Taking it upstate: Visiting the Lake Placid and Finger Lakes this season

You may have heard of both these lake-centric destinations, but there are plenty of natural wonders to explore by foot or even horseback, wineries to try and luxury hotels to stay at. Here are trails to wander and notable places to visit should you venture upstate this season.

LAKE PLACID

Taking its name from the lake along its northern edge, the village of Lake Placid also wraps around much of Mirror Lake. Boat tours of Lake Placid will begin in May, but the shores and areas around both lakes can be explored by foot. As for area hiking trails, trekkers can explore the trails at Mount Jo (Adirondak Loj Rd.; 518-523-2445, lakeplacid.com). The mountain has a short and a long trail, the longer trail is only 1.3 miles while the 1.1-mile short trail is somewhat tougher and steeper.

The village is a world-famous destination, due to the fact that two Winter Olympics were held here. One main attraction to explore is the Olympic Jumping Complex (52 Ski Jump Ln.; 518-523-8830, lakeplacid.com), where visitors can watch as ski jumpers launch then fly for dozens of yards. Viewing can also be done via the Skyride gondola ($20; ages 7-12 $15, free ages 6 and younger).

The month of March will be a marvel of winter sporting events in the area, as the ECAC Men's Hockey Championship (March 18-19) and the FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup (March 25-27) are only a few of the competitions slated to occur.

The Wild Center (45 Museum Dr., Tupper Lake; 518 359-7800, wildcenter.org) hosts an elevated path of platforms and bridges that winds upward through the forest, from the ground to the treetops. Along the way, there’s a human-scaled "Eagle’s Nest" and a four-story tree house. There’s also an indoor component that offers information about the natural history of the Adirondacks and features more than 900 animal residents, including a quintet of North American river otters.

For a spot tied to American history, the John Brown Farm State Historic Site (115 John Brown Rd.; 518-523-3900, parks.ny.gov) is the final resting place of abolitionist John Brown, as it is for a group of those who followed him into the assault at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

The Great Adirondack Brewing Company (2442 Main St., Lake Placid; 518-523-1629, adirondackbrewing.com) is a family-run craft brewery and restaurant that has an outdoor fire pit, a beer garden and a heated tent. Live music occurs indoors on most Saturday afternoons. Look for recent beer releases like "Maximum Tilt," an India Brown Ale that puts forth notes of coffee, chocolate, and pumpernickel with a fruity aroma and "Carbon Copy," a light brown porter infused with Tahitian vanilla. A Summer Ale, an Apricot wheat beer and a Belgian Cherry Ale will debut this spring.

OVERNIGHT STAY

For a luxury overnight stay in Lake Placid, the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa (77 Mirror Lake Dr.; 518-523-2544, mirrorlakeinn.com) has two restaurants, a spa that offers salon services plus halo (salt) therapy, private yoga sessions and other wellness features, an indoor and an outdoor pool, and rooms that look out toward the mountains and the lake. Rates start at $279.

FINGER LAKES

This area encompasses 14 counties, 11 long lakes and Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes. A number of companies offer cruises and water tours (starting in late spring) and each body of water is surrounded by changing scenery for those looking to explore the waterways. When visiting the area check out the Taughannock Falls waterfall, which can be found in Taughannock Falls State Park (1740 Taughannock Blvd., Trumansburg; 607-387-6739, parks.ny.gov). Striking natural scenes abound, due to ice age glaciers that once scraped the region. Gorges can also be found in this state park, which features a trail that leads to the falls and is open all year-round. Visitors can also stroll the Cascadilla Gorge Trail, a 1.3-mile route that runs between Cornell University main campus and downtown Ithaca (between Linn Street and College Avenue).

For a unique sight to see, the construction of a military facility in the 1940s protected a group of deer, allowing them to evolve into a natural anomaly: the largest herd of white deer in the world. Spot these animals at Deer Haven Park (5479 Rt. 96A, Romulus; deerhavenpark.org), where you can also see what remains of the former Seneca Army Depot.

Another activity to try is horseback riding at Painted Bar Stables (4093 Lake St., Burdett; paintedbarstables.com), which offers a "Request a Ride" program, allowing visitors to book a ride in advance online. For the spring there’s a one-hour trail route open between March 15 to May 1. The 2-mile scenic trail ride (kept at a slow speed, avoids larger hills and other obstacles) is $65 per person, and the 2.5-mile "Spirited Trail Ride" (features some trotting and natural obstacles) is $75. Look for vineyard trail rides among other options starting later this spring.

There are several wineries to visit in the area and among the choices are Casa Larga Vineyards (2287 Turk Hill Rd., Fairport; 585-223-4210, casalarga.com). The vineyard has events set for the spring and items to try include ice wines, produced from grapes frozen on the vine. Hunt Country Vineyards (4021 Italy Hill Rd., Branchport; 800-946-3289, huntwines.com) is another winery to explore that also has an event calendar for the season. Try the ice wine and the "Uncharted Terroir" line of wines, made from regional grape varieties.

OVERNIGHT STAY

There are many hotels, inns and other hospitality spots across the region, but to stay and play the del Lago Resort and Casino (1133 Rt. 414, Waterloo; 315-946-1777, dellagoresort.com) offers 1,700 slot machines, table games and it's also equipped with a DraftKings Sportsbook location. The resort's Portico restaurant features food by celebrity chef Fabio Viviani and entertainers are scheduled to appear onstage in its Vine Showroom during the coming months including Tracy Morgan (April 2), CeeLo Green (April 15) and Trace Adkins (May 6). Rates start at $129.