Adirondac Rafting Co. - Hudson River Base

Indian Lake is the launching point for the Hudson Gorge, which is the serious whitewater run in New York and the reason this operation exists. The base sits on Route 30, midway between Lake Placid and Lake George, which lets day-trippers from either direction make the early-morning meeting time work without a hotel change. Trips are full-day, roughly 15 miles, run on dam-release days only: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, all starting at 9 a.m. The release schedule is the thing to plan around. Without the dam, the river is too low to run safely, which is why other operators don't pick random days. Lunch is on the river. Age minimum is 7, which is honest for Class III water rather than the optimistic 5-year-old minimum you'll see elsewhere. Best for first-timers and families with older kids who want a real whitewater day, not a float trip. Spring runs the hardest water; fall foliage trips are the postcard. Book ahead for Memorial Day weekend and the last two weekends in September.