Some Things You Will Need:
Time it Will Take to Complete the Trip :
Roughly three to four weeks
Best Time to Go:
Early summer
The Day Before
On my road trip to the Adirondack mountains I had to come prepared, temperatures on the trip ranged from the 90s all the way down to the 30s. The first thing I had to do was buy a storage bin to hold the various clothing I would bring, from formal clothes to hiking outfits and bathing suits to snow wear nothing could be left behind. And lets remember this roughly a 3 week trip it’s better to overpack than to underpack. Storage bins also keep everyone organized with 3 other people staying in the RV everyone had their own bin and it helped everyone stay organized. We left from Tampa Florida and driving to the Adirondacks is over 1,300 miles, this means you are going to be spending a lot of time in a car. To make sure me and my cousin, Mya, stayed entertained we brought a portable DVD player and tons of movies.
- Awesome family members or friends to go with, for me this was my uncle, aunt, and cousin
- A recreational vehicle (RV)
- Tons of storage bins
- Being ready for ANYTHING
- Good Spirits
Time it Will Take to Complete the Trip :
Roughly three to four weeks
Best Time to Go:
Early summer
The Day Before
On my road trip to the Adirondack mountains I had to come prepared, temperatures on the trip ranged from the 90s all the way down to the 30s. The first thing I had to do was buy a storage bin to hold the various clothing I would bring, from formal clothes to hiking outfits and bathing suits to snow wear nothing could be left behind. And lets remember this roughly a 3 week trip it’s better to overpack than to underpack. Storage bins also keep everyone organized with 3 other people staying in the RV everyone had their own bin and it helped everyone stay organized. We left from Tampa Florida and driving to the Adirondacks is over 1,300 miles, this means you are going to be spending a lot of time in a car. To make sure me and my cousin, Mya, stayed entertained we brought a portable DVD player and tons of movies.
The First 5 Days
The first 5 days will be tons of mini adventures, you're going to make some interesting stops all along the east coast and learn what hotels offer the best complimentary breakfasts (Best Western is definitely my favorite). I recommend stopping and having a picnic one of the days just to stretch your legs and spend some time at a park, that’s what we did and it was exactly what we needed. One of the hotels we stopped at even had an indoor swimming pool and it gave us the opportunity to have some fun at the pool. On the first 5 days try to find a new fun restaurant you’ve never been too and just find some fun little pit stops along the way to make the adventure even greater!
The first 5 days will be tons of mini adventures, you're going to make some interesting stops all along the east coast and learn what hotels offer the best complimentary breakfasts (Best Western is definitely my favorite). I recommend stopping and having a picnic one of the days just to stretch your legs and spend some time at a park, that’s what we did and it was exactly what we needed. One of the hotels we stopped at even had an indoor swimming pool and it gave us the opportunity to have some fun at the pool. On the first 5 days try to find a new fun restaurant you’ve never been too and just find some fun little pit stops along the way to make the adventure even greater!
Second Week:
Great you’ve finally made through the scary windy roads of Pennsylvania and have made it to Old Forge New York in the Adirondack mountains! Once you’ve parked your RV, our spot was on the lake, if you ever have the option to get a spot on the water I would highly recommend it. On the first day will be all about unpacking and getting ready to stay in the RV for a while, I went on a short walk with Mya getting used to my new surroundings. We found short nature trails that lead to streams and found some great places to see some nature.
The next day the first thing we decided to do was getting on some bathing suits and swimming in the lake; which was a first for me. In Florida no one can swim in lakes due to alligators but because of the cold water they choose not to live in the lakes in New York. It was a really fun experience, at Old Forge we even got to rent some fun paddle boats it turned out to be a lot more work than it looks but we still all had a really good time. At home the responsibilities are doing dishes and laundry but in the Adirondacks be prepared for some pretty unusual tasks that are a necessity. Some of the unusual tasks included chopping tons of firewood, bringing all the garbage down the street to a bear-proof dumpster, and making sure the kayaks were pulled up all the way off the shore so they don’t float off in the middle of the lake.
Great you’ve finally made through the scary windy roads of Pennsylvania and have made it to Old Forge New York in the Adirondack mountains! Once you’ve parked your RV, our spot was on the lake, if you ever have the option to get a spot on the water I would highly recommend it. On the first day will be all about unpacking and getting ready to stay in the RV for a while, I went on a short walk with Mya getting used to my new surroundings. We found short nature trails that lead to streams and found some great places to see some nature.
The next day the first thing we decided to do was getting on some bathing suits and swimming in the lake; which was a first for me. In Florida no one can swim in lakes due to alligators but because of the cold water they choose not to live in the lakes in New York. It was a really fun experience, at Old Forge we even got to rent some fun paddle boats it turned out to be a lot more work than it looks but we still all had a really good time. At home the responsibilities are doing dishes and laundry but in the Adirondacks be prepared for some pretty unusual tasks that are a necessity. Some of the unusual tasks included chopping tons of firewood, bringing all the garbage down the street to a bear-proof dumpster, and making sure the kayaks were pulled up all the way off the shore so they don’t float off in the middle of the lake.
One of my favorite things about the camping trip was hanging out at the campfire every night with my family making s’mores and being able to tell stories and just having a really good time. On one of the last days it rained pretty much the whole night but instead of sitting in the RV watching TV we played a really competitive games of Apples to Apples. I really loved the fact that we never watched TV or went on our phones, instead we played games and read books together. The best thing was spending time with family especially my cousin who is basically my sister, camping was definitely one of the coolest things I have ever done. But then we had to leave and head back to Florida.
One of the days we ventured down to Old Forge’s little town where they sell cute little souvenirs and the best sweater blankets in the world. They also have a famous candy shop that sells every candy you could ever think of and then some. The next thing we did was go on nature walk where we saw a huge beaver dam and a beautiful deer which we tried to entice over with one of my apples but he was not impressed. The animals in Old Forge are so cool they all come pretty close to you and there were a few occasions you would have chipmunks jumping on your leg (friendly of course). The next day I learned how to kayak which I can say was one of the best experiences of the trip, I found it so relaxing and enjoyed it so much.
The Way Back:
The way back down was a lot longer than the way up. We stopped at Hershey Park, which is where all Hershey candy is made. They have an amusement park that is considered the Disney of Pennsylvania, it has some of the largest roller coasters and I went on all of them. If you’re a roller coaster fan I would make plans to stop here, even if you’re not they have smaller rides, a zoo, and even a water park section all in the same park. We stayed at the Hershey campsite after spending an awesome day at the park we spent the night catching fireflies. We again packed our things and decided to stop and see some family in Baltimore and stay at their house for a few days, it was really nice and we got to see Mya’s aunt’s new baby which was totally adorable. After we drove down to North Carolina where I saw five of my cousins and we went on shopping trip together where we got some matching necklaces, than we got to go swimming with them. After about 3 and a ½ weeks we were finally back in Tampa Florida.
I can genuinely say I have never had such a great time, I love my family and I’m so glad they took me on such an amazing trip!!! If you’re ever considering going to the Adirondack mountains I think it is one of the best vacations you will ever have.
The way back down was a lot longer than the way up. We stopped at Hershey Park, which is where all Hershey candy is made. They have an amusement park that is considered the Disney of Pennsylvania, it has some of the largest roller coasters and I went on all of them. If you’re a roller coaster fan I would make plans to stop here, even if you’re not they have smaller rides, a zoo, and even a water park section all in the same park. We stayed at the Hershey campsite after spending an awesome day at the park we spent the night catching fireflies. We again packed our things and decided to stop and see some family in Baltimore and stay at their house for a few days, it was really nice and we got to see Mya’s aunt’s new baby which was totally adorable. After we drove down to North Carolina where I saw five of my cousins and we went on shopping trip together where we got some matching necklaces, than we got to go swimming with them. After about 3 and a ½ weeks we were finally back in Tampa Florida.
I can genuinely say I have never had such a great time, I love my family and I’m so glad they took me on such an amazing trip!!! If you’re ever considering going to the Adirondack mountains I think it is one of the best vacations you will ever have.