A lovely drive through the Adirondacks in Upstate New York

Post author:Traveler with a Map
Post published:December 15, 2024
Post category:Blog / New York / USA

A lovely drive through the Adirondacks is basically guaranteed. We crisscrossed the mountains in a day because, unfortunately, we visited over the 4th of July and could not find any accommodation for the night. The entire area was packed with people engaging in water sports, enjoying the mountains and relaxing in the small towns. Here are some highlights from a lovely drive.

A lovely drive through the Adirondacks in Upstate New York

Lake Placid

We started our lovely drive through the Adirondacks in Watertown. From there, we drove along highway 3 to Tupper Lake and then on past Saranac Lake to Lake Placid.

Lake Placid is an attractive town, beaming with tourists. We came here to explore the Olympic sites of 1932 and 1980. The highlight was definitely the Olympic Center with Herb Brooks Arena where the Miracle in Ice happened. During the Olympic Games in 1980, the USA beat the Soviet Union in hockey right here. It’s quite a historic site! You can also tour Jack Shea Arena that hosted both ice skating events as well as the hockey games in 1932. There are other venues to see among others the Olympic Ski Jumping Complex. it’s all very interesting. In addition to the Olympic sites, we had fun walking along Main Street, popping into shops, and enjoying the scenery. Lake Placid has a picturesque location along lovely Mirror Lake with views of mountains all around. I’d love to go back in the fall when the trees turn yellow and orange and when fewer visitors would be in town. Lake Placid is my type of a town.

Driving to Schroon Lake

After leaving Late Placid, we headed southeast through Keene to Schroon Lake. Again, the drive was very scenic with lots of bridges crossing the rivers and creeks. Surprisingly, the elevation is pretty low through the Adirondacks, fluctuating between 800-1600 feet above sea level. The attractive little town of Schroon Lake bustled with tourists and seemed like a fun place to hang out.

Theodore Roosevelt Monument

Next, we drove to see Theodore Roosevelt Monument along highway 28N, just southeast of Newcomb. The monument commemorates Theodore Roosevelt’s location when he learned President McKinley was dying. It’s a pretty historic site and we were glad to see it.

Driving to Wells

We crossed the Hudson River in North Creek and headed towards Wevertown and ultimately Wells. There are lots of ponds along the way and you parallel the Sacandaga River for some time. We were looking out for moose but unfortunately they weren’t in sight.

Johnstown

As our lovely drive through the Adirondacks was coming to an end, we hit Northville, which looked like a great vacation town. Sitting on the northern part of the Great Sacandaga Lake, the town offers a lot of water sport activities. We, however, headed to Johnstown where we stayed for the night. We were pleasantly surprised to learn as we were walking through town that Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the great women’s rights activists, was born in Johnstown in 1815. There is a nice memorial to her along Main Street, which is worth checking out.

Final thoughts

We thoroughly enjoyed our lovely drive through the Adirondacks. While the 4th of July weekend was particularly busy, visiting in the off season would be fantastic. It would be a place to which I would be more than happy to return.