Winter vacation in the Adirondack Mountains
In March 2023, my friends Donna, Susan, and I travelled to upstate New York for a 6 day 5 night trip to Garnet Hill Lodge in North River, NY with a group from Road Scholar. None of us had ever done a trip with Road Scholar before so we didn’t know what to expect. Garnet Hill is run by Jim Rucker and hIs wife, and Jim was also the group leader. The lodge is lovely and the setting is in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains. We flew to Albany, NY and paid extra to Road Scholar for a shuttle to the lodge. It turned out to be a wonderful trip. Jim was a fabulous leader, very flexible, approachable, patient, and accommodating.
Cross country skiing and snowshoeing
Initially I was surprised to see we were about 30 people—that was way more than I was expecting. But because of the way the activities were set up the group never seemed too big to handle. Every day there was an option to go snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. The skiers were divided into different groups by level. Each group had an instructor/ leader with it and they were all very nice and helpful- I picked up a lot of good ski tips from them. There were opportunities to ski or snowshoe both in the morning and the afternoon. Lunch was usually eaten with everyone together in the Outdoor Center. Breakfast and dinner were at the main lodge (at breakfast we would pack our lunches to bring with us to the Outdoor Center)
There were other activities also. One afternoon there was an outdoor skills survival activity which was really fun. Not sure if Susan and I would have survived a night in our tent but we were pleased with it! Jim also arranged for a yoga class after some people requested it. And in the evenings there were lectures, an evening snowshoe trip, and music.
Want to know more?
Check out Road Scholar Choose your Pace: Cross country skiing in the Adirondacks
If the trip sounds interesting but you don’t like the cold and snow, Road Scholar has you covered with Choose your Pace: Hiking the Adirondacks. This trip is also at Garnet Hill but runs in summer and fall.
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