My spouse and I traveled on
the Whiteface Veterans’ Memorial Highway (also known as NY Route 431) on a
Friday morning in early July 2019. The highway is not open year-round due to
inclement weather conditions; it operates from late May until mid-October. Visitors
access the nearly 8-mile long Highway by passing through the Toll House (an
alpine-style gatehouse), where an admission fee is charged. (In 2019, it was
$16 for the driver and vehicle and $9 for each additional passenger; however,
entry is included with the Olympic Passport.) The Highway opened in 1936 and
was dedicated to area veterans by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Visitors can
take a 10-minute hike near the house around Lake Stevens, named for a 1932
Olympic bobsledder. Visitors rise in elevation over 2,300 feet to reach the top
at almost 5,000 feet (the fifth-highest peak in New York). The speed limit is
25 miles per hour, and frequent braking on the hairpin curves of the descent is
a necessity. En route to the top, visitors can stop at any or all of the nine
designated lookout spots. The mountaintop has a 400-foot-long copper-ceilinged
tunnel that leads to a 27-story glass elevator to the summit
(handicap-accessible, but no restrooms are at the top and only a bottled water
machine is available). Alternatively, visitors can hike/climb a 1/5-mile trail
to reach the viewpoint. A café and giftshop are housed in a stone castle
(restrooms on the ground level might be handicap-accessible, but the gift shop
and cafe require climbing some curving stairs). Visitors can enjoy 360-degree
panoramic views of the Adirondacks and the surrounding countryside as far away
as Vermont, New England, and Canada. We enjoyed our drive and visit to the top
of Whiteface Mountain on the Veterans’ Memorial Highway.
