We were at Camp Solitude in early August. The wonderful history of the property is well covered in the previous posts, so I will leave that alone. The owner/host is a wonderfully eccentric man named Jay, who along with his dogs (Kadie and Sadie) made us very welcome.

We rented the main house, which has four bedrooms, a neat living room with great fireplace, nice dining room, and a wonderful porch facing the lake. The kitchen could use some work, but we managed good meals for our group. In the morning the hosts made coffee and breakfast, and I will long treasure the memory of enjoying early morning coffee on the porch, watching the mist on the lake. The bedrooms were comfortable. There is a piano and other musical instruments in the living room.

My mother grew up in Lake Placid, and I have wonderful memories of the area. I wanted my family to experience the Adirondacks. It was my birthday, so I picked a rustic place that would allow us to enjoy the lake and mountains. The property is VERY rustic, and the women in the party had a poor first impression, while the men thought that such a location and house were GREAT!. The porch has squirrels and chipmunks scampering by, and the lake is thirty feet away. There is no television or radio, but there are shelves full of books. The experience is a wonderful way to experience an era gone by, enjoying hikes in the woods, fishing, canoeing, and sailing. The property has two canoes and a sunfish, and the property has hiking trails (and mountains!) right behind it. Lake Placid is great, and Whiteface Mountain is the main view from the shore. By the end of the second day the women were thankful that they could enjoy this one of a kind experience.

There were a few curves thrown at us. We didn’t realize until the day before arrival that there is no road to the property, and that you have to go in and out by boat. We were concerned because my elderly parents might have trouble (there was a deck boat for transport, and it had easy access), and the isolation would limit sight seeing. The isolation turns into one of the great things about the property, as you spend quality time with family. We had been told that there is a good trout stream close by; it turned out to be a very small brook, so get a guide and do a day of fishing in the Ausable River. There is some fishing gear at the house, so you can fish off the dock (sunfish and rock bass, but the kids had a great time!).

Since there is not tv or radio, take a cd player or ipod with you so that you may have music. Jay is very accommodating about running people over to the boat landing, but try to plan whatever you need for supplies to eliminate too much running back and forth.

If you want luxury or in town access, then Camp Solitude isn’t for you. If you want a unique experience from a time gone by, then this is the place!

Pictures will follow.

Wonderful great camp built in 1896 Furnished with original antiques. VERY dog friendly Owner will not allow you to come WITHOUT your dog. Great rates. Great hiking trails. Large waterfront. Bring your boat. Lake placid is a very clean lake, great for scuba divers. Great food.

Camp Solitude is like re-living the Adirondacks of 1920. This amazing camp--formerly a music camp run by Jay's family--offers simply the most spectacular views White Face and a secluded forrested silence of the lake. There is nothing like sitting on the porch of the boat house, in the soft rain, listening to the sounds of loons and the rumble of antique wooden boats circling the lake like fireflies at dusk. The dog-policy, and the personal touch, makes for a vacation that feels like you are simply home, or at least you can make believe. Some of the finest mission/Stickley furniture ever seen "in situ". Rustic, and very much like summer camp many years ago. Go, experience Camp Solitude.