Best Road Trip Routes in New York State

New York state offers road trip variety that few states can match — from the Hudson Valley wine country to the Adirondack wilderness to the Niagara Frontier.

Adirondack Loop (Lake Placid — Saranac Lake — Tupper Lake)
Drive into the Adirondack Park from the north via I-87 to Keeseville, west through Jay and Wilmington to Lake Placid. Visit the Olympic ski jumps and bobsled run, then drive west through Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, and south through the western Adirondacks on Route 30. Return via the scenic Adirondack Northway (I-87) south. This 3–4 day loop passes through the heart of the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park — larger than any national park in the lower 48.

Hudson Valley and Catskills
From New York City north along the Hudson River via Route 9W (west bank) or the Taconic State Parkway (east bank). Stop at the Storm King Art Center (outdoor sculpture park), Dia Beacon (world-class modern art museum), Rhinebeck (elegant small town), Hyde Park (FDR and Vanderbilt estate National Historic Sites), and Kingston (first New York state capital). Cross to the west bank to explore the Catskills — Woodstock, Saugerties, and the Catskill Center's trail system.

Finger Lakes Wine Trail
Route 14 and Route 20 through the Finger Lakes region: Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, and Keuka Lake are the three main wine lake circuits. The Seneca Lake Wine Trail has 30+ wineries; Keuka Lake is more intimate. Watkins Glen State Park's spectacular gorge is at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. Ithaca (Cornell, Ithaca College, Taughannock Falls) anchors the southern end.

Niagara Falls and Western New York
Buffalo (Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House, the Albright-Knox art gallery, Buffalo wings) to Niagara Falls (both the American Falls and the more dramatic Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side — crossing the border is easy) and the Niagara Gorge Trail. Return via the Lake Ontario shoreline through Lewiston and Olcott Beach.