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In both summer and winter, the Adirondack Mountains and its posh Whiteface Lodge offer an abundance of outdoor fun and adventure for families.

Roughly 6 million acres in size, about the same as the state of Vermont, Adirondack Park is a patchwork of public and private land dotted with pristine lakes and rivers, mountains and valleys, and a variety of communities offering a wealth of activities for the whole family. With so much to do, the Adirondack region is a great choice for family fun any season of the year. A great area on which to focus your Adirondack experience is Lake Placid with its proud heritage as the only U.S. city to twice host the Winter Olympic Games. And a great choice for a family-friendly resort offering superb accommodations and plenty of amenities is The Whiteface Lodge, an all-suite resort inspired by the fabled Adirondack “Great Camps” of an earlier age.

With features such as plush Adirondack-styled furnishings, fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, private balconies (many of which offer stunning views of Whiteface Mountain), granite baths, and high-speed Internet, a mountain vacation never felt so good. A variety of sizes from junior up to three-bedroom suites, or the ultra-luxurious four-bedroom Presidential Suite are available. The wide array of complimentary amenities and activities that will keep the family well entertained include the indoor/outdoor-heated pools and hot tubs, a modern fitness center, a 54-seat movie theater, basketball and tennis courts, and an indoor family game room featuring billiards, shuffleboard, table tennis, foosball, air hockey, and a two-lane bowling alley.

Also complimentary is Kamp Kanu, The Whiteface Lodge’s summer children’s program. In session seven days a week during the summer months, Kamp Kanu offers a variety of indoor and outdoor activities such as hiking, canoeing, kayaking, lawn games, relays and races, orienteering, treasure hunts, arts’n’crafts, science experiments, storytelling, bowling, movies and more. The program is for kids ages 3 to 6 from 9am to 12pm only, and children ages 7 to 10 can opt for full days from 9am to 4pm, or just half days. Full day participants are charged $10 for lunch. Supervised children’s programs are offered in a more limited way during the rest of the year.

The Whiteface Lodge also offers a Kids Sunset Club from 6pm to 9pm for ages 5 to 10. The cost for this child care is a little pricey, as the charge for the first child is $30, $20 for the second child and $10 for each additional sibling per family. Beginning with a pizza party at the Lodge’s old-fashioned ice cream parlor located next to the game room, the staff conducts a variety of activities. Families will love the nightly campfires where all the makings for s’mores are provided by a staff member. We enjoyed talking with a number of families who gathered each night at the campfire as their kids delighted in the making of s’mores.

Although the Lodge is not located directly on Lake Placid, the resort will shuttle guests to the Canoe Club, a nearby private beachfront site with swimming, canoeing and kayaking, as well as on-shore activities such as volleyball, badminton, croquet, bocci ball, horseshoes and ping-pong. Children ages 6 to 16 will enjoy the summer skill-building clinics where kids participate in an array of creative and educational activities, such as orienteering, kayaking, animal tracking, and identifying various plant and bug species. Also included are catch-and-release fishing in the resort’s private stocked pond for which rod and bait are provided (we witnessed a few kids who beamed as they landed some of the pond’s small trout), and a Saturday morning Yoga on the Lawn class. Again, all these activities are free for guests. Non-gratis activities include waterskiing, tubing and boat rides from the resort’s boat house on Lake Placid.

During the winter months families will love the outdoor skating rink, and the resort provides skates to fit every size. Located onsite and nearby are an array of snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails. Snowshoes, like the ice skates, are complimentary.

For families traveling with small children, a variety of complimentary baby and child necessities such as cribs, Pack N’ Plays, car seats, and in-room safety gates are all available. In today’s economy, families also will love the full kitchens in every suite, allowing families to eat many of their meals (although you won’t have to worry about breakfast, as a full buffet breakfast at the Lodge’s restaurant is included with your stay). Kanu offers guests a true dining treat in a fabulous setting; soaring roof lines, six majestic granite fireplaces, and hand-hewn log beams create a striking mountain lodge atmosphere. Kanu is very much kid-friendly and offers a children’s menu for lunch and dinner.

For a little pampering, parents may want to experience the resort’s 5,800-square-foot spa. Offering a full array of treatments, the spa has garnered a wealth of awards and recognition by many of the top travel guides. Being an upscale resort, The Whiteface Lodge may be considered pricey for many families. With this in mind, the resort now offers what it calls a “Share-cation” program, where multiple families or groups of friends can essentially share the expense of renting a summer vacation house. The 2009 program offers a seven-night weekly rate for its three- and four-bedroom suites which can comfortably accommodate from eight to ten people. Prices for a three-bedroom suite begin at $6,950 per week. Two families sharing the costs might find this a little more affordable considering all the extra amenities included.