This Dreamy Adirondack Lake Paradise Offers Spruce-Fringed Shores, New York Royalty, And Canoeing

America's love affair with vacationing in the great outdoors began in the Northeast, where early naturalists drawn by the spruce-lined shores hiked and canoed while the leisure class set up lake homes to escape the hustle and bustle of the city. The St. Regis Lake area in the Adirondacks grew from these early days of American recreation, with a storied history both as a playground for American royalty and as a destination for nature and water enthusiasts that few places rival. Descendants of those magnates as well as modern day outdoor enthusiasts still spend their days on the area lakes in canoes and sailboats, cruising past majestic properties formerly owned by such people as Post cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post and railroad magnate and heir Frederick Vanderbilt that dot the shoreline. 

As a beautiful retreat in upstate New York, Upper St. Regis Lake has been a destination for high society for over a century, anchored originally around Paul Smith's hotel and spreading out to other connected lakes in the area. Today it's gaining a reputation as a canoers' destination, boasting the only area restricted to canoes in New York, the St. Regis Canoe Area. If you're looking for more outdoor recreation options, you might want to head an hour away to check out the Adirondacks' sprawling Cranberry Lake. But if you prefer to spend a few days paddling through a veritable water world staring at shorefront homes straight out of the Gilded Age, you need to check out Upper St. Regis Lake.

While canoeing is very popular all over the Adirondacks, Upper St. Regis Lake is also known in the sailing community for having its own distinct rigged vessels. Over 120 years ago, naval architect Clinton Crane designed the Idem-class sailboat for the St. Regis Yacht Club, and they're still all the rage on Upper St. Regis Lake. These boats look like large canoes with even larger sails, and on any given day you'll see plenty out on the water. If you time it right, you might even catch one of the many weekend races held in the summer. Given the history of recreation and tourism, St. Regis Lake is usually more crowded than other tranquil Adirondack destinations like Great Sacandaga Lake, especially in summer. But there is also an option to get a little off the beaten trail without leaving the St. Regis area.

Thanks to the St. Regis Canoe Area, water enthusiasts who prefer to paddle for their recreation in a more secluded area can enter a stunning wilderness off limits to other types of watercraft. The St. Regis Canoe Area comprises 50 pristine and relatively undeveloped ponds spread over 1,600 acres, offering first-come, first-serve camping sites and endless opportunities for wildlife watching. If you'd rather canoe somewhere a bit more developed, though, you can paddle the connections from Upper St. Regis Lake through Spitfire Lake and then down to Lower St. Regis Lake. That's the beauty about the area. Whether you prefer developed or primitive, lake or pond, sail or canoe, you simply have to decide how you want to spend your day on the water and then go have fun. The options are nearly endless.

A "camp" on the lakes of the Adirondacks means a majestic waterfront house (often a compound) built by an old monied family as a vacation home for lakefront relaxation tucked among the spruces. The shore of St. Regis Lake is lined with these beautiful monuments to American royalty, often including boathouses and mansions made of river rock and old timber. While most of these great camps are still privately owned and not rented out, there are options for house rentals along the shore. Some canoe outfitters offer guided canoe tours of all the famous camps. And while summer and fall are the most popular times to visit, many people come in the winter to cross-country ski and ice fish on the lake, getting a different perspective on the historic shoreline.

As for hotels, the first one on Lower St. Regis Lake was Paul Smith's, a place visited by the elite during its heyday. When that hotel burnt down, it lent its name to the current town of Paul Smiths. For more lodging options including bigger hotels, travel to nearby Saranac Lake, considered one of the most romantic destinations in upstate New York. Regardless where you stay, you can fly into Adirondack Regional Airport only a few miles away (with daily commercial flights from NYC and Boston). You'll want to rent a car, and it would be worth a day trip to visit America's largest state park outside Alaska, Adirondack Park, located about an hour away. Just make sure you remember your bug spray.