Which parts of upstate NY have an active outdoors 'scene'?

[SkiChick]

Originally Posted by mrclean

I like to hike, snowshoe, ski, kayak, rollerblade, mountain bike, etc. I'm not into anything serious, just for fun. Is there an area in upstate New York that has a friendly and active outdoors community including people in there 20s/30s?

Question for you mrclean. Are you looking towards upstate as in the true upstate ... Adirondack region. Or the other upstate ... finger lakes region? I'll state info for both just to make sure it's covered.

Sounds like all the same things I enjoy. I lived in Lake Placid for a number of years where people lived for the outdoors. Rock/Ice climbing, mountainbiking galore, Whiteface (AKA: "Ice"face) for skiing, or you can hop across the border or two for NH and VT skiing. Rollerblading a short route is fun around Mirror Lake. Young it is with Paul Smith's College and North Country Community College (in Saranac Lake) right there. ALL outdoor activites are w/in a 20 mile trip ... Lake Placid is (in my opinion) the heart of outdoor activity in that region as long as you can avoid the tourists. Year round residents are your family ... VERY friendly and safe area. Miss it enough that I go back every spring to rehike some high peaks.

Ithaca is very diverse and has a super fun and outdoorsy atmosphere to it. Love the area. And if Lake Placid is too remote, Ithaca is a nice sized city. Remember, this comes from a country bumpkin, so yes, Ithaca to me is a city!

The Finger Lakes ... the majority (not all) of the people pretty much tend to hibernate 24/7. Plenty of lakes to kayak. Indoor rockclimbing in Rochester. Rock/Ice climbing around. There are active road biking groups, but not much of a scene for mountain biking. I find this area to be rather boring in my standards (after living life in Lake Placid). Hince my move coming up shortly to northern NH to live with the wilderness once again.

Yes, I have lived in (or around) all three locations. If you have any specific questions, I'm sure you could get more insite from everybody. Best of luck in your decision!

[kmbell]

Lake Placid is a great town. If you're into outdoors sports and tourism 24/7, go there. It's full of snowmobiliers in the winter and other winter sports enthusiasts. A small town with hundreds of people outside on the sidewalks and vacationing in the dead of winter is a sight I haven't seen anywhere else.

In the summer it has (very cold) swimming, and is in close proximity to at least half a dozen peaks, which can make great day trips. The best part about Lake Placid, though, is that it doesn't close up in the winter like many other small towns.

Back when I was a Boy Scout, this was a waypoint for almost any Adirondack trip, whether summer or winter. Whether you'd want to move there permanently is more dependent on what kind of job you're looking for, hence why I mention Syracuse and Ithaca.

[i87123]

Originally Posted by Krisps

One alternative is south western NY (Ellicottville, Allegany State Park, Allegheny Reservoir). It doesn't compare to the Adirondacks (few places do) but it is nice and relatively unknown. It resembles the Adirondack foothills areas and you are also very close to the northern tier of PA where there is a lot of public land and outdoors activities. Check alleghenyoutdooradventures.com to get any idea.

Hi there. Would you happen to know anything about Preston Hollow near the Greene County Border Line? I can't find anything about this particular town in City-data. I know this isn't all the way over in Western NY but can't find a forum that relates to this area. Thanks for any insights you might have!

[wulfbourne]

I'd cast my vote for either Plattsburg or Lake Placid. Plattsburg has SUNY there so it's a bigger college that would have the 20 somethings, but Lake Placid is more in the heart of the winter activities. It is near some community colleges and I would think there would still be plenty of young adults there too. I grew up in Tupper Lake, which is not to far away but I was a barely a teenager when I left so I have no idea about what is there for older people.

[vter]

If you're willing to consider Vermont, Burlington is exactly what you are looking for. If you want/need to stay in NYS, I would definately check out Plattsburg. The Glens Falls/Saratoga area should deserve a look too.

[Mollyob]

Family of 4, looking for a lake house retreat-love boating, also want to be within an hour of downhill skiing. We live in PA and the finger lakes would be a 2 1/2 hour drive for us. Love to have a place to spend weekends without a lot of travel. Also with having 2 boys would like to find a place located near other activities. I see Canandaigua has a waterpark close by. We also have Kayaks and ATV's. Any suggestions?