buying tickets at the beginning. The. Main thing was to ride the raft/tubes. We were told 45 minutes wait and when we got to the line told 2 1/2 hour wait. We tried to get a refund but they refused. We ended up paying over $200 for a mile hike which should have cost $60 for all of us. I feel as if we were mislead and it wouldn't have hurt for them to refund the raft part. Better off to just pay for the walk and buy the raft ticket when you get to the bottom. read more

Our family of 5 (adults and twin 11 year olds and a 17 year old) really enjoyed our experience at Ausable Chasm! We did the chasm tour and rafting and it was simply beautiful. Our guides were both personable and knowledgeable - a good dose of humor as well. The chasm is something that is indescribable until you actually see it in person. We spent about 2 1/2 hours there and it was a really nice experience. Highly suggest this - we drove up from our vacation in Lake George and it was an easy 1 hour, 15 mins right up Rt.87. read more

Made a quick stop as we headed from to Lake George. View from the bridge (free parking nearby) is very nice (hopefully you're not afraid of heights!!!). Heading into the ticket center, there's available bathroom facilities and a large cafeteria. Menu selection is pretty decent given the touristic nature of this place. Went with a hamburger and it was actually pretty decent! I definitely expect to come back in a few years to try out the hiking trails and tours. read more

Ausable Chasm - Hiking Near Me - Keeseville, New York

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There are a number of options to explore Ausable Chasm including walking, tubing (summer only), float trips and the Adventure course. We opted for the Premiere package which includes admission, float tour, and the adventure course. The float trip was interesting but the adventure course was well worth the extra money! Not as extreme as some I have done but this one is over the Chasm, making it unique. Two guides were with our group and I felt safe at all times. We learned about the area, especially how 1996 floods and 2011's Hurricane Irene affected the area. You start with the adventure course, walk to the float launch and after the float launch, you can either walk back to the visitor center or take a shuttle. read more

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A must see if you are in the area, so many things to do, beautiful hiking trails, zip line, rappelling, tubing, white water rafting or just sit and look at the amazing views! read more

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Place closes at 4. It was flooded from winter ice melting does not making it look not that nice. Ample parking space and area. They say the trail is really beautiful read more

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