Experiencing the Adirondacks on film and TV

Making movies and TV shows in the Adirondack park. — Getting ready to film in the Adirondack’s 6 million acres.

Have you ever had the feeling when watching a movie or TV show that the place on the screen looks familiar? I felt that while watching the opening scenes of an episode of HBO’s acclaimed series, “Succession.”

The Roy family gathers at Brightstar, one of its theme parks. The setting and backdrop seemed very familiar as scenes rolled across the screen. It suddenly occurred to me that they looked an awful lot like The Great Escape in Lake George. I Googled “Succession Lake George,” and I soon discovered that, indeed, the episode (“Vaulter” in Season 2) was filmed at The Great Escape.

This sparked my quest to discover other shows and movies filmed in Adirondack Park's vast six million acres. I found that this region has been the backdrop for various genres, including historical dramas, modern thrillers, and even reality television series. The Adirondacks consistently attract storytellers looking for authenticity and breathtaking natural landscapes.

Let’s explore some of the most notable productions filmed in this iconic region.

“Escape at Dannemora:” A tense, true crime drama in the Northern Adirondacks.

Ben Stiller directed this limited series based on the true story of the 2015 escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility in the northern Adirondacks.

“Escape at Dannemora” captures the true story of a prison break in the Adirondacks.

The edgy drama tells the story of a female prison employee, played by Academy Award-winning actress Patricia Arquette, who becomes involved with a pair of convicted murderers, deftly played by Benicio Del Toro and Paul Dano.

Arquette’s character helps the inmates escape by smuggling in hacksaw blades, chisels, lighted glasses and drill bits they use to dig tunnels, Shawshank Redemption-style.

Stiller chose to shoot scenes for the show in the Adirondacks − the production crew filmed in Malone, Plattsburgh, Dannemora, the Clinton Correctional Facility and even the manhole from which the prisoners escape. The series captures the remote aspect of that part of the Northern Adirondacks (it’s roughly 30 miles to the Canadian border).

Trailer for “Escape at Dannemora.”

Other scenes were shot in Pittsburgh, PA, and on soundstages. Stiller even used the woods on his property in the Hudson Valley as a stand-in for the dense Adirondack woodlands (which seems like cheating, but who are we to judge).

Nominated for numerous awards, including Emmys, Golden Globes, and Critic’s Choice Awards. Stiller won the Directors’ Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series.

This gripping drama, originally aired on Showtime in 2018, is now streaming on Netflix. As true-crime programming grows in popularity, it’s enjoying a second life.

“Frozen River:” Surviving on society’s edge on the New York-Canadian border.

Also filmed near Plattsburgh in the remote Northern part of the Adirondacks, “Frozen River” is a 2008 American crime drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt in her feature directorial debut. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2008, where it won the Grand Jury Prize.

The movie frozen river filmed in the Adirondacks. — “Frozen River” depicts a family’s struggle to survive.

The film stars Melissa Leo, who would win an Academy Award two years later for performance in “The Fighter,” alongside Native American actress Misty Upham, who appeared on screen with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in the film "August: Osage County" in 2013 and with Benicio del Toro in "Jimmy P." She tragically died in October of 2014,

“Frozen River” tells the story of Ray Eddy (Leo) and Lila Littlewolf (Upham). Ray is a discount store clerk struggling to raise two sons with her husband, a compulsive gambler who disappears shortly before Christmas with the funds she had earmarked to finance the purchase of a double-wide mobile home for the family.

While searching for her runaway spouse, she encounters Lila Littlewolf, a Mohawk bingo parlor employee driving his car. She claims she found the vehicle abandoned with the keys in the ignition at the local bus station. The plot thickens when the two women, who have both fallen on hard economic times, form a desperate and uneasy alliance and begin smuggling illegal immigrants from Canada into the United States across the frozen St. Lawrence River for $1,200 each.

Watch the trailer for “Frozen River.”

The film follows two women as they make perilous car journeys across the ice of a frozen river. Along the way, they encounter unsavory characters on both sides of the border and transport human cargo in their car's trunk.

With several plot twists and turns, this gripping drama tells the story of lives caught in economic hardship, featuring two brave and resourceful women willing to do whatever it takes. The narrative does not take sides; it isn’t solely about illegal immigration or smuggling. Instead, it highlights the effort to replace popcorn and Tang with a warm meal.

When it opened, “Frozen River” received critical acclaim, including the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Leo was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The film also received numerous Independent Spirit Awards nominations, including acting, directing, and writing. You can stream Frozen River on Amazon channels.

Bear Grylls takes Shaquille O’Neal on an adventure into the wildnerness.

After “Frozen River” and “Escape at Dannemora,” one might be ready for something a little lighter and life-affirming. We highly recommend the “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” episode featuring NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. "Running Wild" is a reality TV series featuring survivalist Grylls. In each episode, he teams up with a different celebrity, and they are dropped into a remote wilderness environment. Their challenge is to survive the elements and find their way back to civilization.

Shaq learns to survive a night in the wilds of the Adirondacks.

Shaq joins Bear in the forever wild Adirondack Mountains. Over two days and one night, they deal with lush forests and leeches, survive the night in the deep woods and take on steep cliffs. The episode opens with Shaq arriving by train on the Adirondack Railway (they don’t tell you where he embarked). Bear meets Shaq by helicopter. The giant NBAer hops on the chopper, and they are whisked deeper into the wilderness.

Grylls and Shaq leap from the helicopter, plunging into a remote, leech-infested lake, and the adventure begins. Despite admitting to Grylls that he did no prep for his adventure, O'Neal appears confident he can handle anything they encounter in the wilderness, captioning an Instagram post, "The Wild can't tame a Shaq."

During the episode, we watch as Bear and Shaq discover, cook and eat an enormous placenta (yes, you read that right) that may have come from a deer or moose. Later, Bear shows Shaq how to make a natural, warm, waterproof den for sleeping using only leaves.

Shaq confronts his fears on and Adirondack cliffside.

Shaq only seems truly anxious when Bear encourages him to repel down a rocky cliff. Throughout the episode, O’Neal’s spirit, attitude and energy are inspiring. He also shares poignant life memories, electrifying stories about his NBA career, and the things that motivate and inspire him to make a difference in the lives of others.

At the end of the episode, Shaq comments, “Bear pushed me like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, and I reached the mountaintop again.”

We watched the whole episode on YouTube (it doesn't have the highest production quality), but you can also buy it on Amazon Prime Video.

“Succession:” They found filming in the Adirondacks so nice they came back twice.

The Adirondacks were a backdrop for the highly acclaimed HBO satirical comedy-drama Succession. The series follows the fictional Roy family, who own a global media conglomerate and fight for control over the company over four seasons and 39 episodes.

The first time the ADK appears is in the second season, episode two. The Roy family gathers at Brightstar, one of its theme parks, to celebrate Kendall Roy’s daughter Sophie’s birthday. They’ve closed the park for the day so friends and family can enjoy all the rides and amenities unbothered by commoners. Producers filmed at Lake George’s Six Flags Great Escape theme park in May 2019, hiring 200 locals as extras.

The Great Escape rollercoaster can be seen in the background of an episode of Succession. — Look for the Great Escape’s Rollercoaster in Season Two, Episode Two of HBO’s hit series, “Succession.”

Some buildings are instantly recognizable to those familiar with the Great Escape and its predecessor, Storytown. The theme park’s rides and roller coaster are also visible in the episode's opening scenes.

We’re back in the Adirondacks later in the season for episode 6, “Argestes.” This time, though, Lake Placid is the setting for a conference called Argestes, modeled almost perfectly after a real-life counterpart: The Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every summer, the most affluent and influential individuals from business, media, and technology come together, making significant deals with one another while they are there. In 2024, guests included Tim Cook, the Murdoch family, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, Jeff Bezos, Marc Benioff, Michael Bloomberg, Gretchen Whitmer, Shari Redstone, and Brian Chesky.

A little trivia for you, "Argestes" refers to a northwest wind in ancient Greek mythology, literally meaning "clearing" or "brightening," signifying the way this wind sweeps away clouds and brings clear skies; it is derived from the Greek word "argéstēs."

Producers filmed scenes from this pivotal episode of “Succession” at the Lake Placid Lodge on the shores of Mirror Lake. Whiteface can be seen in the background. The Lodge’s beautiful interiors provide an excellent backdrop for a conclave of business and media world titans.

Scenes from HBO’s “Succession” filmed in Lake Placid. (WARNING: Explicit language.)

Other filming locations in the episode include the Whiteface Lodge. When Roy family members arrive at the fictionalized conference, they pull up in black cars to the resort’s stone entrance, where event staff greets them. Reporters and photographers stand nearby, snapping photos.

Lake Placid’s Palace Theater and Ausable Chasm also appear in the episode.

Nicholas Braun, who plays the endearingly artless cousin Greg, published a personal on-location photo diary on Vanity Fair’s website that includes some great behind-the-scenes shots from Lake George and Lake Placid.

“Billions” in the heart of 6 million Adirondack acres.

Not to be outdone by portraying the rich and powerful at play in the wilderness, Showtime’s “Billions” filmed episode eight of the seventh and final season of the lauded series in Paul Smith’s and at Whiteface Mountain’s Veteran’s Memorial Highway.

In the episode, several main characters embark on a semiannual forest retreat for the rich and powerful men called The Owl. Like Argestes in “Succession,” The Owl is based on real life. This time, it’s the all-male, highly secretive Bohemian Grove retreat thrown by the Bohemian Club in Sonoma, California. On Billions, The Owl is reputed to involve manly rituals, copious amounts of alcohol, nudity, and frequent open-air urination.

Trailer for “The Owl” episode of “Billions,” filmed in the Adirondacks at Paul Smith’s.

White Pine Camp is the stand-in for the fictional retreat. The beautiful property comprises several cabins, a Japanese tea house, a boathouse, several communal buildings and even a bowling alley. All were used in filming.

Interested in staying at White Pine Camp? It’s available year-round for retreats, weddings and vacations.

Other scenes were shot nearby at Paul Smith’s College, the only 4-year private college in the Adirondacks. Billions used the forestry cabin’s main room as the setting for The Owl’s outlandish leg-wrestling contest. The room features a massive two-sided fireplace, high ceiling beams and canoes hanging from the rafters.

An apt setting for the Real Housewives of New Jersey?

We are fond of reminding people that Adirondack Park is larger than the State of New Jersey. But is it big enough to contain the antics of the unpredictable but always-entertaining Real Housewives of New Jersey?

RHONJ producers filmed twice in the Lake George area. First, in season five, episode 7, “When Joes Collide,” took place in winter on the shores of Lake George at the Inn at Erlowest. Edward Morse Shepard, a prominent attorney, politician, author, humanitarian, and vestryman from Brooklyn, constructed the Queen Anne-style stone castle in 1898 as a private residence. Developers converted the property into an inn and popular wedding venue one hundred years later.

RHONJ come to Lake George.

The Housewives and their husbands embark on a tumultuous stay on the icy shores of Lake George, where tensions run as cold as the frozen landscape. Deep-seated animosities erupt as the chilling winds blow, fracturing the fragile bonds that hold this group together.

What was meant to be a series of relationship-building exercises quickly spirals out of control, culminating in a fistfight between two husbands. With tempers flaring and loyalties tested, the very foundation of their friendships hangs by a thread, threatening to plunge them into chaos and unravel a formerly tight-knit circle forever.

The Inn at Erlowest’s suites, rooms, a ballroom, and views of the frozen lake provide a lovely backdrop for a lot of DRAMA.

Six seasons later, several RHONJ Housewives cast members (along with a few new faces) venture north in season 11, episodes two and three. This time, it’s summer, and the Jersey girls appear to be staying at a vacation rental called Dockside Manor on Hadlock Lake, about 10-15 minutes from Lake George Village. During the episodes, they dine at Chateau on the Lake in Bolton and take a booze cruise on the Tiki Tour.

While not the epic drama of season five, there are some of the usual histrionics we’ve come to expect from the Housewives from the Garden State.

Experience the cinematic beauty of the Adirondacks.

We’ve given you a taste of how you can see the Adirondacks captured on big and little screens.

As the demand for authentic, nature-based settings grows, the Adirondacks are poised to remain a favorite destination for filmmakers. Advances in drone technology and portable filming equipment make capturing the region’s stunning landscapes easier than ever. With sustainability becoming a priority, the Adirondacks’ commitment to conservation aligns well with industry trends.
Whether you’re a cinephile retracing filming locations or simply looking to experience the settings from your favorite reality shows in person, one thing is clear: the park’s magical role in entertainment is as enduring as its ancient peaks and pristine waters.

But don’t be surprised if you discover the real-life experience is far more stunning than anything captured on film.