Adirondack Trip Planing

I don't know much about the Adirondacks but here is my tip:
If you happen to be in Lake Placid. Go to the 46 sandwich place. By FAR the best sandwich in have tasted in my life.
Also for cycling around that area look at Ironman lake placid website for the bike map. 70km loop. 90km with the out-and-back. 2 loops and 180km for the full experience :) The way out is a steep descent and the way back is a long but relatively easy climb following the river with good scenery.

For first-time visitors you should visit the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. If you get to Lake Placid there's the Olympic venue, ski jumps, and bobsled run.
We're not into the Lake George scene, but prefer more rustic DEC cg's. For a full hookup, pull-through site there's North Pole Resort (100 Acre Wood side) in Wilmington outside of Lake Placid. You'll follow the Ausabe River, a big fly fishing stream.
From NE Pa I'd probably go north on I87 and hit the Finger Lakes on the way back. Letchworth SP has the Mt Morris dam and Genesee River gorge. Watkins Glen has a nice gorge walk. There's also the Corning Museum of Glass and numerous wineries to visit. There's a brand new cg being built (Twilight on the Erie), check out their Facebook page. They should be open by September.

We are using the Lake Placid KOA as a base in August. Although we won't be in the area as long as you, we plan on going to Lake Placid, Ticonderoga, Stowe, VT, Whiteface Mtn, and a day trip into old Montreal.

Come visit Ausable Chasm where we camp, lots to see and do. Many great restaurants just north in Plattsburgh and you can take the ferry to visit Burlington (Vt).

http://www.ausablechasm.com

Finger lake any of these. The size of your rig may limit you to some sites in the parks
Watkins Glen State Park
Sampson State Park - this would make a good one to do day trips to check out the wineries and the Finger Lakes
Keuka Lake State Park
Cayuga Lake State park

Corning Glass museum

Lake Placid area - we like - - http://www.northpoleresorts.com/100-acre-woods/

Fish Creek- Rollins pond DEC campground. Hiking, canoeing, kayaking

Drive across Canada and check out the Niagara Falls area.

If you are coming from MI through OH/PA, you can take 90 up to Niagara Falls if you want then I-90 to the finger lakes. Kind of touristy and overpriced IMO, but worth a day maybe. Or take I-86 across southern NY. Either way, check out Letchworth SP as a possible stop on the western side of the finger lakes. Then as you go east, lots of choices, but I would recommend Seneca Lake. Wineries, race track, lots of farm markets, boat tours... Watkins Glenn on the south end of the lake is great. There is a nice KOA ($$) or we really like the state park. Only one loop with electric at the SP, so reserve early. From the campground you can access the top of the gorge trail and walk down into town. Or, if you like to bike, consider Sampson SP. Its up the east side of the lake. Its a former Navy training station. They leveled almost all of the buildings on the 2000 acre property, but left the paved roads as bike trails.

From there, its I-90 east to the ADK's. Several possible routes through the ADK's and all of them are nice. My recomendation is get off in Utica and take 12/28 north to Old Forge. Old Forge Camping Resort is great, or there are many SP's (all without hookups). Eighth Lake, Nick's Lake, Limekiln Lake, or my favorite in that area is Golden Beach. Lots to do in that area. Check out the canoe/kayak rentals on the Moose river. There are some easy half day paddles or more if you want... Boat tour and the ADK Scenic Railroad are both good too. From there, north through Inlet, Racquette Lake, Blue Mountain Lake - all interesting little spots to check out. Then Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake, into Lake Placid. Lake Placid KOA is one of our favorite spots. Tons of hiking and fishing spots.

Alternate route would be Utica north on Route 8 to Speculator. Either Moffit Beach or Lewey Lake SP would be good spots. Then north to Blue Mountain Lake and on to Lake Placid.

Not sure how you plan to return, but if you stopped in the southern ADK (like Old Forge) then went to Lake Placid, a good choice would be head west across Route 3. This would give you a chance to hit the Thousand Islands region. We really like Cedar Point SP. Can get full hookups and they have sites right on the seaway. Great fishing, and Alexandria Bay is a little tourist town close by. Then either 401/402 home through Canada, or I-81 south to I-90 west to PA.

So, short story - check out Watkins Glen/Seneca Lake, Old Forge, Lake Placid areas as base camps and go from there.

I second Sampson State Park. Very centrally located for all Finger Lakes activities. Your entrance ticket for Sampson will give you day use of all the state parks in the region during its valid dates. Directly across the road from Sampson is the defunct Seneca Army Depot and its famed White Deer can often be seen grazing the fenceline along 96A.
Watkins Glen is about 40 minutes south of Sampson. Don't miss Captain Bills dinner cruise on Seneca Lake. Food is average but the cruise is excellent.
30 Minutes SE of Sampson is Taughannock State Park featuring the highest vertical falls east of the Mississippi. 15 minutes S on rt. 96 is the city of Ithaca home of Cornell U with numerous trails and waterfalls. (If you are a people watcher,an afternoon on the Ithaca Commons will provide you with a lifetime of fodder to chuckle about) Ithaca has numerous restaurants spanning the entire spectrum of dining experiences.
Finger Lakes National Forest is on the ridge between Seneca and Cayuga. The roads in the Forest are town roads all of them are great bicycling. They are all signed as Seasonal no Maintenance Nov-May but are very passable with a 2wd high clearance(anything but a car) vehicle except a few spots after a period of heavy rain.
Of course there is the Wine trail and also a cheese trail with a couple of distilleries and craft beer venues thrown in.
In this area exploring the back roads is stress free,we have a large non tourist oriented Amish population and horse powered agriculture is always on display.
Please come see us,we can use your money!

Looks like you got lots of suggestions. Having lived in that area, and having seen everything suggested, I would put these on the must see: Blue Mountain Lake Adirondack Museum, Whiteface Mountain (drive up on a clear day), Finger Lakes area, Watkins Glen, Letchworth State Park. I also agree that the Thousand Islands (do the boat tour and antique boat museum) are great, but often missed. If you drive through Old Forge, be sure to stop at the hardware.

It all depends on what type of fishing you are looking for. You will find special trout water on the Ausable River near Lake Placid. There are lots of places to access creeks and rivers for trout fishing, and places to rent canoes for lake/pond fishing throughout the Adirondacks. Some of my favorite places are more off the beaten path like creeks that feed the Moose River and the Salmon River in the Tug Hill region (do NOT venture into Tug Hill without very good maps, since you do NOT want to get lost in the 46 corners area).

I try to avoid I90 (NYS Thruway) because of tolls, and take it only in hilly areas. The drive between Old Forge, Tupper Lake, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid should not be missed. Pretty drive (not towing for us anyway) from Lake Placid down 73 through Keene Valley. Sampson State Park is a good location for Seneca Lake wineries. Drives around any of the Finger Lakes are very scenic.

NYS DEC parks in the Adirondacks are no hookup, so that might influence where you want for ADK base camps. Given the time of year, it will be getting cool further north, so you might want to visit north first, then south (where you should find Concord grapes in season at roadside stands, and maybe some early apples).

Also - for traveling on the toll roads get an E-Z Pass. Good for all toll roads heading to and thru NY state.

Thank you one and all for the great input. Lots of great info in these post.

As to the E-Z Pass, can you do that when you are towing a 5th wheel ?