The 'Grand Canyon Of The Adirondacks' Is A Hidden Outdoor Adventure Seeker's Playground

The sprawling woods that cover Upstate New York's Adirondack Mountains are packed with little lake towns and spectacular hiking trails — but did you know that they are also home to a chasm so impressive it's sometimes called The Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks? This is the 10,000-year-old Ausable Chasm, and people have been awed by its incredible views for over 150 years. The gorge is about 150 feet deep, with impressive sandstone walls with such obvious layers in the rock that it almost looks like it was stacked by hand, rather than being carved out by the Ausable River below, and it stretches an impressive two miles long.

The chasm, which is less than an hour from the fall foliage destination Lake Placid, New York by car, has miles of hiking trails and opportunities for outdoor adventures like rock climbing, mountain biking, and rafting on the river. The chasm is privately owned, so you'll have to pay a fee to enter (Which is around $18 for adults and around $10 for kids over 5). While this is definitely more of a tourist attraction than a retreat into nature, which will likely disappoint hikers who prefer to only hear birdsong and wind in the trees white they explore, many visitors to Ausable Chasm find the opportunity to see the staggering view worth the crowds and the price of admission.

While the Ausable Chasm might have gotten its nickname from the Grand Canyon, you won't find any hikes as dangerous as the iconic Bright Angel Trail here, but if you're a daredevil, there are some adventures waiting for you at the chasm. In addition to traditional trails with views of the chasm and the river below, you can check out the heart-stopping Adventure Trail, which lets you scale the canyon wall and then cross the entire chasm by inching along a cable (while secured into a harness, of course). If you're more interested in views, consider the Riverwalk, which culminates in a walk across a suspended bridge over the river.

If you want to explore this natural wonder without the crowds, consider coming in the winter. If you don't mind braving the Adirondack mountain snow, you'll be rewarded with views of incredible icicles and natural ice sculptures forming in the rock walls. For the best views, walk the Inner Sanctum Trail.