Adirondak Loj & Heart Lake Program Center

Our stay at the Adirondack campground was fantastic! Lean-to No. 10 had a beautiful site with excellent facilities. The lake was stunning, and renting a canoe or kayak for just $10 added to the experience. A truly magnificent spot!

This place is really terrific! Note that it's more like a European mountain hut than a hotel: most rooms are shared, they roll a loud triangle at 7 AM for breakfast, and bathrooms are shared. But the folks here are really lovely, and the food is very good.

If you're getting one of the king bedrooms upstairs, I recommend 8 over 7, since it has a lake view!

The lake is stunning and the scenery and hiking in this area is magnificent. I haven't stayed in the Loj recently, but have many happy memories of past stays there and hope to stay there again soon. Here's an oil painting I did in October, 2023 of "Heart Lake & Algonquin Mountain." The colors were unbelievable!

One of the Premier gateways to the high peaks. So many amazing mountains accessible from this trailhead. Definitely fills up in the summertime, the secrets out. There are also campsites and cabins I'm lucky enough to live close enough I haven't had to Camp there. The information center is world class. If you forget any gear you can buy it there! They have rental safety equipment as well

Booked a bed in aloft. Pricey, but one of the best sleeps in years.

(DID NOT STAY AT LODGE)

My friends and I went on a backpacking trip in the high peaks and it was amazing can't wait to come back. The staff throughout the park were always friendly and ready to help. Whenever we passed by one in the park they would always ask us If we knew where we going and if we had enough food and if there were any troubles down the trail. They were always making sure we were good and set. Parking fills up pretty quickly, that happened to us so we had to park a mile down the road and had to hike back up to start but it wasn't a big deal. Parking is also paid, they charge by night don't remember what it was but it was around $10-15 a night. Overall great place can't wait to come back.

Spent three days/two nights here hiking with my son. Don't miss Avalanche Lake! It's worth every mile to get there! Be sure to hike to the end. Beautiful!

Campgrounds were perfect. With a firepit, picnic table, and plenty of space for tents, I couldn't have asked for more. The view of heart lake from the camp was very nice. The bathrooms were cleaner than most public bathrooms and included three showers which were also well cleaned.

We stayed here for two nights in June. The staff at the front desk were extremely helpful. The Loj gets bonus points for having the cutest golden retriever named Sunny! The campground host were welcoming; they came by to greet us within a few minutes of our arrival. We'll definitely be staying here again.

It's not glamping, but if you want to be in the heart of the Adirondaks for day (or days) hiking with easy access to Lake Placid.....and do not mind bunks and community sleeping arrangements ( there are a few private rooms), this is a a great place. Our hiking group ( 16 people) were able to stay ant the lodge ....and have a few more "hearty" souls camp in the woods. Highly recommended!

(Note: we did not stay at the Loj)
Husband & I went here to go for a backpacking trip to Mt. Marcy. Great location and very well maintained! Parking is not particularly expensive ($15/day); be sure to get there really early or mid-afternoon to ensure you find a spot. We used the Dack Maps to keep an eye on the availability. Rangers in the park are all friendly and very thorough about checking to ensure you have an appropriate bear container. The info center is great and provides bathrooms & clean drinking water.
Great place to begin (and end) our backpacking adventure :)

My husband and I camped outside and it was amazing. Very relaxing and would go back at anytime. They were hiking trail around the lake that was perfect to walk around and it was at our level of hiking that was comfortable for us. We got to canoeing.

Perfect place to begin a day of hiking and adventuring! This is the trailhead for a number of trails in the High Peaks. Plenty of parking, assuming you get there before 10am. Parking costs $15 which is worth it considering they use the money to help maintain the trails. There is a cute apparel and gear shop, a snack bar, restrooms, and staff who are helpful and knowledgeable about trail conditions.

Great place for lots of types of hiking and a nice store with a variety of hiking/outdoorsy products. We took the Mt. Jo hike -- the long route, which was less steep than the shorter route. While the hike was steep it was challenging with lots of spots where we need to scramble over rocks and such. It may be an easier hike in drier conditions but there was lots of mud that we found alternative routes around. Since it was late November we had a number of nice views along the way. We did find the exposed tree roots slippery and I fell at one point. Luckily my knee landed safely in a mud puddle so I wasn't hurt at all. I was grateful it didn't hit one of the many nasty rocks on the path. It was a fun hike that kept you engaged to find the best way forward. We saw lots of family groups and people with dogs along the way.

Great location for hiking in High Peak region and a short distance to Lake Placid. Stay at campground. Very well maintained. Clean bathrooms. Friendly campers. Beautiful mountain lake. Cool swim area. Visitor center was well stocked and the “Hungry Hiker” eatery had good options.

I visited here several times through the 1990s and early 2000s and just returned in Feb 2023. In warm months I've always found it far too crowded for my tastes. But this trip I brought my wife, daughter and pup for some microspikes walking. If I survive healthy to retirement I plan to come back in winter with snowshoes and crampons and stay at the Loj. This trip we walked around Heart Lake, a storm was on the way later in the day and it was just gorgeous with the lake frozen over. The last time I came through was August 25, 2010, when my wife dropped off my dog Nixie and I. We tried to climb up Wright Peak but there was a steady downpour all that afternoon and we made it up to the last steep pitch before the summit. Just a fantastic place any way you cut it.

Gorgeous place! The LOJ is a perfect, no frills, home base for hiking this area. It's less expensive than a place in Lake Placid. I enjoyed the family style meals with strangers. Kyack rentals on Heart Lake are also available for only $10/hour. You can take a gentle walk around the lake or a rigorous one up to a High Peak!

Beautiful 100 year old lodge in the heart of the High Peaks. Wonderful staff. Interesting guests with lots of conversation over group meals. I loved sitting by the fire under the bull moose head!

Wonderful Place! Great Hiking trails! Clean camping spots and amazing staff! Can't wait to come back for another visit!

Great place to stay if you're hiking in the area, and hankering for a bed and someone else cooking over staying in a tent. Awesome friendly staff, and a great community of people visiting from all over the world. Definitely a rustic option, for backpackers and hikers. With communal rooms and some private rooms as well. Was a really good break from camping for several weeks. Like a vacation from a vacation. It was great having someone else cook breakfast before I finished off my 46 by hiking up Mt. Marcy the next day.