Birch & Bambi

Jan 30, 20224 min read

Winter Weekend in Wilmington, New York | Travel Itinerary

Updated: Mar 18, 2023

Upstate New York is a beautiful place for a winter wonderland vacation. A few hours by car is always worth the drive in my eyes. Last January some friends and I booked a trip to Wilmington, New York for a long weekend. Wilmington is part of Essex County surrounded by the Adirondack mountains. This area is a year long paradise for outdoor lovers, but it’s definitely a sight to see in the winter!

Adirondack Mountains Winter — Adirondack Mountains in Winter

We found a cozy cabin on AirBnB with a hot tub (because negative degree weather warrants it) and a picture perfect view of Whiteface Mountain. If you would like a link to the AirBnB let me know!

Early Saturday morning my friends picked me up. The drive, contrary to many other’s opinions, is one of my favorite parts of road trips. I love driving through new towns and making a list of places to visit in the future or on the way home. Listening to music, chatting with friends, and playing car games (Ever heard of ‘That’s My Cow?’) make the trip worth it too!

After a few hours we stopped in Lake Placid. We worked up an appetite and decided to find a restaurant for brunch. The breakfast club, etc was our go to choice. We took one look at the menu, saw the bloody mary options and were sold. They have TEN different options!! My favorite was Fire Mary with tabasco and sriracha. If mimosas are more your speed they have plenty of options as well.

Not only were the drinks heaven, their food was delicious and we had a beautiful view of the frozen lake. We watched people dog sledding while we ate, it looked so fun! I looked it up and it’s expensive - maybe next time. For brunch I ate the Mixed Berry Stuffed French Toast and devoured it. I still drool when I think of it, look at the picture and you’ll understand!

We were able to check in after brunch, so we went and settled in. While relaxing and searching for places to hike I discovered the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge.

This refuge is dedicated to the rescue, rehab, and release of wild animals in the area. It doesn't cost anything to visit, but I strongly suggest donating and helping get these babies back into nature.

While I was there I saw wolves, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, lynx, owls, and more! I seriously didn't want to leave and wanted to visit each animal…I'm sure all the animals are thankful I finally left.

While reading reviews of this place, people mentioned the size of the enclosures are too small. I want to point out, these animals are NOT meant to stay at the refuge. They came for various reasons, but all have one main goal - rehabilitation. These animals are not living here for the remainder of their time on earth, unfortunately for now these close quarters are the best way to heal.

Basically, my friends had to drag me out of there. On the drive back to our cabin we found a park along the Ausable River and pit-stopped to play on the snowy playscape like children.

After turning numb, the hot tub was in order. There’s something about 10 to 20 degree weather that makes you want to throw on a bathing suit right? By the time we got out, our fingers were raisins. We ordered pizza, played a few hilarious rounds of Pie Face, and got an early start to bed. We planned to wake up early on Sunday for hiking.

Waking up to the view of Whiteface in the winter is unexplainable. I spent some time on the porch in the morning gazing at it with an iced coffee (where are my other team iced all year people?). Our plan for the day was to hike Bear Den, dip back in the hot tub, then walk to the Wilmington-Ausable Dam.

Bear Den is a 4.5 mile out and back hike with parking at the Whiteface Mountain Ski Area. While the trail is considered easy to moderate, hiking in the winter can be challenging and works your body differently. It’s a great beginner hike, as long as you carry the correct gear and layer properly! Make sure to sign in before heading up the trail. The trail starts steadily gaining elevation, make sure to watch for people backcountry skiing the trail here. As you continue towards the last portion of the hike it becomes very steep, which was somewhat difficult in the snow, but after this you’ve made it!

The top was absolutely freezing and windy, but the view was priceless. We positively earned our mountain top drinks. We stayed a while to take photos and watch people ski down the slopes across the way. A storm cloud drifted in and we took it as a sign to head back down to the car. The way down was actually a ton of fun and we slid through much of it on our butt. I need to look into those sleds that you can attach to your backpack.

Back at the cabin home we rested in the hot tub. I really want to invest in one when I buy a home! We hopped out before it got dark out to walk around and explore Wilmington.

Adirondacks New York Travel Vacation Winter

One of my favorite things about Wilmington was the unique installations. There was a giant oversized bike and an old ski lift swing by the Wilmington-Ausable Dam. The dam was flowing heavily, but when you look across the other side of the bridge the river looked so peaceful. After trudging through the snow we went home for taco night, my all time favorite group meal! It’s easy, affordable, and customizable for anyone.

The next morning we packed up and took the journey back home. I can’t wait to come back to the area to hike and explore more! Look below for some links and more information on some of the places I checked out. If you have been to Wilmington, do you recommend any other trails, restaurants, or experience?