Ausable Chasm, Keeseville, NY

I guess the only thing going against Ausable Chasm—a rock formation with plenty of adventure opportunities for the thrill-seeker including tubing, rafting, climbing cliffs, and crossing the chasm either on a hanging bridge or a stretch of cable no wider than your index finger above a raging river in what is heralded as the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks—from becoming a highly popular New York destination is its proximity to a whole other country. Having driven 5 long hours upstate from New York City, the tourist may well drive the extra 30 minutes, exit the country altogether, and venture into Canada leaving Ausable Chasm in a cloud of dust behind.

Indeed, the few times we’ve been to Montreal we hardly paid Ausable Chasm notice as we passed signs and read brochures for it along the highway.

Which is unfortunate. Because what I initially thought could be a tourist trap—some billionaire snatching land away from the State and turning it into a moneymaking business when Nature, for all I care, should be enjoyed by all for free—Ausable Chasm was reasonably-priced and actually has its merits at being privately-run. Whereas government-run state parks tend to be peaceful and serene, Ausable Chasm is the complete opposite. For the young and old—indeed, the brave couple in front of us on the raft, as you will see in the video, were much older than us, and a young woman possibly in her 20s turned back tugging her boyfriend along not daring to cross the hanging bridge—I guarantee a surge of adrenaline awaits not just once but maybe twice or more on the tour.

So, I say plan for visiting Ausable Chasm at some point in your life. Because when you do, you just might wonder why it never made it into your bucket list and also wonder why you can never stop talking about it. At least we do.

Music:
"All Around You" by Mocha Music
"All I Know" by Artlss
"Say Something" by Mocha Musinc