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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?
I went to college there and stayed for a few summers. I snowboard, ski and hike. Lots of mountains for skiing. I liked taking the ferry across to vermont to snowboard. Also whiteface is less than an hour away. If you like ice climbing there are many places along rt 87 to go. I did this several times and had fun. In the summer I did some hiking in the Adirondacks. There is kayaking on the rivers in the area. There are also plenty of activities on lake champlain. Most of what I did was through the school though so I'm not sure what kind of private clubs they have.
Those activities are available pretty much anywhere in upstate. You might want to consider Syracuse, as there are many more people there (and likely more clubs) than Plattsburgh, and it is only about an hour from the Adirondack Mountains. The Finger Lakes are also nearby, as well as Lake Ontario. Albany is another option, as it is very close to the Adirondacks, as well as Vermont and the Catskill Mountains.
I have to vote for Plattsburgh as well! I lived there for a few years while in college and there was ALWAYS something to do....lots of trails for mountain biking, close to various short hikes or trail heads for high peaks of the Adirondacks, Lake Champlain for sailing/boating, close to lots of rivers & lakes for kayaking, mountains for skiing or snowboarding or many areas for cross country skiing if that's what looking for....close to Lake Placid or a ferry ride away from Burlington where there's a great social vibe with lots of pubs & clubs....was never bored!
You can take a look at the different chapters of the Adirondack Mountain Club online and probably contact some of those folks. It is a good website with a ton of info. I believe it is ADK.org......They have lots of great speakers and outings and hikes and I know a lot of people up here use them as a big social outlet. You could probably find out more about ages, etc from that site, although I know there are lots of students in this area and people from the Paul Smiths College in Saranac Lake who live here solely because there is always something to do outdoor whatever the season.............Think that site would help you decide where to trek.............Just for info, there are national moguls competitions this weekend in Lake Placid, lots of college hockey and hoops and all the ski areas (x-country and downhill) are open, there are tubing parks open and the ski areas in Vermont are having pretty good bands at the resorts this weekend........know the Wailers are in town and G Love and Special Sauce. Some people go ice fishing and there are sailboarders (on ice) that meet when the winds are good. On Cumberland Bay in Plattsburgh there are clubs that even come from Montreal to windsurf here. Lots of boating (canoes, kayaks, sail, motor and there is a Mayor's Cup festival and lots of competitions in the summer). Last year we had some national bass fishing competition and the best trout rivers are called the Ausable River near the Lake Placid region. Lots of people ride bikes up here, both mountain, dirt and motor, so there are tons of ATV's and also snowmobile trails............Think the only time there isn't something going on outdoors would be mud season and even then, people start getting back into canoeing and fishing as soon as possible.........Good luck and check out the web page.
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.
I second this opinion, Ithaca is great for outdoorsy stuff, and it's close to the Finger Lakes Trail, which is an oft-overlooked gem for those that like hiking and camping. Ithaca is a small college town, home to Cornell, that is absolutely beautiful in the summer.
Syracuse is nice because it's a moderate-sized city but still within about 2 hours of the Adirondacks. It also has 3 ski centers within about a 45-minute drive, and don't forget the Finger Lakes. I love the Adirondacks for camping, but for swimming and waterskiing, you have your choice with the Finger Lakes, which are all located 30 minutes or so from town. It all depends what you're up for.
Green Lakes 15 minutes outside Syracuse is a small lake that is great for swimming or day hikes, has a very rare old-growth forest, and is also home to a Robert Trent Jones golf course, if golf is your thing.
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