A really fascinating place to visit for a decent hike/ tour. It's a self guided tour after you grab…read moreyour tickets inside the gift shop. There are some pretty incredible views & a few astounding caves you can explore. The trail features quite a bit of stairs & winding paths so come prepared (eg. walking stick if need be). We saw plenty of families, children & seniors on the trail so it's suitable for an array of people. We saved the coolest part for last: cracking open a few geodes. This is completely random but it's enchanting to wait & see what color is inside! We love this place.

Such a great day for kids while in the Adirondacks! The geode popping and activities at the end of…read morethe trail were fun.

My mom used to take me to this park every year when I was a kid. I can't remember the last time I…read morewas here but I always remember playing on the beach and the beautiful views over Lake George. This year we stopped up during their annual Oktoberfest and it was an absolute blast. A stark change in weather when compared to Florida but we loved being able to wear jackets for once and enjoy in the beer drinking festivities on this chilly sunny day.

Cute park with a great view, nice small swimming area at the lake and a boathouse as well to be…read moreable to change.

A great hike of moderate difficulty. The summit is lovely, with beautiful views of Lake George and…read morethe surrounding mountains. Some areas of the trail are fairly eroded, but there were crews there working to protect the trail and divert water. Even with a full parking lot, the hike was long enough that we didn't see people very often along the way. We saw some families with little ones, but none near the top, so I'm not sure how far they made it. This wouldn't be an easy hike carrying kids, and I don't think most kids under 10 would stick it through to the end. A few portions are pretty steep, so it'd be tough on little legs. The one downside is that apparently Dacy Clearing Road isn't always fully open to vehicles, so rather than parking closer to the trailhead, you may have a few extra miles to walk on a gravel road. This takes your roundtrip from approximately 5 miles to roughly 8.

One of the most beautiful places I've hiked in. The view from the summit is spectacular on a sunny…read moresummer day, and probably even better in the fall. The hike to the top can be long or short, depending on your skill level, and how you want it to be. If you choose to do a longer hike, you can park at the Hogtown parking lot at the bottom. If you choose the shorter path ( 1.8 mi) to the summit, you must drive further down a dirt path (if the gate to go further is open) for another mile or so and park at the Dacy clearing. The hike itself is not bad. It can be a little rocky and steep, but if you're in average shape, you should be okay. It is for the average to moderate hikers. There were a lot of families with smaller children and dogs when I went. It's definitely something a family can enjoy. If you go on a nice day, I would recommend bringing lunch or snacks with you. It was really nice to eat with a view of the Adirondacks, and Lake George.

My partner and I camped at site 32 last year and it was amazing. It took a while for us to row out…read morethere in our inflatable row boat - probably two hours - but you can rent a canoe at the ranger station which would get you out there in maybe an hour or hour and a half. It's a beautiful little private island with a pit toilet and fire pit with picnic tables. This year we spent one night at site 26, which was a little too close to other rowdier sites, and one night at 39, which was beautiful and secluded. If you're thinking about camping here but don't have a boat, rent a canoe! It's a nice way to get out to the islands and work up a sweat so you're ready to swim by the time you get to your site. Some words of advice: make sure you text anyone you need to while you're in Speculator or Indian Lake because if you need to get a hold of someone while you're camping you have to row back to shore, which could take hours if your site is further up the lake, then drive into town to get service; bring a roll of toilet paper with you if you don't want to use the cheapo single ply the whole time you're there; and lastly, really look at the map to make sure you know what you're getting into in terms of the trek out to your site! 32 is far enough that it feels remote but not so far you can't canoe there. Much further north and you're looking at hours of paddling. All in all a great spot to get away.

Indian Lake Islands Campgrounds entrance is at the southwestern edge of Indian Lake. All of the 55…read morecampsites are only accessible by boat. Some are located on islands, some on the shore along the lake. They're all extremely private but very primitive, a fire ring, picnic table and outhouse . There's also quite a few picnic areas if you're just going for the day. The staff at the campgrounds office are all extremely friendly and helpful, ready to answer any questions you might have. The lake is beautiful, with opportunities to get out and hike up a mountain or to a waterfall. If you're going to camp you need to bring all of your supplies with you, including drinking water. There are shower facilities that you can access at Lewey Lake Campground, just across the road from the Indian Lake access.

My wife was part of a group that rented out a pavilion in this park recently. Of note, the parking…read moresituation is a bit unusual so follow the signs (which take precedence over common sense). There were two pavilions in the area and we had the one on the right, but the one on the left was being used by two different groups of people celebrating two different events. I don't know if either or both rented it, or if both showed up at the same time, but it looked like an awkward situation. The pavilion we rented had at least one electrical outlet good for a crock pot or stereo, but don't think there were many more. Next to it was a small barbecue grill that was about 18x24". It was big enough for a family gathering, but it couldn't possibly hold enough food for a crowded pavilion unless they were all eating hot dogs. We tried, and only got about 16 burgers on it at a time. A large garbage can with a bag liner was inside at the corner, but we were told that it was NOT for use by people who rent the pavilion (rental is carry in-carry out) but instead was for use by those who don't rent the pavilion. That must be a mistake as nobody would have such a stupid policy. Nearby was a nice kids playground, and all around us and mixed through the trees was a disc golf course. I should have brought my old Frisbee from college. I was told a creek also ran in the area. Bathrooms were within sight but I never ventured near them. All told, a decent place to rent.

Shenantaha, meaning "deer water," is the Iroquois name for the Ballston Creek, which forms the…read moreeastern boundary of the park. The gates to drive to the park area closed. However, you can park your car upfront and take a long walk. Zin Smith trail passes through this park allowing hiking, bicycling, rollerblading, horseback riding, and snowmobiling. In the park there are remains of a mill that pressed flax seed oil.

Have you guys heard of this coronavirus thing?…read more Anyway, it's this worldwide pandemic thingy that confined everyone to their homes for basically the last five months. Seeing as how my home is a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, this left my wife and I both working full-time from home, with a toddler, and nowhere to go. We're extremely lucky in our family, and had a small (but far bigger than our apartment), old, house we could shelter in next to this beautiful lake in the Adirondack Park. And this lake has been a lifesaver. In cold weather, it provided me with a shoreline overrun by nature that I could take out my excess energy on to fix up. In hot weather, swimming keeps me from flying into murderous rages (no air conditioning in this old house). When calm, we can kayak, and paddleboard, and just float when we feel lazy. At dusk, we can fish, and skim rocks, and point out frogs to our daughter. With its mountain backdrop, Lake Algonquin is gorgeous in all seasons. The sun glitters like diamonds in the summer. The colors of the autumn leaves are brief but spectacular. It freezes so solid in the winter that they have car races on it, and the snow remains pristine and perfect, unlike the sludge of NYC that appears after an hour or two. And when everything wakes up and starts blooming in spring, it's incredible and alive and downright magical. My father-in-law disparages it as merely a dammed river (perhaps he means 'damned'), but I love this lake, and I feel so fortunate to spend time next to it. Worldwide pandemics aren't my favorite, but Lake Algonquin has been a silver lining for sure.

Unbelievable Gem of a park. Like many of the long-forgotten NYS Parks that have remained…read moreunderfunded and understaffed, visitors can immediately tell this park used to be a prime tourist destination once-upon a time. A walk around the park revealed that it once had a multitude of well-maintained campsites complete with running water to each site and a bathhouse within walking distance. All campsites appear to be ready to re-open if money would be provided for proper maintenance. Maybe cabins could be built on the dozens of once used camping lots... why not? This park is still very well maintained. Very clean facilities with all lawn areas / shrubs / trees well kept. Very interesting park to walk around. Incredible forest growth, very old trees providing plenty of shade while walking around the park. There appears to be two very nice hiking trails to explore. One on the South-end of the park that winds through the long-forgotten campsites of yesteryear. Another trail to the West of the swim area leads down to a secluded beach area. Park has excellent well-maintained pavilions with very large BBQ pits and plenty of seating. Admittedly the #1 problem with these pavilions appears to be the number of mosquitoes within the vicinity. Would it be too expensive / cost prohibitive to add mosquito netting around the perimeter of the pavilions?? Seems an easy fix to attract more visitors to use and pay for the use of facilities. Even a small pavilion with some netting over a few of the picnic tables would go a long way toward attracting visitors. This is a beautiful park in a beautiful and historic neighborhood. This was a delight to check out while I was visiting the town of Remsen across the lake. Well-worth the trip and I will be returning.

This is a huge park! We only could walk around a few area of the whole park. We got to try a few…read morefresh spring water which interestingly taste uniquely different from each other. The walking trails are wonderful and full with lots of green big trees. The highlight is to walk along the water. We also walks pass some buildings with the spa and restaurant.

Oooh, some rare good news, one more thing to review from my Capital District World Tour. Anytime…read moreyou see a sign indicating people should limit themselves to two five-gallon containers of water during peak times, that's a beverage world trying. So the State Seal Spring is the marquee destination here, but for something worse-tasting but more unique the Geyser spring is within the same structure. Unfortunately the Charlie spring near the SPAC entrance wasn't flowing as of mid-December. The pine trees get five stars. I wish there were bathrooms available but that could be a seasonal thing. The park is technically reachable by bus but you might have to a wait a bit.

Super cool and beautiful place to hike there are an abundance of trails a few picnic areas and for…read morethose of you who don't wanna hike you can drive up to the top! Currently it's free to drive up as when I passed the toll booth it stated so! This one will be short and sweet as it's just beautiful here in the trees overlooking the lake! Overall this was an awesome find and the view the breeze blowing through my hair was satisfying beyond any means as this chill relaxing spot was much needed!

This is an excellent autumn hike with amazing views. Although short at only two miles from…read moretrailhead to summit, you'll need proper shoes for this hike and you will warm up due to the steep grade and moderate rock scrambling. We took the red trail all the way to the top and we took the blue trail on the way down (it merges with the red trail). I'm giving four stars because the trail marking are really good, except where they aren't and just disappear for a while or entirely. The red trail is mostly well marked, though there were still times when we just had to keep heading up the mountain because we couldn't find the next marker. On our way down, the blue trail was really, really well marked until it just stopped and we could not find another marker. I'm not a fan of going off trail because I know it can be dangerous and it can be damaging to local ecosystems, but without a clear trail to follow and nearly a mile into the woods, we did the best we could (kept heading downhill and to the right hoping to find the red trail, but eventually finding the road anyway). If you start at the trailhead, you will walk up metal stairs and onto a walkway over the highway. From there, you'll follow the trail about a mile up where you will find a road. Beware of traffic, cross the road, and you'll have another mile to go to reach the summit (you can take red or blue trail) where there is a parking lot and great viewing.