Brewster Peninsula Trails - Lake Placid, NY - 1/24/15

The Brewster Peninsula Trails in Lake Placid, NY are relatively unknown to the casual tourist in Lake Placid, but they are certainly well known by locals and 2nd home owners.  Why?  The answer is clear; look at a map of Lake Placid.  This trail network lies on a peninsula at the southern end of the lake and is just around the corner from town.  The trails are used year round by all sorts of sports enthusiasts.  I like them for cross country skiing.  Dog owners love them too!  This fact was noted on Saturday.

We stopped my after hiking McKenzie Mountain Saturday Morning.  It was 1 pm when we got back to the car and we weren't ready to be done hiking for the day.  The peninsula trails were adjacent to where we were, so it was an easy stopping point.  The link above will give you directions and a description of the trails.

We didn't have our skis, but we set out on foot with microspikes.  Lots of people were out.  Some had skis, some had snowshoes.  Others had microspikes.  Perhaps even a majority had dogs.  The dogs didn't seem to mind having a place and time to socialize.  We had Rev with us, and she'll vouch for that.  

May you find relaxation & inspiration...

If you are on skis, and want a longer trip, the Jackrabbit cross-country ski trail passes right through the peninsula trail.

It was such a nice day on Saturday that we spent the remaining 3 hours of daylight wandering through the entire trail network.  I was wishing I had my skis.  The skiers were having a great time. There was a little girl there (who claimed to be a big girl), in a pink jacket that had some purple kid snowshoes that looked like dinosaur feet.  It was all fun.

Don't be deceived; this trail network is bigger than it looks. 

The lakeshore trail on the west side of the network needs lots of snow to ski 

Lake Placid

Lake Placid outlet dam

There are informational signs and nature signs on the trail network

Take the Jackrabbit Trail to continue on...

Locals may not want their secret to be shared, but their town is a tourist town and they are used to having outsiders enjoying the town.

When you have a couple hours to discover this gem, don't pass up the opportunity to do so.  This is a place that has something for everyone.

Hike Stats:
Hike Distance:  5.4 miles
Hike Time:  2.5 hours
Total Vertical Gain:  300'