Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Theirvictorywasdestinedtobefamous,butitwasshort-lived:TheBritishregainedthe
fort in 1777. Exhibits at Ticonderoga's museum tell the story of its past. (Come summer, a
part of that past is re-enacted with demonstrations of early soldiering that include cannon
firings and fife-and-drum marching bands in period costumes.) As an added bonus, the
views from the fort are splendid, looking out across the water to the Vermont shore and the
distant peaks and ridges of the Green Mountains.
4.
Paradox Lake
Changing direction, the drive next swings toward the west as it follows Rte. 74 to Paradox
Lake.(The“paradox”liesinthefactthat,intimesofhighwatercausedbyfloods,thelake's
outlet, overwhelmed by the Schroon River, becomes an inlet.) Many other lakes, though
smaller, are spotted throughout the surrounding countryside, a woodland crisscrossed by
hiking trails.
5.
High Peaks
Rte. 9 guides motorists northward beside the Schroon River to Rte. 73, a serpentine drive
that leads into the heart of the high-climbing Adirondack Mountains. Elevations often ex-
ceed4,000feetinthisarea,wheretheroundeddomeofMt.Marcy—nicknamedtheCloud-
Splitter—reigns as the tallest of all the state's peaks. Its peak tops off at 5,344 feet.
Embellishing the undulating beauty of the High Peaks region are its many waterways.
The narrowest of brooks and the swiftest of streams splash down the slopes in all direc-
tions. They collect in lakes and ponds, many of which are situated in glacier-carved basins
and U-shaped valleys that have become gathering places for wildlife.
PinetreesheminRte.73asitcontinues totwistandturntoidyllic Chapel Pond,where
you'lldrivethroughthemightyjawsofadeepgorge.Rockclimberscometoscalethehigh
cliffs, which also happen to be an important nesting ground for the endangered peregrine
falcon. (To ensure that the birds are not disturbed, climbers are not permitted on certain
cliffs during the birds' nesting season.)
Farther on, after dipping into a broad valley, the drive heads into the town of Keene.
A side detour from there diverts to the west to the High Peaks Wilderness, where travelers
canparkandthenheadoutonfoottosamplesomeofthesceneryaffordedbythe238miles
of hiking trails that lace the area.
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