Lake George or Lake Placid?

Lake George is by far the better place to swim. Its water reaches about 24°C in high summer. The state beach is a real stretch of sand with lifeguards and a view of the mountains, and with a boat or an island campsite you can swim well away from the shore.

At Lake Placid a swim is a pleasant extra: the little beach on Mirror Lake, spots along the Saranac chain and rocky swimming holes on the Ausable. Both have the same short season, from late June into early September.

Neither town is a reason to travel for food, and the difference is mostly one of mood. Lake George eats like a summer resort, with pancake houses, ice cream stands and waterfront decks, and better dining rooms up the shore at Bolton Landing. Saratoga Springs is also close enough for a serious dinner. Lake Placid's Main Street leans towards brewpubs, big breakfasts and hearty après-ski meals, and the lakeside lodges have more polished dining rooms.

Each village has about a day's worth of sights, but of a different kind. Lake George's history is military. It centres on the reconstructed Fort William Henry and the siege of 1757 that lies behind The Last of the Mohicans.

Lake Placid's heritage is sporting: the rink of the 1980 'Miracle on Ice', the ski jumps above town and the speed skating oval, with John Brown's Farm just outside the village. Neither has art collections or historic districts of note.

Lake George has the livelier evenings, at least in summer. The bars on Canada Street and the decks by the water fill with boaters and day-trippers and stay loud until closing. Lake Placid is quieter all year round, with a few brewpubs and hotel bars that are busiest after a day's skiing. Neither has clubs, and outside the summer Lake George settles down almost as early as its neighbour.

Lake George is a fine outdoor base, and its outdoors centres on the lake itself. You can kayak and sail among more than a hundred islands, paddle through the Narrows and climb Black Mountain or the Tongue Mountain range for the views. Its main ski area, Gore Mountain, is an hour's drive away.

Lake Placid sits closer to the wild heart of the Adirondacks, and that puts it ahead. Mount Marcy, Cascade and the other High Peaks are a short drive away, and Whiteface is only about 15km off. On top of that there is rock climbing, fly fishing on the Ausable and canoeing through the Saranac and St. Regis waters.

Lake George is much better placed for day trips to other towns. Saratoga Springs, with its racecourse, mineral springs and battlefield, is under an hour south. Fort Ticonderoga is about an hour north, and Albany and the Vermont villages are an easy drive.

From Lake Placid, most outings lead into the wilderness. Saranac Lake, Keene and the Wild Center at Tupper Lake are close, but Ticonderoga is farther away, and Burlington and Montreal each take a couple of hours to reach. You need a car from either town.

Lake George is built for a family summer. It has a gently sloping lifeguarded beach, paddlewheel steamboats, a theme park and water park just to the south, and the mini golf and arcades of Canada Street. For somewhere to stay there are cottages and motels with pools. The catch is crowded summer weekends, and most of the resort shuts outside the season.

Lake Placid suits active families and also works in winter. There are public skating sessions on the Olympic rinks, bobsled rides, a toboggan chute onto the frozen lake and a good ski school. It has no big theme parks, though, and the drives are longer.

At Lake George you can walk the village centre in a few minutes, and seasonal trolleys run to Glens Falls and the outlets. Summer traffic and parking are a nuisance, though, and the western shore, the trailheads and the day-trip towns all need a car, or a boat for the lake itself.

Lake Placid is a little easier. Main Street, Mirror Lake, the Olympic Center and most hotels are within a short walk of each other, so a car-free day in the village is simple. Whiteface and the trailheads still mean driving, often on winding roads in winter conditions.

Neither town is worth a trip for shopping, but Lake George has a bit more. That is mainly the outlet centres on Route 9 selling American brands, plus the fudge and T-shirt shops of Canada Street. Lake Placid's one stretch of Main Street is better for outdoor gear, ski and fly-fishing shops, and galleries. Both sell the same Adirondack gifts: maple syrup, balsam pillows and rustic furniture or décor.

Both are priced like American resorts, and Lake George is somewhat easier on the wallet. Older motels on Route 9, cottages with kitchens, cheaper beds in Glens Falls or Queensbury and quiet weekdays all bring its costs down, although theme park tickets and boat rentals add up quickly.

Lake Placid has expensive seasons in winter as well as in summer and the foliage weeks. Lift tickets, guides, gear rental and a hire car all add to the bill. In both places, hiking and paddling cost nothing.

Lake George has a little more on in summer: free concerts in Shepard Park, a jazz weekend in September, a chamber music festival in August and summer theatre. For orchestras and ballet, the amphitheatre at Saratoga Springs is under an hour away. Lake Placid's main offering is the summer season of the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, including free concerts at the bandshell by Mirror Lake, plus occasional shows at the village arts centre. Outside the summer, there is little on in either place.

The two are level for unwinding, and neither has a bathing tradition of its own. At Lake George the calm is found away from the village, in the resort spas near Bolton Landing and in lakeside cottages. The historic mineral baths of Saratoga Springs are under an hour south.

At Lake Placid the village itself is the restful part: a quiet walk around Mirror Lake, lodge porches over still water and fires in winter. A few lodge spas offer a massage or sauna after a day in the cold.