The Adirondack region is best appreciated by car. The New York State Thruway, I-87, a toll road from New York City to Albany, becomes the scenic, toll-free Adirondack Northway. It hugs the region's eastern border, with exits to Lake George (about 4 hr. from the Big Apple), Blue Mountain Lake, Ticonderoga, Lake Placid, and other areas of interest, eventually reaching Canada. The western side of the Adirondacks can be accessed from either I-81 North at Watertown to Route 3 or by following I-90 east through Utica to Routes 8 and 12. Inside the park, a sparse network of roads squeezes between mountain ranges and tunnel into dense forests. Route 73, which begins at Exit 30 of the Northway and ends in Lake Placid, provides a particularly picturesque tour through the High Peaks region. Amtrak (tel. 800/USA-RAIL; www.amtrak.com) services the Adirondacks, with frequent trains connecting Penn Station, in New York City, with depots along Lake Champlain, all the way to Montreal. Trains from Utica to Old Forge, or Thendara, in the southwestern edge of the region, are also available. The Adirondack Airport at Lake Clear (tel. 518/891-2290) is about 25 miles from Lake Placid. There are other airports nearby in Albany and Burlington, Vermont.
