One quick, on road, bicycle ride in Lake Placid is the John Brown Road loop. Starting at John Brown Farm and Gravesite, we park our car and hop on the bikes. Some of us need to get our bicycle legs back after a long winter free from pedaling. As John Brown Road has two entrances off Old Military, we bear left at the Y and head northwest onto Old John Brown Road for about 0.8-mile.

At the end of the road we turn right onto Old Military Road, passing the North Elba Cemetery and Lake Placid Community Garden. People have already started doing a bit of spring cleaning.

We deliberately choose to bike onto Old John Brown Road first so that when we reach the busiest 0.5-mile segment on Old Military it will be all downhill. There is very little shoulder on the road and trucks speed quickly by.  Each time a car passes by I watch with trepidation as my daughter's tires wobble just a bit. She is cautious and takes her time down the hill.

At the bottom of the hill we rest for a moment and enjoy the view of the Lake Placid Horse Show Grounds with its backdrop of the Sentinel Range. We take the first right back onto John Brown Road, keeping the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex to our left  and it is about 0.5-mile back to the car.

The last part is tricky for my daughter. She is the only one without any gears and it is a steady hill for a one-speed bike. She finally has to get off and walk past the Olympic Ski Jump Sky Deck entrance.

Back at the intersection between Old John Brown and John Brown Roads, the land levels out. The view is spectacular with the High Peaks no longer hidden by clouds.

It is only a brief moment in the sun since the rain is expected to return with avengeance. We take some time at John Brown Farm and wander the trails under the ski jumps on foot.

Adirondack Family Time Tip: Take a brief detour and ride your bikes through the Lake Placid Horse Show Grounds or take a walk on the bridle path. 

photos are © Diane Chase, Adirondack Family Time