Planes, Trains, Cars and Ferries
Getting to Lake Placid isn’t always the easiest trip to book. Being from Texas, we’ve made the journey a number of different ways. Ideally, it’s a quality experience and a fun part of the vacation … at least we can dream!
Air Travel
If you’re flying part of the way, consider the following airport options. These are listed in order of our favorite “experience.” For friends and family who may be visiting while we’re in town, we will definitely pick you up at any of the below airports!
Saranac Regional Airport (SLK): If you’ve ever been interested in a sightseeing flight on a small plane, this trip is for you. Cape Air flies from New York JFK (2 hr flight) and Boston (1 hr 45 min) to Saranac Lake, and they’re code share with several major carriers. It’s a Cessna light aircraft, so you’re pretty much guaranteed a window seat that’s also an aisle seat. It’s a beautiful flight over the Adirondack high peaks and lakes — especially around autumn! And if that’s not tempting enough, you land at an airport that’s only 16 miles (25 minutes) from our cottage. In terms of ground transportation, none of the rental car companies have dedicated cars or staff at SLK, but Avis will make arrangements to drive a car over from Plattsburgh if you plan ahead. We’ve used Avis at SLK and it worked out just fine. If you’re thinking of taking Uber, try to reach out to a driver in advance and make arrangements. There aren’t many Uber drivers in the area, so you’ll want to reserve ahead. We love this option because it’s a fun, scenic flight and a short drive to the cottage.
Burlington, Vermont (BTV): This is for people who enjoy a ferry ride! BTV has non-stop service from Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Orlando, Dallas, Denver, NYC, Philly and DC. The airlines include American, Delta, United and Jet Blue, and there are plenty of rental cars. After you land in Vermont, it’s about 30 minutes to drive south from the airport to Charlotte, VT (or take ground transportation for about $45 if someone is picking you up on the other side), and use the Lake Champlain Ferry to cross from Charlotte to Essex. The 30 minute ferry ride is followed by a 1 hour drive to Lake Placid. I think it’s nice to decompress on the ferry and break up the drive. We also love walking around Burlington on the return trip.
Albany, NY (ALB): The drive from Albany to Lake Placid is 2 hours on mostly Interstate highway. Easy driving. Delta, United, Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue all fly into Albany, and they have plenty of rental cars. Oftentimes you’ll find a better deal on airfare flying into Albany, which is the main reason to fly here. When my brother and sister-in-law visited, they flew into Albany and spent their first and last nights in nearby Saratoga Springs to break up the trip, and loved it.
Montreal, Canada (YUL): For our very first trip to the Adirondacks in 2010 we flew into Montreal, and spent 1 week in Keene and another week in Quebec City. Ooo, la la. It’s about 2 hours and 15 minutes to drive from YUL to Lake Placid. The border crossing can sometimes slow you down a bit, and don’t forget to bring your passport!
Plattsburgh, NY (PBG): We have not actually flown into PBG, otherwise I think this route would probably rank higher. There aren’t a lot of carrier options. Basically it’s Contour Airlines, which has code share with American, flying between Plattsburgh and Philadelphia. The nice thing is Plattsburgh is an easy 1 hour drive to Lake Placid, and you can take back roads through Saranac for an enjoyable drive that’s more interesting than the interstate.
Travel by Scenic Train
The Amtrak Adirondack train resumed service in 2023. Woohoo for the Choo Choo!
The Adirondack route runs between Montreal and NYC with stops along the way, including Albany. It’s known to be one of the most scenic train routes in the country weaving through the Hudson Valley and Lake Champlain region. A great way to make travel more enjoyable and less stressful. You can even bring small pets with you along for the ride.
Theoretically, you could fly into Montreal or Albany and connect by train, although scheduling might be a little wonky. Probably best if you have more time for a leisurely trip. From Lake Placid, the closest station stops are Westport (35 miles) and Port Henry (44 miles).
Road Trip!
We’ve been driving round-trip drive between Texas and New York about twice a year since 2019! That’s logging nearly 40,000 miles driving between Texas and New York! Wowza. Depending on our route, it’s about 26+ hours of driving and we usually spread it out over 3 days. So, don’t complain to us about long drives! Of course when we drive up, we usually stay a few months!
Approximate mileage to Lake Placid:
Burlington: 60 miles
Montreal: 115 miles
Albany: 130 miles
Syracuse: 195 miles
Ottawa: 230 miles
Boston: 260 miles
Rochester: 260 miles
NYC: 285 miles
Buffalo: 340 miles
Philadelphia: 370 miles
Louisville, KY: 870 miles
Houston, TX: 1,820 miles
