❄️ Winter Weekend in Wilmington, New York | Travel Itinerary

Amber in New England
Jan 30, 2022
5 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Amber in New England | Updated: Mar 19, 2023

Upstate New York is a beautiful place for a winter wonderland vacation. A few hours by car is always worth the drive in my eyes. A few January's ago some friends and I booked a trip to Wilmington, New York for a long weekend. Wilmington is part of Essex County, surrounded by the majestic Adirondack Mountains. This area is a year-long paradise for outdoor lovers, but it’s definitely a sight to see in the winter!

We found a cozy cabin on AirBnB with a hot tub (because negative-degree weather warrants it!) and a picture-perfect view of Whiteface Mountain. If you would like a link to the AirBnB, let me know!

Winter weekend in the Adirondack Mountains for hiking with friends — Adirondack Mountains in Winter

🚗 Day 1: The Drive, Lake Placid Brunch, & Wildlife Rescue

The Journey and the Stop

Early Saturday morning my friends picked me up. The drive, contrary to many others’ opinions, is one of my favorite parts of road trips. I love driving through new towns and making a list of places to visit in the future or on the way home. Listening to music, chatting with friends, and playing car games (Ever heard of 'That’s My Cow?') make the trip worth it too!

After a few hours, we stopped in Lake Placid. We worked up an appetite and decided to find a restaurant for brunch.

🍳 A Brunch to Remember

The breakfast club, etc was our go-to choice. We took one look at the menu, saw the bloody mary options, and were sold. They have TEN different options! My favorite was the Fire Mary with Tabasco and sriracha. (If mimosas are more your speed, they have plenty of options as well.)

Not only were the drinks heaven, their food was delicious, and we had a beautiful view of the frozen lake. We watched people dog sledding while we ate. It looked so fun! (I looked it up, and it’s expensive - maybe next time.) For brunch, I ate the Mixed Berry Stuffed French Toast and devoured it. I still drool when I think of it, look at the picture and you’ll understand!

🐺 Rescuing the Wild

We were able to check in after brunch, so we went and settled in. While relaxing and searching for places to hike, I discovered the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge.

This refuge is dedicated to the rescue, rehab, and release of wild animals in the area. It doesn't cost anything to visit, but I strongly suggest donating and helping get these babies back into nature.

While I was there I saw wolves, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, lynx, owls, and more! I seriously didn't want to leave.

A Note on Enclosures: While reading reviews, some people mentioned the size of the enclosures are too small. I want to point out, these animals are NOT meant to stay at the refuge. They came for various reasons, but all have one main goal, which is rehabilitation. These animals are not living here for the remainder of their time on earth; unfortunately, for now, these close quarters are the best way to heal.

Basically, my friends had to drag me out of there. On the drive back to our cabin, we found a park along the Ausable River and pit-stopped to play on the snowy playscape like children.

🍕 Cabin Comfort

After turning numb, the hot tub was in order. There’s something about 10 to 20 degree weather that makes you want to throw on a bathing suit, right? By the time we got out, our fingers were raisins. We ordered pizza, played a few hilarious rounds of Pie Face, and got an early start to bed. We planned to wake up early on Sunday for hiking.

🏔️ Day 2: Summit Views, Steep Descents, & Town Wonders

We Morning View and Iced Coffee

Waking up to the view of Whiteface in the winter is unexplainable. I spent some time on the porch in the morning gazing at it with an iced coffee (where are my other team iced all year people?). Our plan for the day was to hike Bear Den, dip back in the hot tub, then walk to the Wilmington-Ausable Dam.

🌲 Conquering Bear Den Mountain

Bear Den is a 4.5 mile out-and-back hike with parking at the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area.

While the trail is considered easy to moderate, hiking in the winter can be challenging and works your body differently.
It’s a great beginner hike, as long as you carry the correct gear and layer properly! Make sure to sign in before heading up the trail.
The trail starts steadily gaining elevation. Make sure to watch for people backcountry skiing the trail here.
As you continue towards the last portion of the hike, it becomes very steep, which was somewhat difficult in the snow, but after this, you’ve made it!

The top was absolutely freezing and windy, but the view was priceless. We positively earned our mountain top drinks. We stayed a while to take photos and watch people ski down the slopes across the way. A storm cloud drifted in, and we took it as a sign to head back down to the car.

The way down was actually a ton of fun and we slid through much of it on our butt. I need to look into those sleds that you can attach to your backpack!

Adirondacks New York Travel Vacation Winter

🌮 Wilmington Exploration

Back at the cabin, we rested in the hot tub. I really want to invest in one when I buy a home! We hopped out before it got dark to walk around and explore Wilmington.

One of my favorite things about Wilmington was the unique installations. There was a giant oversized bike and an old ski lift swing by the Wilmington-Ausable Dam. The dam was flowing heavily, but when you look across the other side of the bridge, the river looked so peaceful.

After trudging through the snow, we went home for taco night, my all-time favorite group meal! It’s easy, affordable, and customizable for anyone.