9 Most Charming River Towns in The Adirondack Mountains to Visit
The Adirondack Mountains hold over 100 peaks across northeastern New York. They’re surrounded by lakes and forests, with 1,200 miles of rivers pulling in millions of visitors a year. Some of the best places to land are the river towns along those flowing miles. Lake Placid sits on the Ausable in Olympic country. Tupper Lake holds one of the best night skies in the East. The nine river towns below run from Glens Falls in the southeast to Tupper Lake in the north.
Lake Placid
Lake Placid sits in Essex County with the Ausable River running through town. Its Olympic reputation was sealed by the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic Games.
Recreation runs along the Ausable, with fly fishing for rainbow and brook trout. About an hour downstream, Ausable Chasm pulls hikers, rafters, climbers, and rappellers to its natural formations, including Rainbow Falls, Elephant’s Head, and Hyde’s Cave. The chasm is one of the oldest commercial attractions in the country. Closer to Lake Placid, High Falls Gorge offers a short walk past four waterfalls on a wheelchair-accessible path next to Whiteface Mountain Ski Resort.
Jay
Jay is one of the underrated towns in the Adirondack Mountains. The Ausable River flows through town and gives it a riverside backdrop.
Jay is also home to the only covered bridge left in the Adirondacks. Built in 1857 over the East Branch of the Ausable, the Jay Covered Bridge is listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places. The bridge sits inside Douglas Memorial Park, a family-friendly spot with picnic areas, swimming areas, walking paths, and beaches. For a hike, the Jay Mountain Wilderness Area has a single dedicated trail to the summit of Jay Mountain. For a quieter visit, the Jay Village Green next to the Amos and Julia Ward Theatre has a bandstand, a water fountain, and a picnic area.
Keene
Keene sits along the East Branch of the Ausable River in Essex County. The town is nicknamed “Home of the High Peaks” and is a hiker’s haven. Mt. Marcy, the highest point in the Adirondacks and the state, sits in Keene’s backyard. The town includes 15 of the 46 High Peaks.
Beyond the trails, Keene runs on local spots worth seeking out. Noon Mark Diner is the standout, known for pies that have been featured in Bon Appétit and Gourmet. The diner makes a homemade crust from an old family recipe across both sweet and savory pies. It also doubles as the Adirondacks Trailways Bus Terminal.
Glens Falls
Glens Falls sits in the southeastern corner of Warren County, with the Hudson River running along its southern edge. The town takes its name from Glens Falls, a large waterfall in the Hudson at the southern edge of town. Glens Falls sits outside the Adirondack Park boundary but is known as “The Gateway to the Adirondacks.”
Plenty of stops wait downtown. The town has a cluster of art galleries, including The Hyde Collection. The museum holds works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Picasso, and Winslow Homer. Winter visitors head to West Mountain at the base of the Adirondacks, where 32 trails, a tubing park, and a lodge handle the skiers and snowboarders. Glens Falls is also home to the viewing platform at Cooper’s Cave, part of New York’s historic Independence Trail. The site was made famous by James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans.
Old Forge
Old Forge is the “Adirondack Base Camp” and the staging point for exploring the Adirondack Park. The community sits along the Moose River and routinely records the lowest winter temperatures in New York State.
Outdoor recreation runs heavy at Old Forge, especially around McCauley Mountain. With a 633-foot vertical drop, McCauley features 21 slopes and a trail spanning a mile long. Skiing benefits from heavy lake-effect snow, with annual snowfall around 281 inches. Snowmobiling is the other headline, with hundreds of groomed trails passing through Old Forge.
For history, the Goodsell Museum runs exhibits about the Adirondacks alongside a research library, maps, vintage photos, postcards, and memorabilia from early life in the region. Exhibits rotate continuously.
Winter is also when Old Forge runs its festivals. Snodeo Weekend, Snofest, and the Old Forge Winter Carnival all show up on the calendar.
Saranac Lake
The Saranac River runs through the heart of Saranac Lake, a community named for the nearby Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes. The village spans three towns (Harrietstown, St. Armand, and North Elba) across Franklin and Essex Counties. Saranac Lake covers a complex landscape of mountains, rivers, lakes, and forests with a mix of creative and historic attractions.
The 81-mile Saranac River is good for half-day or full-day paddles. In winter, the Mount Pisgah Recreation Center handles skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. A self-guided walk through downtown takes in the Walk of Fame, with plaques honoring notable figures connected to Saranac Lake from Broadway star Faye Dunaway (a Dew Drop Inn waitress in 1960 and 1961) to Albert Einstein.
Lake Luzerne
At Lake Luzerne in Warren County, the Hudson River squeezes into a narrow gorge and the rushing water forms the cascades of Rockwell Falls. Just south of the falls, the Sacandaga River meets the Hudson in stretches of whitewater. Lake Luzerne has been pulling in visitors for over a century, including President Grant, who came here for rest and recreation after the Civil War.
The falls sit upstream where the Hudson and Sacandaga meet. During low water, the falls take a horseshoe shape. The lake itself opens to river paddling, tubing, floating, rafting, and canoeing. Two public beaches handle the swimmers, Luzerne Heights Public Beach and Wayside Beach. In the warmer months, the Painted Pony Championship Rodeo runs Wednesday through Saturday. The rodeo has been running since 1953 and is the longest-running weekly rodeo in the country.
Long Lake
Long Lake takes its name from Long Lake itself, a 14-mile stretch of the Raquette River system flowing through the center of the Adirondack Park. The town is one of the oldest communities inside the Park and works as a four-season destination for families.
The Adirondack Hotel anchors downtown. Built in the 1850s, it’s the oldest operating hotel in the Adirondacks, with 20 renovated guest rooms, two dining rooms, a gift shop, a taproom, and a sitting room. Across from the hotel sits the town beach, with sand, swim access to Long Lake, and views back to the Seward Mountain Range. The beach is also a regular venue for summer family events.
The Mt Sabattis Recreation Area is the town gathering place, named for the Long Lake guide Mitchell Sabattis. It runs picnic areas, sledding hills, pickleball, basketball, tennis courts, and a local farmer’s market.
Tupper Lake
Tupper Lake sits in Franklin County, with the Raquette River flowing past its south side. With Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, it makes up the three villages of the Tri-Lakes Region.
This Adirondacks town is one of the best places in the East to see the stars, thanks to limited light pollution. Stargazers head to the Adirondack Sky Center and Observatory for lectures and stargazing sessions when the weather cooperates.
Tupper Lake’s flagship is The Wild Center. The hands-on museum has been recognized by Adirondack Life and USA Today and covers 54,000 square feet of indoor space. Exhibits, guided canoe trips, and marked trails run year-round. The Wild Walk is the most famous piece, a trail of bridges leading up into the treetops of the Adirondack forest. The trail includes a four-story twig treehouse, swinging bridges, a spider web for hanging out, and an oversized bald eagle’s nest.
For hikers, the Tupper Lake Hiking Triad is the local challenge for novices. Three family-friendly mountains (Mount Arab, Coney Mountain, and Goodman Mountain) each top out with views over the surrounding lakes and mountains. The challenge fits into a weekend.
The Adirondack Mountains pull millions of visitors a year with their peaks, forests, and water. The river towns above add a different layer to the trip: history, festivals, restaurants, and the kind of walkable small-town experience the big destinations rarely match.
