Adirondack Adventure Festival

The Adirondack Adventure Festival is held in the small town of North Creek, NY (… the home of Gore Mountain) in the spring when the Hudson River is normally at its highest point from the melting snow and the rapids are at their the best. We attended the 1st annual Adirondack Adventure Festival and it was a lot of fun!

The organizers did a great job putting the action packed weekend together and I’m sure this event will continue to grow with more organized activities and things to do in the years to come. Check our events calendar for the exact date each year.

So What Is There To Do At The Adirondack Adventure Festival?:

Each year you should check with the Gore Mountain Chamber of Commerce at (518) 251-2612 for the specific Adirondack Adventure Festival weekend itinerary. However, below are just some of the activities you can expect to find.

• Biking: Bike rides from North Creek to several locations are held on both Saturday and Sunday including Schroon Lake (50 miles), Loon Lake (15 miles), and River Road (9 miles).

• Hiking: Hiking activities include a GPS demonstration/hike, Ski Bowl family hike, Roaring Brook hike, and Moxam hike.

• Fishing: There are fly tying demonstrations as well as hands on fly tying. There are also fly fishing demonstrations, and trout release/stocking.

• Kayaking, Canoeing and Rafting: There are kayak and canoe exhibits/demonstrations, kayak rolling demonstrations, and raft/kayak rides on the Hudson river.

• Children/Family Activities: There are helicopter rides, train rides to and from Riparius (… beautiful/quaint setting) , the North Creek Depot Museum, and bounce houses for the kids. Programs also include the NYCDEC/Warren County Hatchery Program and the Adirondack Museum Natural Neighbors Program.

• Vendors: Lots of vendors featuring Adirondack arts and crafts, outdoor gear, and fishing.

• Shopping: There are many shops and stores (too many to mention) to browse and to find just about anything you are looking for.

• Dining: North Creek seems to be a growing community with new dining establishments opening each year. Many are quite quaint. A couple we particularly liked are “Trappers Tavern” located in the Copperfield Inn (we go there often) , and “Lauras Upstairs”.

• Music/Entertainment: You’ll find musicians in many of the bars and some restaurants, and even on the street.

… And Now The Main Event:

The Hudson River Whitewater Derby

The first Hudson River Whitewater Derby was in 1958. It was a one day event, eight-mile downriver race with 25 craft and 44 participants.

A year later it became a two-day event when they added a slalom competition.

The slalom races are held at North River about 5 miles up-river from North Creek. The location is great for spectators as you can view the entire competition from the scenic banks of the Hudson river.

The whitewater slalom competitions are held in two categories, the novice slalom and the giant slalom. The courses are both approximately one mile long. Participants brave the rapids navigating a canoe or kayak through approximately 20 hanging gates competing for awards for the best time with the cleanest run.

The down river race has categories/awards for 1 person and 2 person boats (both kayak and canoe). The races starts at North Creek by the train depot and goes approximately 7-8 miles to the bridge at Riparius (… only 2 miles from our vacation home!). It usually takes about 50 minutes to 1 hour for the leading races to finish (… which gives spectators plenty of time to see both the start and finish of the race!) .

I understand that there are basically 2 sets of rapids and the rest is fairly easy, so you normally don’t have to be an expert to participate. Of course this depends on the river conditions that particular day.

For example, in 1972 the race was completely relocated because the river level was at 8-10 and water temperature was 35 degrees. Officials were concerned that the remote nature of some of the course could pose problems to rescue workers should anyone overturn and need help. This happened again in 1989 as heavy rains again brought the river level very high.

So, if you are a novice (… like us) make sure you check for river conditions and with the officials before participating. …. Most years should not be a problem. We may actually give this a try next year!

Of course if you want more challenging whitewater rafting just travel about 20 miles north to the Hudson River Gorge (…rated in the top 10 for whitewater rafting in the USA!) . Just above the gorge water is released from the Indian River Dam into the Hudson River to ensure good rafting conditions.

Another memorable year (… but in a good way) for The Hudson River Whitewater Derby was in 1967. The event drew nation-wide publicity when it seems the derby was attended by some notables (… and several actually participated!) .

Attending that year were US Senator and Mrs. Robert Kennedy (… who were actually in the race!) , and their seven children; Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy; Chris Lawford, son of Peter and Pat Lawford; Stephen Smith, son of the Senator's sister; Secretary of the Interior and Mrs. Stewart L. Udall; and James Whitaker, the first American to scale Mr. Everest.

The Hudson River Whitewater Derby (…now the Adirondack Adventure Festival) is attended each year by people from near and far (… in 1967 alone, besides New York, participants came from the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and, Michigan. And even the countries of Canada and Kenya were represented!

So … if you find yourself in the North Creek, Lake George, Warrensburg, Loon Lake, or Schroon Lake area in the early spring, be sure to check out the Adirondack Adventure Festival.

If you have a passion for participating in whitewater, biking, or hiking activities (…or just to have a relaxing yet event packed weekend) you won’t be disappointed!