Time travel in the Adirondacks

Article by: Kate Thomas, September 2008

You know the old globe trick: close your eyes, spin the globe with your right hand and wherever your left hand falls determines your next travel destination. The last time I tried it, in a bookstore in Washington on a hot July afternoon, my fingers landed somewhere near the Arctic Circle.

But what if, instead of spinning the globe to choose your next trip, you could flick through a history book? I'd be hoping for my fingers to fall near 1950s America, the era of belted dresses and Ginsberg, when Frank Sinatra crooned from crackly radios and Kerouac penned On the Road.

Sadly there are no flights to the 50s, but from New York City you can find your way overland to a real old-fashioned American getaway - Adirondack State Park.

But what if, instead of spinning the globe to choose your next trip, you could flick through a history book?

Dubbed 'America's last great wilderness', the Adirondacks cover one fifth of New York state, taking in 2000 towering peaks and 2,430,000 hectares (six million acres) of raw forest, polished lakes and craggy land. The park begins 320km (200mi) northeast of New York City, flanked by Canada to the north and Vermont to the east. From New York City, you can be in the Adirondacks in three and a half hours by train; a little longer if you opt to drive.

The town of Old Forge is nestled snugly in the middle of the park, an hour from the winter sports mecca of Lake Placid. With its ivied log cabins, public swimming beaches and old-time general stores, it's the 50s vacation spot that has never gone out of fashion. From here you can take to the canoe and cycling trails or hike to the 730m (2400ft) summit of Bald Mountain.

Head to Lake Rondaxe, one of the quietest lakes in the 'Dacks, trimmed with fishing jetties, cedar cabins and maple sugar trees, then take a comfortable walk to the Fulton chain of lakes (numbered like New York avenues) and Old Forge's Main Street, the haunt of classic car drivers and tourists shopping for Adirondack handicrafts. The town's pine-scented boutiques stock everything from fishing rods to vintage signs, but Old Forge Hardware Store on Fulton Street takes the cake. This two-storey general store is crammed with more than just nuts and bolts. Books, fancy aprons, cowboy hats, birch beer and vintage candy - these are just a few of the reasons why there's still no chain store in town.

Great service, wholesome American food, checkered tablecloths, and not a fake juke box in sight.

Keyes Pancake House is a fabulous Old Forge institution has stubbornly refused to change since the 50s. Great service, wholesome American food, checkered tablecloths, and not a fake juke box in sight. For something a little more gluttonous, Walt's Diner on Fulton Street does a mouthwatering line in pies and homemade onion rings.

Once you've had your fill of the local cuisine, get yourself out to Big Moose Lake. Flanked with half-log cabins, general stores and row boats loosely tethered to grassy knolls, Big Moose gained infamy in the early 20th century as the site of one of the area's most notorious murders; ghostly sightings abound, as do tales of black bear encounters...

In summer, you can jump on a bike - Pedals and Petals in nearby Inlet can get you a bike, or indeed a bouquet - and make for the cycling track which meanders from Big Moose Lake through the forest to Lake Rondaxe. It's a moderately long, tough trail that doubles as a snowmobile track in the winter. Keep your eyes peeled for typical American wildlife such as the sprightly white-tailed deer, plump turkey and the rare loon, a type of 'Adironduck' now threatened by climate change.

On the Fulton Lakes, Rivett's Marine rents rowboats and 50s-style vintage vessels from US$43 per day and Whitewater Challengers offers rafting expeditions. From Seventh Lake you can strap yourself into a rickety-looking seaplane and experience the feeling of taking-off from water. Fancy something a little more sedate? Take the slow mountain railroad, hitch a ride with the three-hour mail boat or try a spot of horse-riding - all fine reasons not to rush back to the future just yet!