When 20th-century titans of industry wanted to get away from it all, they retreated to their Adirondack Great Camps in the boondocks of Upstate New York. Roughly a century later, the Adirondacks remain breathtakingly wild—a 6-million-acre state park larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon national parks combined. They contain a mix of state-protected preserve, teeny hamlets, privately owned land, and a loose web of ribbon-like roads that weave up and over mountain passes, through old forests, alongside streams, and around a seemingly endless number of sparkling lakes.
A century ago, the Adirondacks were difficult to get to, which was very much the point—the perfect place to seek refuge from New York City. Families would make the trek in early summer along with entourages that included butlers, laundresses, nannies, and maids, often arriving at their camps weeks later. They stayed the entire season, enjoying respite from the urban jungle with a raft load of lake and leisure activities, from fishing to swimming and canoeing. Today, you can make the drive from NYC in about four to five hours.
Many of the original three dozen Great Camps aren’t open to the public, but you can stay at these five historic Adirondack lodges.
Lake Kora
- Location: Raquette Lake, New York
- Book now
Lake Kora is set on a secluded lake on 1,000 pristine acres, originally purchased by Teddy Roosevelt’s lieutenant governor, Timothy Woodruff. It was truly a place of grandeur, with elements like imported gondolas from Venice, telephone service as early as 1903, and the dubious addition of semi-trained bears. It’s now a resort available for a limited number of exclusive bookings during summer and early fall. Many original elements remain—some buildings have been repurposed over the past 126 years—but modern amenities (like a spa and Wi-Fi) bring the historical estate into the present day.
Open July 1 through October 1, 2024. Minimum stay of four nights through Labor Day, and three-night minimum after. From $26,995 for entire camp (16 bedrooms/maximum 24 guests), inclusive of all meals, nonalcoholic beverages, recreational activities and equipment, and a full staff.
The Point
The Point stretches over 75 acres of Saranac Lake shorefront.
Courtesy of the Point
- Location: Saranac Lake, New York
- Loyalty program: Relais & Châteaux
- Book now
It doesn’t get any more exclusive than the Point, a great camp built by William Avery Rockefeller II on 75 acres of Saranac Lake shorefront nearly a century ago. It’s not exactly the kind of place that invites you to pop in for a drink and a look around. There’s no signage off Route 30 for this plush Relais & Châteaux resort, and upon reaching the end of the five-mile, single-lane entry road through the woods, you arrive at a closed gate and a no-nonsense sign in all caps: “THE POINT IS RESERVED FOR GUESTS ONLY . . . NO VISITORS.”
Yet beyond that gate is a luxurious all-inclusive retreat that’s chock full of antique furnishings, fine art, and a staff ready to attend to your every whim. (They’ll even fetch you from the Adirondack Regional Airport, about a 15-minute drive away.) It’s a surprisingly intimate haven, with only 11 rooms, each with a lake view and a fireplace. Guests come together each night for multi-course communal dinners in the Great Hall. Cocktail attire is required most evenings, but on Wednesday and Saturday nights black tie is required to continue the elegant traditions of when these Great Camps were built.
Reopened in 2018 after a multimillion-dollar renovation, this property generally welcomes guests 21 years of age and older, unless an exclusive booking is secured (in which case children of all ages are welcome).
Open seven days a week late May through December 2024, and Thursday through Sunday January through March 2025. All-inclusive rates for two from $2,650 per night, with carte blanche use of sports equipment and facilities, all meals, afternoon tea, wines, and spirits.
White Pine Camp
White Pine Camp served as the Summer White House for President Calvin Coolidge in 1926.
Courtesy of White Pine Camp
- Location: Paul Smiths, New York
- Book now
Built in 1907 by a wealthy Cincinnati and New York banker, White Pine Camp has changed hands many times since. In 1926, while under the ownership of Irwin and Laura Kirkwood, publishers of the Kansas City Star newspaper, White Pine Camp became famous as the one-time Summer White House of President Calvin Coolidge, whose journey included a 16-hour train ride from Washington, D.C., followed by a 5-hour carriage ride through the woods. Newspapers marveled at the camp’s “electric lights, sunken baths, showers, deep-cushioned couches, easy chairs, fine rugs and furniture.”
Today you can stay in the lodge or one of 13 cottages, each of which can accommodate between one to eight people and features handcrafted Adirondack-style furniture, stone fireplaces or wood stoves, and scenic views. You can even reserve the President’s Cabin, where Coolidge slept. There’s an indoor tennis court, bowling alley, and two boathouses, plus a much-photographed Japanese teahouse on a peninsula jutting into Osgood Pond.
Open year round. There is a seven-day minimum in July and August, and a two-day minimum the rest of the year. Summer rates run $175–$495 per night.
The Hedges
Dating back to 1880, the Hedges is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Courtesy of The Hedges
- Location: Blue Mountain Lake, New York
- Book now
Blue Mountain Lake’s most famous camp was built in 1880 by Civil War hero and corn starch magnate Hiram Duryea. For decades, Duryea happily flaunted his wealth at his camp with European-style decorating, tennis courts, and a newfangled motorboat, while at the same time refusing to install electric lights or indoor toilets. After his death, the property was sold to the caretaker of the Great Camp Sagamore, who transformed Duryea’s camp into the Hedges in 1921 and soon added electricity, plumbing, and over a dozen cabins.
You can stay in a room or suite in one of four lodges, or in any of 15 cabins that range in size from one to four bedrooms.
Open June 5 through October 14, 2024. Rates for two people start at $290 per night, including breakfast, dinner, nonalcoholic beverages, evening snacks, housekeeping, and use of all recreational facilities. Children under three years old stay free, while rates for older children start at $40 per night.
The Waldheim
The Waldheim has been owned and operated by the same family since 1904.
Courtesy of the Waldheim
- Location: Eagle Bay, New York
- Book now
If you weren’t a robber baron, the other way you might come to own a great camp was to build one yourself. In 1904, master carpenter E.J. Martin built the handsome main house at the Waldheim on the northern shore of Big Moose Lake.
Over the years, the Martins expanded their camp with 17 water-facing cottages, each with one to five bedrooms and at least one bathroom. Today the 300-acre Waldheim is run by two of E.J. Martin’s great-grandchildren and their spouses, and it retains a yesteryear vibe.
Open June 22 through October 14, 2024. From June to August, Saturday-to-Saturday weekly rates start at $930 for a room in the main house or $1,800 for a cottage. After Labor Day, there is a flat per person weekly rate of $1,296 or a flat daily rate of $207 for adults. Pricing includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Lyndsey Matthews and Rosalie Tinelli contributed reporting to this story. It was originally published in 2018; it was updated most recently on May 30, 2024, with current information.
