Great moments are born from great opportunity.” ― Herb Brooks
Lake Placid might be most well-known for hosting the 1980 Winter Olympics and the famed “Miracle on Ice” hockey game. The 1980 games were actually the second winter games hosted by the village, making Lake Placid one of only three locations to host the Winter Olympics twice. St. Moritz, Switzerland and Innsbruck, Austria are the other two. Shortly after the games, the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was formed to manage and run all of the Olympic Venues.
Because of this, all of the venues are still in operation and open to the public. It also allows Lake Placid to be the Eastern Olympic Training Center and host to many national and international sporting events
like the Viessmann World Cup Luge and Stars on Ice.
Fun Fact: There was not enough commercial housing to host all of the journalist, athletes, coaches and spectators, so many locals opened up their private homes to teams.
Please note, hours and availability are subject to change without notice. Please visit the calendar for up-to-date information.
Mt Van Hoevenberg
Cliffside Coaster
Enjoy a scenic ride to the top of the Cliffside Coaster and learn about the inspiring Olympic history of the Lake Placid Sliding Center. Once you reach the top, you control the ride. You have the ability to go as slow or as fast as you’d like. Race your family & friends alongside the 1980 bobsled track to the bottom of the Cliffside Coaster, the longest Mountain Coaster in the USA. We promise you’ll love it so much you’ll want to race again!
June 4 – 20
Thursday – Sunday 11am – 4pm
Outdoor Adventure
From offering easy-breezy strolls to more challenging Adirondack hikes, like the new Mt. Van Hoevenberg East Trail, the Lake Placid Olympic Sites are welcoming all abilities of hikers.
Don’t forget to check out the new hiking center!
Olympic Jumping Complex
Skyflyer Zipline
The Sky Flyer zipline offers an experience of soaring through the air like a World Class ski jumper. Soaring parallel to the ski jumps, guests will experience a similar feeling to an Olympian taking flight. And, on your way down, enjoy the unparalleled views that only the Lake Placid region can afford.
The Skyflyer Zipine requires an online reservation, which can be made on the day of arrival (availability permitting). Tickets typically go on sale by 9:00 am each day that the zipline is operational.
HOURS:
open 11am to 4pm Friday – Sunday
Skyride Gondola
Stand alongside the ramp that ski jumpers launch themselves from before flying over the length of a football field. Explore the eight-passenger Skyride (a new, state-of-the-art pulse gondola) and glass-enclosed elevator ending at the observation deck of the K-120 meter ski jump.
Ticket(s) for the Skyride are date-specific. Please select your arrival date before checkout.
It is highly recommend that you purchase Skyride Gondola tickets in advance of your visit online.
HOURS
open 9am to 4pm Wednesday – Sunday
The Olympic Center
Rinks
Ice skating is ingrained into the Olympic DNA of Lake Placid, and that legacy is accessible to the public at the Olympic Center. With the speed skating rink outdoors and two historic rinks—the 1932 Jack Shea Arena and the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena—inside the Olympic Center itself, visitors can glide along the paths of past Olympians or watch world-class athletes compete.
Because we have both indoor and outdoor facilities, visitors can participate in our world-class Olympic skating experience year-round!
The Olympic Center is currently under construction. Due to the construction, the 1980 Rink & 1932 Rinks are currently not available for viewing.
Open skating & stick and puck is still available in the USA rink.
Museum
The Exhibit Gallery is located on the 2nd floor of the Conference Center, accessible via the doors directly across Main Street from Subway. The new Exhibit Gallery will be free to all guests while they work on the new, permanent location in the Olympic Center.
You can also take a virtual tour at the link below!
Whiteface Mountain
Memorial Highway
Driving up to the top of the Whiteface along the Veterans’ Memorial Highway—New York’s fifth-highest peak at 4,867’—isn’t your typical automotive experience.
Nowhere else is the beauty and vastness of the Adirondack Park so apparent and so easily accessible. The paved road rises over 2,300 feet in five miles from the Toll House.
At the summit, there are a few things you don’t often find atop a peak: a castle built from native stone, a restaurant and gift shop, an elevator carved deep inside the mountain top itself, and a truly spectacular 360-degree, panoramic view of unparalleled beauty.
A visit to the Adirondacks is not complete without a drive to the top!
HOURS
Open daily 8:45am – 5:30pm
Cloudsplitter Gondola
A fifteen-minute ride gliding through the air in the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the Adirondack Mountain range, the Cloudsplitter Gondola Ride transports visitors from the base of Whiteface Mountain to the peak of Little Whiteface.
The Cloudsplitter Gondola will open for the season on July 2, 2021.