The Adirondack State Park is in the north eastern area of New York State and covers about 6 million acres. The park is actually the size of the state of Vermont, is the largest protected area in the contiguous United States and is larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier and Grand Canyon National Parks combined. It's best known for it's mountains (46 peaks over 4000ft) and lakes (approximately 3,000) but there is also numerous villages, farms, museums, restaurants, artisan shops and various styles of accommodation to cater for all tastes and budgets. So whether you want to hike, canoe, boat, fish, swim, mountain bike, ride horses, camp, ski, snowmobile, hunt, dog sled or just sit back and relax, the Adirondacks can accommodate you.

For us though, we were there to witness the stunning Fall colors and to catch up with friends. The parents of a friend of Adam's had a holiday house on a lake in the Adirondacks and we had arranged to meet up with them to go for a hike through the bush and then stay with them. The house was exactly what you'd want if you want to just get away from the busy city life and relax. After 9 days of driving and sight seeing, it was exactly what we needed.

Marilyn and Alan made us feel right and home and I think if we didn't have accommodation at Niagara Falls booked the following night, we'd probably still be there. They were very gracious hosts and allowed us to share the magnificent sights of the Adirondacks in Fall time with them.

Alan, Marilyn and Adam preparing to hike to an old turn of the century farm	Just some of the colors of the region	Adam and Carol at the old farm	One of the many streams
Looking out the back of their holiday shack		Carol hard at work	From their shack, the inlet leads out to a larger lake (just one of 3,000)
The holiday shack	Adam, Marilyn and Alan	New friends