Skip to main content

NY 30 through the Adirondacks

In April 2005, Doug Kerr, Chris Jordan, and I spent the day traveling through the Adirondack Mountains.  For most of the trip, we took NY 30 from Amsterdam to Horseshoe Lake stopping numerous times along the way.  NY 30 runs through the heart of the Adirondack's and is one of New York State's most scenic routes.  It is part of the Adirondack Trail Touring Route.

Sacandaga River near Northville: 


Our first stop was near Northville where the Sacandaga River flows on the west side of the highway.  This is just north of Great Sacandaga Lake - which is a very popular recreation area.  On this warm spring day, this first stop was a taste of some of the great scenery to come.




Lake Algonquin at Wells:
 
Over a pony truss bridge, NY 30 crosses the Sacandaga River again in Wells.  To its west, the man-made Lake Algonquin sits with Mount Dunham and Mount Orrey in the background.  Just north of Lake Algonquin, NY 8 joins NY 30 on its way to Speculator.



Lake Pleasant and Speculator:

The Village of Speculator is located in the heart of the Southern Adirondacks and is one of the more popular areas to visit.  One of its key attractions is Lake Pleasant which is along the southern border of the village.  Also nearby is the Oak Mountain Ski Center.




Speculator to Indian Lake:


In Speculator, NY 8 leaves NY 30 to head west towards Higgins Bay.  Meanwhile, NY 30 continues north through the central part of the Adirondacks.  Here is where NY 30 begins to have a more rugged mountainous feel.  Just north of Speculator is Mason Lake, a small lake on the west side of NY 30.  Near Indian Lake, a trail to the summit of Snowy Mountain begins at NY 30.  NY 30 runs at an elevation approaching 2000 feet here.  Snowy Mountain's summit is just shy of 4,000 feet at 3,995'.




Indian Lake:

 
Indian Lake is one of the longer lakes that are along the Adirondack Trail.  A source of the Lake Abankee Indian River - a branch of the Hudson.  Indian Lake is one of the many natural lakes within the Adirondacks.  The length of Indian Lake is 14 miles.  One of the best views of Indian Lake is off of NY 30.  In the tiny hamlet of Sabael, a small loop road of vacation homes provides access to some spectacular views.
 




Lake Durant:

At Indian Lake, NY 30 joins NY 28 and heads northwest towards Blue Mountain Lake.  As you are approaching Blue Mountain Lake from the south or east, the Adirondack Trail runs along the northern shores of Lake Durant.



Long Lake:

 
At Blue Mountain Lake, NY 30 leaves NY 28 only to quickly pick up NY Route 28N.  The combined routes then head north to one of the most popular areas of the Adirondacks, the Village of Long Lake.  Long Lake along with the lake that shares its name is home to numerous inns and vacation homes drawing visitors seeking a refreshing break of civilization.  Camping, fishing, swimming, and hiking are just some of the recreational offerings of the area.  Even in the middle of April, Long Lake was a popular draw, as many people headed out to the mountains to enjoy a beautiful weekend.






NY 421:

 
NY 30 leaves NY 28N at Long Lake and continues north towards Tupper Lake and Malone from Long Lake.  After crossing into Franklin County, NY 30 briefly enters St. Lawrence County near NY 421.  We headed onto NY 421, a short access road to Horseshoe Lake.  Along NY 421, there is a nicely rehabilitated decorative arch bridge over the Bog River as it flows into Tupper Lake.


 
From here, we returned south along NY 30 to Long Lake.  At Long Lake, we took NY 28N through Newcomb and joined NY 28 at Holcombville.  We were briefly on NY 28 to NY 8 and stopped at the Riparius Bridge over the Hudson before joining I-87 south back to Albany.  Unfortunately after the second visit to Long Lake, the batteries in my camera ran out of juice.  I did return to Riparius the following October to take photos of the bridge, that is covered on the NY 8 Adirondack Roadtrip.

All photos taken by post author, April 2005.

Sources & Links:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rep. Sue Myrick's letter to Gov. Easley and Sect. Tippett published in Charlotte Observer

US. Representative Sue Myrick's (R-Charlotte) letter to North Carolina's Governor Mike Easley and NC Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett was published in the Friday, November 30th edition of the Charlotte Observer . Why are we delaying the completion of 1-485 in Charlotte again? I read in The Charlotte Observer how rising prices of materials are leading to the delay. Why didn't these same rising costs delay the loops in Fayetteville and Wilmington? Why are we building loops in Fayetteville and Wilmington before we complete the one in Charlotte? We were working on the one in Charlotte back when I was mayor. That was 20 years ago! ... Last I looked Charlotte was the largest city in the state. There seems to be no recognition of that fact in Raleigh. No recognition that we are at a standstill with traffic. No recognition that we have a traffic problem. Nor is there any recognition of the fact that the state DOT utterly botched up the southern leg of our yet to be completed ...

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Sandstone Falls

The New River, which runs through New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, is best known for its dramatic rapids and whitewater adventures.  Those features begin at one of the river's widest points: Sandstone Falls. From the Sandstone Falls Boardwalk a look at just a small part of the falls. Though the vertical drop of roughly 20 feet is less than many other well-known waterfalls in the state, the falls' expanse, where the river approaches 1500 feet wide, makes Sandstone Falls impressive.   The Boardwalk Trail leads to a better vantage point of the overall falls. It is a great spot for photography, fishing, or laying out in the sun. Access to the falls is relatively easy: from Hinton, cross the New River on Highway 20, then turn right onto CR 26 and follow New River Road to the Sandstone Falls Parking Area. The Island Loop Trail is a short detour off the Boardwalk Trail and shows a quieter side of the area. At Sandstone Falls, you will find a variety of activities fr...

I-90 in Albany, New York and the Berkshire Spur

Today's Albany Times Union has a segment in their weekly Getting There? column that explains some of the history behind how I-90 is designated in the Albany, NY area as well as the Berkshire Spur. The long and short of the article was that I-90 was originally designated on the unsigned portion of the Berkshire Spur, but as free I-90 was built, the designation was moved onto the free portion of road. Additionally, there were talks in 1999 between state and federal officials about the possibility of moving I-90 back onto the unsigned portion of the Berkshire Spur, while extending I-88 onto what we know as free I-90. There would have also had been an I-88/I-90 multiplex between Rotterdam and Albany as a result. http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=916307