Drive to the Top of Whiteface Mountain, New York

Whiteface Mountain is the one of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks mountains and is the fifth highest mountain in the state of New York, USA. The steep slopes of the High Peaks hold massive amounts of snow and give it a look of  “white face” or “white head” from different directions. The Adirondack Mountains are a 160 mile circular wide dome of more than 100 peaks and they are not connected like the Rockies and the Appalachians.

Driving up to the top of the Whiteface Mountain on the winding Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway is charming and offers many gorgeous vista points along the way to the summit. A 8 mile scenic drive from Wilmington, NY, will take you up to the 4,867 foot summit of Whiteface Mountain. The summit offers excellent and massive 360° views spanning hundreds of miles of wildland that reach as far as Vermont and Canada on a clear day. When clouds are rolling in, you literally feel the clouds at the summit. On a clear day, you can see gorgeous views of Lake Champlian of Vermont to the east, the beautiful Lake placid, Mirror Lake, and village of Lake Placid to the southwest, Mount Marcy and many of the other High Peaks of the Adirondacks to the south, and a great view of the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway as it winds up to the top of Whiteface Mountain to the west. No matter what direction you choose to look up, you will be amazed by the majestic views.

These photos are from our visit to Whiteface Mountain in third week of May, 2011 and first week of September 2021.

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Quick Facts and Tips

• Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway is open daily from 8:45am to 5:30pm from June 1st to the first week of October
• This is a toll road and you need to pay a toll at the Toll House starting from $15 and an additional fee for passengers age over 6 years old
• The road is narrow, winding, and elevated, so drive with caution. The road rises over 2,300 feet just in five miles from the Toll House
• The road ends at the parking lot which opens up to what is referred to as the Whiteface Castle
• The Castle has a small restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms
• The summit can be reached either by an elevator after a small walk through a tunnel or by taking the 0.2 mile uphill Stairway Ridge Trail over stone steps while enjoying the amazing views
• There is a shelter house at the summit that has an elevator and panoramic viewing platform. 
• It will be cold at the summit, dress in layers
• There are many viewing spots and walking trails around the summit area
• Set aside extra time in case there is a need to wait for clear sky for gorgeous views
• This is a perfect weekend getaway for tri-state residents