Summer is just around the corner on the Adirondack Coast…my favorite time of the year. There are so many different things to do and experiences to be had on a sunny summer day, but my favorite activity is soaking up the rays on one of the area’s local beaches. What is better than sunshine on your face and your toes in the sand? Nothing! One of my preferred summer spots to explore and relax is Point Au Roche State Park. I have great memories of Point Au Roche State Park, when I was young my family would host our annual “family reunion” on the beach. It was the one time of year where I could see all my cousins and we would get into misguided adventures. We’d eat hot dogs cooked over charcoal and drink way to much sugary soda from the can. The water is shallow for quite a distance, I would walk far from the shorelines splashing and digging my feet into the wet sand without a care in the world. Every year, 6 o’clock in the evening would roll around and we would pack up the car to leave, I would wave goodbye to friends and family and climb into the car exhausted but happily content. I rarely remember driving out of the park, as I was usually fast asleep. As an adult I still find myself wandering to Point Au Roche State Park every year for some relaxation. Unfortunately, we don’t host our family reunions anymore but the memories immediately flood my mind when we enter the gates and pass the ticket window. Sitting on the sand, soaking up the sunrays, enjoying the lake breeze, listening to the wave’s crash on the shore and taking in all the beauty the beach has to offer, makes me appreciate those memories and moments I had in that very location with the ones I loved years earlier. It is funny how life comes full circle; I now watch my nephews explore the landscape much like I did as a child. They always have a smile on their faces, dirty feet and hands and the same happily exhausted look I remember having when they leave.
If you have never been to Point Au Roche you will find that it is truly a child’s (and adult’s) paradise featuring: • Walking Trails• Bike Trails• Playground• Pavilions• Picnic Tables• BBQ Grills• Boat Mooring• Vistas and scenic views• And, of course, the best swimming pool around…Lake Champlain I strongly encourage everyone to experience one of the many beaches along the Adirondack Coast and build some family memories of your own, they truly will last a lifetime.
