Take on the (north)
Ice Cream Trail
Come with us as we take on the (north) Ice Cream Trail!
I Scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream – battles and trails! The Adirondacks love their ice cream. Did you know that there are four ice cream trails in the Adirondacks? North, south, east, and west. Each covers a different section of the park and features some delicious treats.
Then there is the Battle of the Cones – a fierce fight to determine ADK ice cream superiority – that began in 2022. The 2023 Battle is in full swing, so we thought, what better time to sample some of the contenders?! (The battle runs July 19 – August 22, 2023, and features 23 participants.)
We decided to take on the north trail, which features nine locations from Wilmington to Harietstown, with stops in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Seven of those are participants in the 2023 Battle. (Find the other three ice cream trails on the ADK Wayfinder website.)
Below is a recap of each location, what we ordered, and our rating on a scale of 1-5.
The trail was completed by our Marketing Director, Joell, and her husband Joe.
Wilmington
Whitebrook Dairy Bar
A classic small-town roadside ice cream stand with soft serve, sundaes, and Hershey’s hard ice cream. They also have hot dogs, burgers, and fries. This is a great spot to stop after a family trip to Santa’s Workshop; which is what I did! It was a stormy day, so I just wanted something quick and decided a cone was the way to go. While you can go a number of places to get Hershey’s Ice Cream, stopping at Whitebrook Dairy Bar just gives you the sense of summer and gives a nostalgia vibe.
*They only take cash
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 12.5 miles/20-minute drive
Flavors | Size/Price | Rating
Joell – Chocolate Moose Tracks | $3.95/small cone | 4 stars
Joe – didn’t go on this trip
A&W
gives that classic, vintage vibe of the 50s when carhops and theme parks were all the rage.
The A&W in Wilmington is family-owned and only open seasonally from May – October. They offer outdoor seating, and
Fun Fact: A&W root beer is made fresh on-site with real cane sugar and a proprietary blend of herbs, bark, spices, and berries.
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 12.4 miles/19-minute drive
Flavors | Size/Price | Rating
Root Beer Float (A&W does offer a few dessert options, but we went with what they are known for! $3.00/medium with a combo meal
Joell’s Rating: 3.5 stars – wanted more root beer | like that it comes in a glass mug
Joe’s Rating: 3 stars – wanted more ice cream | like that it comes in a glass mug
Lake Placid
Adirondack Corner Store
I’ll be honest. I never really think of going to The Corner Store for ice cream. We go for their sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. They also have a variety of premade grab and go meals, and really good muffins. Their ice cream is basic soft serve. I actually wanted a milkshake, but the machine wasn’t working.
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 1.2 miles/4-minute drive
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
Joell – chocolate soft serve | $3/small cone | 3 stars
*It didn’t taste bad, but it was just your basic soft serve ice cream. It does the trick if you’re already there getting something else and want something sweet, but I probably wouldn’t go just for ice cream again.
Joe – vanilla soft serve | $3/small cone | 3 stars
Emma's
Emma’s Lake Placid Creamery is a Lake Placid favorite – for both locals and visitors. During really busy times, the line will be out the door and down the sidewalk (so pick your visiting time carefully if you don’t want to wait forever!) The 50s-style ice cream parlor has a HUGE range of sweet treats, including soft serve, hard ice cream, milkshakes, and specialty sundaes. They also have flavored cones, sno cones, and novelty items like ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cakes, macaroons, and cheesecake. They also have doggie ice cream!
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 0.1 miles/2-minute walk
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
Joell – hot fudge sundae with maple creme ice cream | ~$7 | 4 stars
Joe – Reece’s Pieces sundae | ~$7 | 3.5 stars
*all the toppings at the bottom
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry’s agaaga
Distance from the Golden Arrow: .3 miles/5-minute walk
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
Joell – Marshmallow Sky | $5.95 single scoop + $1.50 dipped cone | 4 stars
Joe – Peanut Butter Sundae | $5.95 single scoop + $1.50 dipped cone | 3 stars
Ray Brook
The Pine Cone
The Pine Cone is a small family-owned ice cream shop. They have both soft and hard ice cream, as well as milkshakes, sundaes, and Razzles (flurries). Things we thought were great: they have gluten-free cones and offer FREE doggie ice cream with a purchase! There are also picnic tables so you can eat your ice cream there. It is pretty noisy though with all the traffic that goes by.
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 5.4 miles/10-minute drive
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
Joell – Oreo Razzle | $6.25 | 3 stars
Joe – Butterfinger Razzle | $6.25 | 3.5 stars
Saranac Lake
Mountain Mist
Mountain Mist has been serving ice cream in Saranac Lake since the 50s! They opened their Lake Placid location in 2005. Both locations offer soft serve, hard ice cream, shakes, and sundaes. They also have rotating specialty flavors at each location which they announce on their Facebook page. They have a lakeside deck at their Saranac Lake Location where you can order food like mozzarella sticks, wings, burgers, and hot dogs. On this visit, we went to the Saranac Lake location.
Distance from the Golden Arrow:
LP Location: .8 miles/3-minute drive
SL Location: 8.6 miles/15-minute drive
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
Joell – cherry ice cream with chocolate dip | $3.94/small cone + $.32 dip | 3 stars
*The ice cream itself was good, but I did not like the chocolate. It tasted waxy and made it hard to eat the ice cream fast enough without it melting everywhere. Overall, I would try the ice cream again, but would not get a dipped option.
Joe – mocha milkshake | $5.32/regular | 3 stars
*It has a good coffee flavor and I would get it again.
Bloomingdale
Teddy's
Teddy’s is your classic small-town roadside ice cream stand. They have soft serve, including special flavors of the week, plus Herhsey’s hard ice cream. You can also get specialty sundaes and grill items like burgers and hot dogs. There is a lot of outdoor seating so you can hang out and eat your food and ice cream.
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 15 miles/24-minute drive
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
We shared a Banana Split: vanilla and chocolate ice cream with hot fudge, pineapple, and strawberry topping, plus whipped cream, nuts & cherries. | $6.75
Joell – 4 stars
Joe – 4 stars
*We agreed that it was a great size, the bananas were the perfect ripeness, and all the flavors tasted good. We would definitely get this again!
Harietstown
Donnelly's
serving since 1953. The menu changes weekly but follows the same schedule…(and no, you can’t order plain vanilla!) Available in three sizes in a cone or dish:
Sunday: Chocolate
Monday: Nut Surprise
Tuesday: Red or Black Raspberry
Wednesday: Chocolate
Thursday: Fruit Surprise
Friday: Strawberry
Saturday: Surprise
Sunday – Friday twisted with vanilla
They only take cash. Pre-packaged past flavors are available for purchase, as well as other dairy items like milk and cheese.
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 14 miles/24-minute drive
Flavor | Size/Price | Ratings
Lemon. Lemon Day is our favorite day, and we rarely miss it. There are usually only around three lemon days a summer. | $4.50/Regular
Joell’s Rating: 4 stars
Joe’s Rating: 4.5 stars
Bonus Stop!
Stewart's
I grew up on Stewart’s ice cream and it remains one of my favorites. The only issue I have with going to Stewart’s is trying to choose what flavor to get because they have so many great options! Some of my favorites include Butter Pecan, Peanut Butter Pandemonium, and the classic Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup. Enjoy Stewart’s ice cream? Make sure to grab a Scoop Club card. You can buy ANY 10 items from their ice cream counter and get your 11th one FREE. Single scoop cones, hand-packed pints, milkshakes, and hot fudge sundaes are all included!
Distance from the Golden Arrow: 0.4 miles/5 minute walk
Flavors | Size/Price | Ratings
Joell – Peanut Butter Pandemonium | $2.69/single scoop | 4 stars
Joe – ice cream sundae | $4.29 | 3 stars
*better ice cream/toppings ratio
The only thing we overlook is the lake
Surrender yourself to the natural and untouched beauty of the Adirondack Mountains at the first resort in the U.S. to receive the Audubon International’s Platinum Eco Rating for Hotels. There are now only six hotels in the United States to obtain this honor! It’s a place to renew yourself on the serene shores of Mirror Lake, and take in the history of the town, just steps away from the famed Olympic Village and the heart of Lake Placid, New York. No other place on earth provides this unique blend of comfort, rejuvenation, or one-of-a-kind experiences. Start planning your stay at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort now!