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NY 30 through the Adirondacks

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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.

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