The Adirondack Retreat is a remote, quiet 60-acres in the heart of the Adirondacks set back 200 yards off a quiet, dead-end road bordered by forest preserve & wilderness. Turn off your electronics and cozy up to the wood stove, take a stroll around the scenic property or work remotely with High-Speed fiber optic internet w/mesh wireless and a Verizon signal booster. Truly something for everyone!
THE SPACE
(Please read the additional rules under House Rules before booking. TY! ) Many local residents do not know our house exists at the end of the road. You'll see why when you get there! Our stone driveway runs 200 yards from the end of the road up to the house. You will pass our Quonset barn and pond as you drive up. Enter the house into the walk-in basement. There is an open closet with tons of hangers for your jackets, ski clothes, hiking equipment and plenty of room for ski boots, skis and snowboards, etc. There is a Foosball table, some sports equipment, a comfortable couch and chairs. The washer and dryer as well as detergent and dryer sheets are included for your use. There is an extra bathroom with a toilet, sink and stand up shower as well. Next to the entrance door is a cabinet that has flashlights, hand warmers, winter hats & gloves, traction cleats to wear over boots/shoes for slippery ice, etc. There are five sets of snowshoes (2 adult, 3 youth) and a backpack. The door to the garage is locked and is inaccessible to guests. Please tell your guests not to try to open the large garage door from the outside as it may damage the garage door opener.
You walk up the stairs into the kitchen/dining/sitting area with the wood stove (notice the supply of batteries on the wall at the top of the stairs). As you can see by the pictures, there is a full kitchen and a table that has wings on both sides to make it larger. Play chess in the sitting area with a soothing fire burning in the wood stove. From October to April there will be wood stocked next to the stove, on the screened porch and in the lean-to in the back for your use. Detailed instructions for stove use are included in the manual we will email to you prior to your stay and also in the binder on the counter. Check out all the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, there's a ton of different supplies, dishes, glasses, pots, pans and gadgets. Wine glasses are hanging next to the refrigerator. We do have a drip coffee maker with plenty of filters and 1 lb of sealed coffee for you. There are jars of bulk sugar, salt, confectionery sugar and flour. Salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a good variety of spices are included if you forget something. From time-to-time there may be unexpired open condiments in the refrigerator for your use. You should plan on bringing your own.
The screen porch is adjacent to the kitchen and leads to the deck with a large teak table and many chairs. Unless there is snow on the ground, you may want to relax around a bonfire in the fire pit, make s'mores and perhaps stare at the night sky trying to identify satellites circling the earth. It so dark here, you will see tons once your eyes adjust!
Adjacent to the wood stove is the TV room. There are two very comfortable futons. Either one can fold down into a bed if need be. There is no cable TV service but we include high speed fiber optic internet service via a mesh WiFi system. Bring your laptop, ROKU, Firestick, Slingbox, etc, and hook up to the TV with the provided HDMI cable and ports. A Wii gaming system and some titles are hooked up and ready for use. There is are 3 Wii remote/controllers. Bring extras if you have them. We have a Verizon wireless signal booster that works very well. In the event of a power outage, the WiFi has battery backup and the automatic back up generator will instantly start up, restore electricity and also keep the WiFi and Verizon signal booster running.
The Library is across from the TV room and next to the powder room. You will find a comfortable couch to sit and read a book or just ponder the beautiful scenery in the front of house. There are many books, games, playing cards, chips, and DVDs / VHS tapes to be used in the two multi-use TV's upstairs. The old-fashioned knock hockey game is leaning against the wall. There is a rug on the ground so kids can play without having to sit on the wood floor. Also, there are headlamps and more flashlights on the shelf. These ALWAYS come in handy for our guests!
Before going upstairs, open the front door to find a stunning view and a deck with Adirondack chairs. The swamp is beyond the trees and there are trails all over. There are a couple of spots on top and behind the hill next to the pond where you can sit or lounge while enjoying the wonderful views. Try to find them!
Upstairs, you will find the master bed and bath to the right. Check out the view from the picture window. Grab your coffee and sit out on the balcony! Extra pillows and linens are on the shelves and there is a luggage holder for your use. The queen bed is especially comfortable! The closet is locked with our stuff inside. There are plenty of towels, toilet paper and a blow-dryer as well as some personal items in the medicine cabinet. Just outside the master bedroom is the guest bathroom (has a bathtub) which is also stocked similarly to the master. If you can see/touch something, you may use it. Disposable items can be kept or discarded (i.e.- toothbrush, razor)
Down the hall are bedrooms two and three with the bunk beds. The view outside from bedroom 2 is similar to the Master. Both bedrooms 2 and 3 have accessible closets. The closet in the master bedroom is locked with our stuff, however, the hall closet is unlocked for your use. Note the laundry chute next to the stairs which goes to the basement!
You can explore the woods and clear trails on the property. If you are going to venture off the trails, take a compass from the shelf in the library. Before you venture out, orient yourself with the compass so you know the general direction of the house. If you are off a trail, the woods really looks the same and it is very easy to get lost, especially for children. Please make sure children do not leave the sight line of the house. Once the leaves fall, it becomes much easier to orient yourself. In the middle of the summer, it is nearly impossible. We would strongly suggest you use officially marked NY State hiking trails. There are TONS all over the place. In fact, there's a trail head named "Falls Brook" halfway down our street that goes up to a couple of cool ponds a couple of miles north.
In our humble opinion, one of the most enjoyable things to do up here is just get in the car and drive. Go far, explore, get lost, talk to the locals. There aren't too many main roads, so getting lost for a while eventually leads to a main road...but it is a heck of a lot of FUN! The full-time residents up here are very friendly and usually have very interesting stories and can point you in the directions you want to explore.
We've made many great family memories here. Now it is your turn!
BE SAFE AND ENJOY!
Guest access
Entire house and property. There is plenty of space for parking. Trailer up your boat to explore the many lakes of the Adirondacks or bring your snowmobiles and explore the thousands of miles of trails. While easily accessible, the property is remote and very private. Again, many folks in town don't know there is a house and beautiful property beyond the end of our road. You'll understand why when you visit.
Other things to note
Sullivan's General Store is two minutes from the house and is a convenience store / gas station. There are two nearby Tops Supermarket locations; one in North Creek and the other in Schroon Lake. Both being approx 10-15 minutes drive. We have a basket full of pamphlets of things to do or see. And we include more resources in our house manual.
