>>2759752Also If you're willing to drive 1-2h cross over to VT and go to Underhill State Park and do Mt Mansfield. There's like 3 or 4 trails up it depending on your skill level. It's very cool, as long as you hit it on a good day. There's also a handful of decent waterfalls if you're into that on the VT side. The entire state takes only a few hours to drive really and you also have a lot of options in the Green Mountain NF. Personally, if you do a day west of Adirondacks I would do VT (Mt Mansfield ez 3-4h), head over to NH (Mt Washington probably drive it unless you want to spend another 6-7h climbing), then choose what else you want to do from there on your way back to NY. Easy day trip right there.
Depending where you enter/leave NY from as well I know Old Forge is a popular place (about 2h from Lake Placid/Saranac). It was pretty packed as I drove through it. All along the First-Eighth lakes are small stops that all seemed popular at least on weekends. If by any chance you pass by Ithaca, NY on the way to/from I'd stop in that region for all the giant watefalls (Ithaca Park, Watkins Glen SP, Robert Treman SP, Letchworth SP).
