In July 2026 we visited the Adirondack Mountains in New York with our daughter and her family. We packed as much as we could into our week-long stay, but left knowing we would need to return because there was still so much to see and do. If you're interested in our previous two posts about our adventures in the Adirondacks, click on the links below:
- New York's Adirondack Mountains - Spacious Skies Campground & Crown Point
- New York's Adirondack Mountains - The Wild Center, Adirondack Rail Trail & Ausable Chasm
In this post we'll describe our adventures exploring waterfalls, kayaking on Paradox Lake and visiting two more popular Adirondack attractions: the Natural Stone Bridge & Caves, and High Gorge Falls.
July 20, 2026
Split Rock Falls
Split Rock Falls is a popular and picturesque roadside waterfall on the Bouquet River just south of Elizabethtown along US route 9. It can't be seen from the parking area or road, but a short walk of 100 feet will take you to the falls.
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| Split Rock Falls |
Split Rock Falls is a multi-tiered cascade over a jagged rock that splits the first drop into two waterfalls. After dropping into a pool the two falls join into one before dropping into a second pool. You can approach the bottom of the falls with a rocky climb down from the trail, but this should be done with caution as the rock can be very slippery due to mist from the waterfall.
A path also leads down to a large pool that's a popular swimming hole during the summer. You can also continue on the path to the lower falls, which is a very dangerous location. Because the view of the lower falls is limited from the path, we chose to just enjoy the view of the upper falls.
It's best to visit the falls as early in the morning as possible during the summer months to avoid parking issues and the large crowds of people who come to swim and jump in to the waterfall's pools.
Blue Ridge Falls
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| Blue Ridge Falls |
Blue Ridge Falls is located in North Hudson on The Branch, a tributary of the Schroon River. It features a 20 foot multi-tiered cascade that is easily viewed right from the roadside with a short, easy walk from the unmarked parking area. The falls are directly across the road from the Blue Ridge Falls RV and Glamping Resort.
July 21 2026
Upper Cascade Lake & Cascade Mountain
On our way to another waterfall, we made a quick stop at the half-mile-long Upper Cascade Lake near Keene along route 73. High above the lake we could see one of the Adirondack's high peaks - Cascade Mountain.
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Roaring Brook Falls
At 290 feet tall, Roaring Brook Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in New York. It's located in the Keene Valley along route 73 where there's a trail that can take you to both the top of the falls and the base of the falls. Dark clouds were gathering overhead, so we only took the trail to the base. Once at the falls we had to cross Roaring Brook to get a better view of the falls. It took a bit of rock scrambling but we did get our view.
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| Base of Roaring Brook Falls |
The falls cascade off the side of Giant Mountain, another one of the Adirondack's high peaks. We wished we had more time to explore the top of the falls as well. There is a roadside viewing area for the top of the falls, but we somehow missed it during our visit.
July 23 2026
Paradox Lake
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| Paradox Lake |
Paradox Lake is an 896-acre lake located in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, near Lake George, Lake Champlain and Schroon Lake. It's a great place for those of us who look for a quiet and less crowded place to be on the water.
July 24, 2026
OK Slip Falls
OK Slip Falls is considered one of the highest and most beautiful waterfalls in the Adirondacks. To access the falls we parked in a lot along route 28 in the Adirondack Forest Preserve. The trail to the falls is also part of the Hudson Gorge Wilderness Area. The well-marked trail follows along several boardwalks and had some gentle rises and drops along the route.
There are two overlooks of the falls. The first one gave us a limited view of the falls due to trees obstructing the view. So we continued further down the trail a short distance to where we had better views of the falls dropping about 200 feet into a pool below.
There was a very steep trail that went down to the base of the falls and we could hear a couple of people in the water down there. But we chose to stop at this point.
The round-trip hike out and back from the falls was about 6.4 miles, but for the most part it was an easy hike. You just have to watch the steep cliffs at the overlooks.
To watch a video of our adventures visiting the waterfalls and kayaking on Paradox Lake with the loons, click here.
Natural Stone Bridge & Caves
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| Natural Stone Bridge with the cave below it. |
Natural Stone Bridge and Caves in Pottersville New York is home to a massive stone bridge over the largest marble cave entrance in the eastern United States. A family-friendly Adirondack attraction, the price of admission includes a self-guided walking tour as well as activities such as the Cave Man climbing wall, a Dinosaur Digging Area, an 18 hole disk golf course and two challenge trails. Some other activities are available for an additional fee.
The self-guided 3/4-mile-long above ground trail has over 500 stairs of rock, roots and timber as well as some bridges and boardwalks. The trail is NOT wheelchair accessible and it's not advisable for anyone with a health problem that prevents them from climing up or down uneven steps. For those unable to make the hike, there's a free video in the gift shop describing the history & geology of the caves.
In addition to the massive stone bridge arch and the cave beneath it, the trail takes you to many unique rock features, such as potholes, grottos, and the mill site waterfalls. You can also go down into lighted surface caves with water running through them.
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Mill Site Waterfall
July 25, 2026
High Falls Gorge
High Falls Gorge near Wilmington, New York, is a 22-acre, privately owned nature park at the base of Whiteface Mountain, a short drive from Lake Placid. The gorge includes views of the Ausable River as it makes its way through a deep crevice carved in the rock by ice, water and wind.
After paying admission at the large combination gift shop and cafe, visitors cross over the Ausable River on a steel bridge with beautiful views of the raging river and the nearby mountains.
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| Ausable River |
The park's flat paths, handrails, fencing and seating areas are safe for children and older visitors. There are three main trails through the park, one of which takes you to some overlooks without having to use any stairways.
Before chosing our route, we passed by one of the oldest rocks in the world, an Anorthosite boulder, over 1.5 billion years old. Anorthosite is the base rock for the Adirondacks.
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| Anorthosite boulder - 1.5 billion years old |
We took the waterfall path, following it above the river as it roared through a stunning gorge, cascading over four waterfalls into the deep crevice shaped over thousands of years. We descended lower into the gorge and followed the path across steel bridges, then along walkways with glass floors for views of the raging water below. Educational signs along the way provided details about this breathtaking natural wonder.
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We enjoyed our visits to the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves, and High Falls Gorge. Both are worth checking out if you're in the area. If you'd like to view our video of these two attractions, please click here.
This brings to an end our adventures in the Adirondack Mountains... for now! We will definitely be returning to this beautiful area so we can explore more of its many features.
* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *
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