My spouse and I visited Great
Camp Sagamore on a Monday morning in early July 2019. We booked our tickets
online (which requires pre-payment) because we were not sure if tours sell out,
and we did not want to miss our opportunity to visit the property. (The only
way to see the entire property is by guided tour.) The complete tour is not
really suitable for handicapped guests, since it involves walking on gravel and
rough paths and some steps; however, some of the Upper Complex (worker’s
buildings) are more accessible. A gravel parking lot is located a short walk
from the chalet, where there are restrooms and a gift shop. We did not see any
food/beverage options available except for coffee, water, and ice cream.
Great Camp Sagamore is
located in the village of Raquette Lake, a 2-hour drive from Lake Placid, where
we stayed. (Be sure not to confuse Great Camp Sagamore with the Sagamore Resort,
which is located 75 miles away in Lake George.) The expansive 1,500+ acre camp
property includes the Main Lodge and 26 other buildings positioned adjacent to
Sagamore Lake.
William West Durant built the
Lodge in the late 1800s in a Swiss chalet style using woods native to the area.
In the early 1900s, the Alfred Vanderbilt family purchased, expanded, and
improved the camp (including indoor plumbing, electricity, telephones, a tennis
court, bowling alley, croquet lawn, “Wigwam” guest quarters, and hunting lodge).
The camp is arranged in two complexes that are located a half-mile apart.
Guided tours visit both the utilitarian Upper (Worker’s) Complex, and the more
elaborate Lower (Guest) Complex. Guests visit
the blacksmith shop, furniture shop, icehouse, livestock buildings,
kitchen/dining room, playhouse, and outdoor bowling alley (with its unique
ball-return system).
We enjoyed our guided walking
tour of Great Camp Sagamore; the expansive property was interesting, and our
college-age guide was very entertaining.
