The Hedges

While Aidan was visiting Aunt Tammie, Uncle Mike and Grandma in Michigan, James and I went on holiday to an Adirondack Great Camp called The Hedges. Located on the shores of beautiful Blue Mountain Lake, The Hedges calls itself a "casual, rustic and historically unique Adirondack camp". We call it the perfect getaway.

The Hedges is open from Memorial weekend through Columbus Day weekend and offers accommodations in cabins and lodge rooms. Included in the daily room rate is a full cooked to order breakfast, a four course dinner and evening snacks. Canoes and kayaks are available to take out on the lake, plus there is a fishing dock, a swimming dock and a little sandy beach.

When I inquired about availability in March, just after I booked Aidan's flights to/from Michigan, there were only two rooms available for our requested dates. We settled in a room in the Main Lodge that looked out on Blue Mountain Lake. Here is the Main Lodge:

The front window in our room is at the top left of the building. The canoe/kayak dock is on the right side of the Main Lodge:

This is the view from the porch of the Main Lodge, which is conveniently outfitted with Adirondack chairs and rocking chairs:

Gorgeous, isn't it? You can do as much or as little as you like at The Hedges. James did a lot of fishing and even caught a few little guys:

I did a lot of reading, knitting and gazing at the gorgeous scenery. We also took kayaks out on the water several times, including the morning that we went out before 7 am and paddled around the lake for over an hour. It was so quiet and peaceful, with just a bit of mist hovering over the water. The lake was so calm that we could stop paddling and our kayaks would almost stay still as we looked at our surroundings.

At The Hedges, you can be as sociable as you like or don't like; although everyone eats in the dining room, each party has their own table. And while we did talk with other guests, it wasn't too intrusive and we still had plenty of solitude. There were both families and couples, and we learned that many people have been coming every summer for five, eight, ten and even thirteen years.

It was, by far, the most relaxing vacation that we have had in a very long time. The rooms were comfortable and spotless, the staff was friendly and efficient, and the food was delicious. We liked The Hedges so much that we extended our stay by one day! We were originally booked from Sunday to Wednesday morning but on Tuesday afternoon as we enjoyed a glass of wine on the porch, we decided that we just weren't ready to go home. We immediately went to the office to see if there was availability and learned that while our Main Lodge was booked, we could move to one of the small cabins for one additional night. That turned out to be an excellent move because it allowed us to experience both a lodge room and a cabin.

We are already planning to visit The Hedges again next summer, this time with Aidan. We think he will love the freedom to run around the grounds with other children, to jump off the dock into the cold, clear water of Blue Mountain Lake, to make s'mores by the evening campfire, and to paddle around the lake. We will submit our accommodation request form and hope that sometime in January we will receive confirmation that the cabin and dates we want are available.