Lake Placid was host to the 1980 Winter Olympics, and many of the sites are still used for training. Our Lake Placid ‘Town Loop’ is an easy-to-follow, hilly 7-miler accessible from the center of town, passing some the iconic Olympic sites. The hilliest part of the climb is between miles 4 & 5.
Start at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics Museum, and head east on Main St., passing the Herb Brooks Arena (Brooks was coach of the gold-medal-winning 1980 U.S. hockey team) and the Olympics Speed Skating Oval (you can run around it — it’s like a 400m track!) At 0.5 miles, RIGHT on Sentinel Rd., which turns into Rt. 73. At the 2-mile mark, at the triangle, you’ll see the Olympic Cauldron on your left, the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, and the Horse Show Grounds. At the triangle, continue on John Brown Rd. for 1 mile to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, where there are 4 miles of lovely trails around a historic farm. Take Old John Brown Rd. to Military Hill Rd. (Rt 35), turn LEFT and follow for 1.2 miles, passing the historic Stagecoach Inn. At Lake Placid Elementary School RIGHT on Station St., heading back to town.
Add-Ons: Do a loop around the 400m speed skating oval! Additional trails at John Brown Farm and Henry’s Woods. Or, enjoy the 2.7 mile loop around Mirror Lake to make this a 10-miler!
Lake Placid was host to the 1980 Winter Olympics, and many of the sites are still used for training. Our Lake Placid ‘Town Loop’ is an easy-to-follow, hilly 7-miler accessible from the center of town, passing some the iconic Olympic sites. The hilliest part of the climb is between miles 4 & 5.
Start at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics Museum, and head east on Main St., passing the Herb Brooks Arena (Brooks was coach of the gold-medal-winning 1980 U.S. hockey team) and the Olympics Speed Skating Oval (you can run around it — it’s like a 400m track!) At 0.5 miles, RIGHT on Sentinel Rd., which turns into Rt. 73. At the 2-mile mark, at the triangle, you’ll see the Olympic Cauldron on your left, the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex, and the Horse Show Grounds. At the triangle, continue on John Brown Rd. for 1 mile to the John Brown Farm State Historic Site, where there are 4 miles of lovely trails around a historic farm. Take Old John Brown Rd. to Military Hill Rd. (Rt 35), turn LEFT and follow for 1.2 miles, passing the historic Stagecoach Inn. At Lake Placid Elementary School RIGHT on Station St., heading back to town.
Add-Ons: Do a loop around the 400m speed skating oval! Additional trails at John Brown Farm and Henry’s Woods. Or, enjoy the 2.7 mile loop around Mirror Lake to make this a 10-miler!
The easiest and most popular run in Lake Placid. The 2.7 mile loop around Mirror Lake is mainly on Mirror Lake Dr., featuring lake views for about 1/3 of the route. Sidewalk the whole way. Add-on with quiet side roads off Main St.
Opened in December 2023, this is a great addition to the Lake Placid/Saranac Lake area! This stone dust surfaced rail trail runs for 34 miles between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake. Mainly wooded landscape.
Best bet for an easy-to-follow longer road run in Lake Placid. River Rd. runs for 4 miles and has intermittent water views and some nice open sections. For a 10-miler, start from town and do a loop returning on Rt. 86.
Some great trail running spots near town for all abilities include the John Brown Farm Trails, Henry's Woods, Heaven Hill Trails, the Jackrabbit Trail, White Face Landing, Peninsula Trails, Beaver Brook Trails, Blueberry Hill.
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