Getting There -- I-87 cuts north right through the forest, making it easily accessible. Swing east on Route 73 and you'll be headed toward Lake Placid. Amtrak (800/USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com) stops in Westport and Plattsburgh, both 50 miles from Saranac Lake. Westport is the closest stop to Lake Placid; book your transfer with Amtrak when you buy your ticket and Ground Force 1, 2 Main St., Lake Placid (tel. 866/226-1152 or 518/523-0294; www.groundforce1.net), will shuttle you back and forth for about $25 each way.
Getting Around -- You'll need a car. Rent-A-Wreck (tel. 800/698-1777 or 518/523-4804; www.rentawreck.com) in Lake Placid offers free pickup/drop-off service to customers in the local vicinity. Enterprise, also offering free pickup service, has an office in Saranac Lake (tel. 800/325-8007 or 518/891-9216; www.enterprise.com), as does Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131; www.hertz.com). From late December through March, the free Mountain Valley Shuttle links Whiteface with Lake Placid. The shuttle runs hourly and picks up at a few hotels in town -- Mirror Lake Inn, Golden Arrow, High Peaks Resort, and Art Devlin's -- but if you flag them down on Main Street, they'll stop. From town, the shuttle runs direct to Whiteface.
Visitor Information -- The Adirondack Regional Tourism Council (tel. 518/846-8016; www.adirondacks.org) operates an information center on I-87 southbound between exits 41 and 40. It's open daily year-round, from 8am to 5pm; from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it's open later. The Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau, Olympic Center, 49 Parkside Dr., Lake Placid (tel. 800/447-5224 or 518/523-2445; www.lakeplacid.com), is open year-round Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm. The office is closed on Sunday in April and November.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
