The Adirondack Rail Trail

The Adirondack Rail Trail runs 34 miles on the old railroad bed from Lake Placid through Ray Brook, Saranac Lake and Lake Clear to Tupper Lake. The state finished the last section in the fall of 2025, and the trail is free and open all year to walkers, cyclists and skiers, with snowmobiles on it in winter. The trail parking closest to the cabins is at and near Lake Clear, 38 to 42 road miles south, and the Union Depot trailhead in Saranac Lake is about 43 road miles away, roughly an hour's drive. Come for a level ride between villages, a stroller or wheelchair outing on a firm surface, or a winter ski on the old grade.

Length, surface and grade

The trail starts at Station Street in the Village of Lake Placid and ends at Washington Street in the Village of Tupper Lake. On the way it passes through the Town of North Elba, the hamlet of Ray Brook, the Village of Saranac Lake, the Town of Harrietstown, Lake Clear and the Town of Santa Clara. From the Lake Placid parking area to the Tupper Lake railroad station it measures 34.05 miles.

Almost all of it is firm, compacted stone dust, about 5 feet wide. About 2 miles inside the Village of Saranac Lake are paved, along with short pieces over bridges. Because it follows a railroad grade, the climbs are gentle: the usual slope is 2 percent and the steepest is 5 percent. After heavy rain a few spots can turn soft or wash out a little.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC for short, owns and manages the trail. The Adirondack Rail Trail Association, a nonprofit based in Saranac Lake, helps with upkeep and amenities under a volunteer stewardship agreement with the state, and the New York State Snowmobile Association grooms the trail for sleds in winter under an agreement of its own.

How the railroad became a trail

The trail follows a line built by Dr. William Seward Webb, president of the Wagner Palace Car Company, who pushed his Mohawk & Malone railroad through the central Adirondacks in about 18 months. It opened in 1892 with a branch from a junction near Lake Clear to Saranac Lake. The junction was called Saranac Junction for its first year and Lake Clear Junction from 1893, and the Junction House, built there in 1891, is still standing as Charlie's Inn. In 1913 Webb's road became the Adirondack Division of the New York Central.

The ten miles from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid were a Delaware & Hudson line. The track first carried an extra rail so the narrow-gauge Chateaugay Railroad could use it, went to standard gauge in 1903, and was shared with New York Central trains until 1946. Saranac Lake's Union Depot dates from 1904 and is the only depot on the trail that DEC owns.

Passenger service north from Lake Clear to Malone ended in 1957, and the tracks north of Lake Clear came out in the early 1960s. The last passenger train to Lake Placid ran on April 24, 1965, and a little freight kept moving until 1972. The state bought the line in 1974. Trains ran to Lake Placid again for the 1980 Winter Olympics, and the Adirondack Railway Corporation, which leased the corridor from 1977, went bankrupt before the state took back control in 1991.

The whole corridor from Remsen to Lake Placid is 119 miles long, and the state Department of Transportation had charge of it until 2022. The 84 miles from Remsen to Tupper Lake stayed a railroad, with the track rebuilt by 2022, and the 34 miles from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid became a trail. Crews began pulling up those rails in October 2020, the state moved the trail section to DEC in 2022, and the Office of General Services designed and built it in three phases.

Lake Placid to Saranac Lake, 9.9 miles, opened on December 1, 2023. Saranac Lake to Floodwood Road, 15.3 miles, opened ahead of schedule in August 2024, and Floodwood Road to Tupper Lake, 8.5 miles, was finished in the fall of 2025. The total came to almost $40 million, including $13.1 million from the state's 2022 Environmental Bond Act. Some of the railroad's old mile markers and whistle posts still stand beside the trail, so keep an eye out for them.

Mileage along the trail

The trail association measures every landmark from both ends. These are the main crossings, landmarks and parking areas; the full table is on its trip-planning page, and its printable maps show the mile markers.

The trail section by section

The trail falls into five sections between parking areas, and each one makes a good out-and-back on its own.

Lake Placid to Ray Brook

The eastern end is on Station Street beside Lake Placid's old depot. In 2026 the Station Street lot is closed while the Open Space Institute, the village and the trail association build a new trailhead there; ground was broken on May 28, 2026. Plans for the 1.8-acre site include a pavilion with picnic tables, more than 40 parking spaces with accessible spots and EV chargers, a stop for the village trolley, accessible restrooms, a kiosk, bike racks and a repair station. The project costs nearly $2 million, and the partners expect to finish it in the fall of 2026.

Until the trail association announces the new lot open, park at the Snowfield lot at 448 Old Military Road, next to the Lake Placid fire station, and join the trail where it crosses Old Military Road, 0.87 mile from the end. Google Maps drops the pin for that address in the wrong place, so look for the fire station, and leave Station Street itself free; parking there is discouraged. From Old Military Road the trail heads west past the state's Meadowbrook campground and, at mile 5.3, crosses the trail up Scarface Mountain, one of the Saranac Lake 6er peaks. At mile 6.1 it crosses the road to the federal prison at Ray Brook, then Oseetah Lake Road. This section is about 5.2 miles, and the Ray Brook Road lot at 254 Ray Brook Road is the parking at its western end.

Ray Brook to Saranac Lake

At mile 7.5 the trail crosses NY 86 at Fowler's Crossing, east of Saranac Lake, where there is trail parking on both sides of the highway. E-bikes of any class are not allowed on the trails on state Wild Forest land at Fowler's Crossing, so keep a Class 1 e-bike on the rail trail itself there.

Inside the Village of Saranac Lake the trail is paved for about 2 miles. It passes the North Country Community College gym, crosses River Street and Pine Street, and reaches the Adirondack Carousel and the Union Depot at mile 9.9. DEC is restoring the depot building for public use, and the lot beside it is the trail parking in the village. The carousel and the village's shops and restaurants are in the Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths guide.

Saranac Lake to Lake Clear

West of the depot the trail crosses NY 86 again at mile 10.2, beside Sara-Placid Sled & Spoke, and at mile 10.9 it starts across the causeway over Lake Colby, a good place to stop for the view at sunrise or sunset. From the causeway it runs about three and a half miles to McMaster Road in Lake Clear and the McMaster's Crossing lot, then crosses NY 186. At mile 15.9 it passes Charlie's Inn and the Junction Campground, where the branch to Saranac Lake once met the main line, crosses NY 30 and passes The Lodge at Lake Clear. This section is about 6.2 miles.

Lake Clear to Floodwood

This is the longest section, about 9.7 miles from the NY 30 crossing to Floodwood Road. Past the Lake Clear Outlet and Conley Road, the Station Road lot at mile 18.8, in the Town of Santa Clara, is the last trail parking before Floodwood Road. The trail then passes the access road to Little Clear Pond and runs by Rat Pond and Rainbow Pond. At mile 22.6 it crosses the canoe carry between Hoel Pond and Turtle Pond, and at mile 24.6 the carry from Tract Pond to Long Pond. Paddlers use these carries on routes in and around the Saint Regis Canoe Area, so you may meet someone crossing with a canoe on their shoulders. The trail crosses Floodwood Road at mile 25.8, where there is a small trail lot. Floodwood Outpost, a general store on Floodwood Road, opens Thursday through Sunday in season and sells food, drinks, outdoor gear and maps.

Floodwood to Tupper Lake

The last 8 miles are among the wildest on the trail, past ponds and bogs with few road crossings. The trail crosses the road to the Floodwood Scout Camp at mile 27.5 and a private road at mile 31, and ends at the Tupper Lake railroad station on Depot Street. Trail parking is the Washington Street trailhead, a large paved lot that is plowed in winter; if the first lot near the playground is closed for construction, use the larger one farther up the road.

From the station the Crossroad Trail links the Junction neighborhood with the waterfront park, the Park Street business district uptown and The Wild Center, which the Wild Center guide covers. Bike repair stands are at the Waterfront Park pavilion, near the Emergency Services building on Santa Clara Avenue, and at the corner of Wawbeek Avenue and Park Street.

Trailheads and parking

Each of these lots has a portable toilet and trash disposal. Park only in designated areas and follow the signs, because some of the land along the trail is private.

• Snowfield lot, Lake Placid: 448 Old Military Road, next to the fire station. The Lake Placid parking while Station Street is closed, with room for snowmobile trailers.
• Ray Brook Road: 254 Ray Brook Road, Ray Brook.
• Fowler's Crossing: NY 86 east of Saranac Lake, on both sides of the highway, with accessible parking.
• Union Depot: 42 Depot Street, Saranac Lake. About 30 cars, no trailers, no overnight parking.
• McMaster Road: McMaster's Crossing, Lake Clear.
• Charlie's Inn: 44 Junction Road, Lake Clear, with room for snowmobile trailers.
• Station Road: Town of Santa Clara, west of Lake Clear.
• Floodwood Road: by the crossing, about 4 miles west of NY 30.
• Washington Street: Tupper Lake, large and paved, with room for trailers.

The state does not promise to plow its trail lots in winter, so have a second choice in mind after a storm; the Washington Street lot in Tupper Lake is plowed.

Getting there from the cabins

Every trailhead starts the same way: west on County Route 25 to NY 30, then south on NY 30 past Meacham Lake to Paul Smiths. NY 30 crosses the trail at Lake Clear, which is why the closest trail parking is there. For Saranac Lake and Lake Placid, turn east onto NY 86 at Paul Smiths and drive through Gabriels into Saranac Lake; Lake Placid is about 8 miles farther east on NY 86, through Ray Brook. For Floodwood, stay on NY 30 to Floodwood Road at Saranac Inn and follow it west about 4 miles to the trail. For Tupper Lake, stay on NY 30 the whole way; NY 3 joins it for the last few miles into the village.

For a winter trip, the winter driving guide covers road reports, tires and what to keep in the car.

Who can use it, season by season

From spring through fall the trail is for walkers, hikers, runners, birders, people in wheelchairs and parents with strollers, and for cyclists on road, gravel, hybrid, recumbent and mountain bikes. Class 1 e-bikes are allowed all year. These are pedal-assist bikes with no throttle, and the motor stops helping at 20 miles an hour; Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes are not allowed. Anglers use the trail to reach the ponds and streams beside it, with a New York fishing license.

In winter the trail is shared by snowmobiles, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, fat-tire bikes and walkers. Snowmobiles may use the whole 34 miles in the snow season, when conditions allow.

Some things are never allowed: horses, ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes and other motor vehicles (apart from Class 1 e-bikes, snowmobiles in winter, and emergency, maintenance and police vehicles), camping, campfires, and hunting, trapping or firing a gun from or across the trail. Groups of 21 or more need a permit. Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than 6 feet; bag the waste and dispose of it. The guide to bringing your dog covers the rest of a trip with one.

Speed limits and trail manners

The speed limit is 15 miles an hour through the Village of Saranac Lake and the hamlet of Lake Clear, and it is posted. A state rule adopted in 2024 requires everyone on the trail, by any means of travel, to keep to the posted limits and obey the traffic signs, so read the signs at each access point.

• Keep right and pass on the left, and call out "on your left" or ring a bell before you pass.
• Wheels yield to heels. Snowmobiles yield to everyone, and cyclists and skiers yield to people on foot and on snowshoes. Slower and more vulnerable users have the right of way.
• Stop at every road crossing. Drivers must yield to people in a crosswalk, including cyclists walking their bikes; if you ride across, you yield to the cars.
• Get on and off the trail at the marked access points, and stay off the private land beside it.
• Watch wildlife from a distance and never feed it.
• Leave no trace: carry out everything you carry in.

Winter on the trail

Once the snowmobile season opens, sleds may use the trail from end to end, weather permitting, and the New York State Snowmobile Association grooms it for them. From Lake Clear to Tupper Lake the rail trail carries the C7 corridor, the same snowmobile trail that passes the cabins on its way south from Malone, so a sled can ride there from the cabins. Registration, trail rules and the corridor map are in the snowmobiling guide.

Skiers and snowshoers share the trail with the sleds. Keep to the right and travel single file in a group. Snowshoers should stay off the ski tracks, since a deep footprint that freezes in a track can catch a ski tip, and cyclists and skiers yield to snowshoers. After dark wear a headlamp and bright, reflective clothes. Snowmobilers slow down to pass people, accelerate gently after, pull well off the trail when they stop, and keep the noise down in the villages.

For groomed ski trails away from the sleds, the cross-country skiing and snowshoeing guide covers the Paul Smith's College VIC, Dewey Mountain and Mt Van Hoevenberg.

Renting bikes, skis and sleds

Bikes are not part of the cabins' gear, so bring your own on a rack or rent one near the trail. Five shops rent bikes for it, three in Lake Placid and two in Saranac Lake, and between them they rent standard bikes, fat-tire bikes and Class 1 e-bikes. What each has changes with the season, so call ahead.

• Bike Lake Placid, 455 Old Military Road, Lake Placid, (518) 354-0777: rail trail rentals, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• High Peaks Cyclery, 2733 Main Street, Lake Placid, (518) 523-3764: rail trail, road, gravel and mountain bikes in summer, fat bikes and cross-country skis in winter, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• Placid Planet Bicycles, 2242 Saranac Avenue, Lake Placid, (518) 523-4128: rentals and repairs.
• Sara-Placid Sled & Spoke, 255 Broadway, Saranac Lake, (518) 205-7864: right on the trail where it crosses NY 86, so you start from its door, with e-bikes to rent and, in winter, snowmobiles.
• Silver Birch Cycles, 77 Main Street, Saranac Lake, (518) 354-8497: rentals and repairs, with fat bikes for winter.

For skiing the trail, cross-country skis rent at High Peaks Cyclery, and skis and snowshoes at the Dewey Mountain Recreation Center, 238 George H. Lapan Memorial Highway in Saranac Lake.

One-way shuttles

A long piece of the trail is easier one way. Three companies run shuttles: you park where your ride will end, and they drive you and your bike to the start. Book ahead and confirm the price when you reserve; the figures below were listed in October 2026.

• BikeADK runs shuttles all year for you and your bike or skis, between the Lake Placid trailhead, the Saranac Lake depot, Floodwood Road and the Tupper Lake trailhead, and it can pick up elsewhere on request, which may change the price. The drive takes about 20 minutes from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid, 30 to Floodwood Road, and 50 from Tupper Lake or Floodwood Road to Lake Placid. A ride for one to three people was $95 to $135 depending on the route, and $135 to $175 for four to ten. It carries e-bikes, though large ones take extra room, and dogs if you tell them in advance. Book about 72 hours ahead and pay when you reserve; (518) 524-4674.
• St. Regis Canoe Outfitters, based at 73 Dorsey Street in Saranac Lake, shuttles up to 10 people and their gear between Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Lake Clear, Floodwood Road and Tupper Lake. Rides for up to three people ran from $65, Saranac Lake to Lake Placid, to $125, Tupper Lake to Lake Placid, and from $95 to $155 for four to ten. It cannot carry e-bikes, and payment is due when you book; (518) 891-1838.
• High Peaks Cyclery runs a rail trail shuttle leaving from Lake Placid, listed at $35 a person or $135 for a group.

Restrooms, food and phone service

Plan rest stops around the trail lots and the villages. The portable toilets at Fowler's Crossing are seasonal, and others may be too, so in winter count on the villages.

Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Tupper Lake all have restaurants close to the trail, and the Saranac Lake guide and the Lake Placid day trip guide cover the first two. Between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, Charlie's Inn at Lake Clear Junction has a restaurant and bar, and Floodwood Outpost sells snacks and drinks in season; check their hours before you count on them, and past Floodwood Road carry what you need for the last 8 miles. Pack water and lunch at the cabin; groceries and supplies lists the stores in Malone for stocking the kitchen.

Phones work on most of the trail from Lake Placid to Lake Clear. From Floodwood Road to Tupper Lake there is no cell service, so tell someone your plan and download the free Adirondack Rail Trail app before you go; it has maps, mileage markers, parking and amenities, and its maps can be saved for use offline. In an emergency call 911 or the DEC Forest Rangers at 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264), and give the nearest crossing or mile marker. To report a downed tree or a washout, use the trail association's online problem form.

Wheelchairs and strollers

The trail was designed to be accessible to people with disabilities, and its firm surface and gentle grades suit wheelchairs with outdoor tires, mobility scooters, adaptive bikes and strollers. The main trailheads and rest areas meet ADA standards. Wheelchair access from the parking is at two lots: Fowler's Crossing on NY 86, which has accessible parking, and the Union Depot in Saranac Lake, on the paved village section.

The new Lake Placid trailhead, expected to open in the fall of 2026, adds accessible parking and restrooms. In Tupper Lake the rebuilt station platform has a canopy and wheelchair lifts for train passengers.

When to go

Summer and early fall are the busy season. DEC's trail counters recorded July, August and September as the busiest months in both 2024 and 2025, with the most traffic at the Saranac Lake counter, so go early in the day or midweek for a quieter ride. For the color, the fall foliage guide has the timing. Black flies peak in late May and early June, and the bug guide has what helps. In winter the trail depends on snow: sleds come out once the snowmobile trails open, and skiers need enough snow to cover the stone.

From the summer of 2026 the trail association is spending a year surveying trail users about what they do and spend along the trail, the first full survey of its kind, and Franklin County is paying for it. The answers will help decide which amenities come next.

A day from the cabins

A good first ride is Saranac Lake to Lake Placid and back, about 20 miles with lunch in Lake Placid. Riding at an easy 10 miles an hour, each way takes about an hour.

The Lake Placid day trip guide has more for an afternoon in the village if you take the shuttle back instead of riding.

For a shorter day, start at the McMaster Road lot in Lake Clear, under an hour from the cabins, ride about 4.6 miles east over the Lake Colby causeway to the Union Depot, have lunch in Saranac Lake and ride back, a little over 9 miles in all.

For the wild end, drive to the Washington Street lot in Tupper Lake, about an hour and a half from the cabins, and book a shuttle to Floodwood Road. Ride the 8 miles back through the ponds and bogs, where the phone will not work, then spend the afternoon at The Wild Center, about 4.5 road miles across town. NY 30 takes you straight home.

In winter, if the Station Road lot is plowed, park there and ski or snowshoe west past the Little Clear Pond access road to Rat Pond, about 1.4 miles out, keeping right for the sleds. Each cabin has its own hot tub and fire pit for the end of a cold afternoon; see the cabins for how they differ.

Trains at the Tupper Lake end

South of Tupper Lake the corridor is still a railroad. The track runs 84 miles to Remsen, rebuilt by the state in 2022, and the Adirondack Railroad runs excursion trains to the Tupper Lake station at 37 Depot Street on select dates in summer and fall, among them the High Peaks Limited from Utica and Thendara and, in the fall of 2026, Sunday trains from Thendara. Bikes ride at no extra charge if you note them when you book. Check the railroad's schedule for the current dates.

The railroad's first train back to Tupper Lake arrived in September 2022, the first passenger train there since 1981, and regular excursions began in 2023. The state Department of Transportation then spent $13.5 million on the station, adding an 18-foot-wide, 550-foot platform with a canopy and wheelchair lifts, a baggage platform for loading bikes and kayaks, and a shed for year-round locomotive maintenance.

Questions

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Hours, fees and schedules change; confirm before you go.

1. adirondackrailtrail.org adirondackrailtrail.org/
2. adirondackrailtrail.org adirondackrailtrail.org/about-us/faqs/
3. adirondackrailtrail.org adirondackrailtrail.org/about-us/plan-your-trip/
4. adirondackrailtrail.org adirondackrailtrail.org/trail-map/parking-areas/
5. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/railtrailfactsheet.pdf
6. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/places/adirondack-rail-trail
7. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/sites/default/files/2025-10/railtrail-usage.pdf
8. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation dec.ny.gov/news/environmental-notice-bulletin/2024-06-26/towns-of-harr
9. governor.ny.gov governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-completion-recreation-a
10. governor.ny.gov governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-completion-first-phase-
11. governor.ny.gov governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-completion-second-phase
12. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/adirondack-rail-trail
13. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/adirondack-rail-trail
14. Lake Placid tourism (ROOST) lakeplacid.com/adirondack-rail-trail
15. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/recreation/snowmobiling
16. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/events/adirondack-rail-trail-station-street-parking-lo
17. openspaceinstitute.org openspaceinstitute.org/news/open-space-institute-village-of-lake-placi
18. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/story/2023/safe-winter-recreation-on-the-adirondack-ra
19. Saranac Lake tourism saranaclake.com/story/experience-the-adirondack-rail-trail-in-saranac-
20. bikeadirondacks.com bikeadirondacks.com/rail-trail-shuttles
21. canoeoutfitters.com canoeoutfitters.com/rentals-services/rail-trail-transportation-service
22. highpeakscyclery.com highpeakscyclery.com/
23. bikelakeplacid.us bikelakeplacid.us/
24. sledandspoke.com sledandspoke.com/
25. adirondackrr.com adirondackrr.com/
26. wiki.historicsaranaclake.org wiki.historicsaranaclake.org/index.php/Adirondack_Railroad_Historic_Di
27. wiki.historicsaranaclake.org wiki.historicsaranaclake.org/index.php/Lake_Clear_Junction
28. wiki.historicsaranaclake.org wiki.historicsaranaclake.org/index.php/Mohawk_%26_malone
29. wamc.org wamc.org/news/2026-07-30/adirondack-rail-trail-users-being-surveyed
30. law.cornell.edu law.cornell.edu/regulations/new-york/6-NYCRR-190.40
31. canoeoutfitters.com canoeoutfitters.com/about/our-location
32. Franklin County tourism (Always Franklin) alwaysfranklin.com/listing/charlies-inn
33. adirondackrr.com adirondackrr.com/utica/the-high-peaks-limited/
34. adirondackrr.com adirondackrr.com/2022/09/13/inaugural-tupper-lake-train/
35. esparail.org esparail.org/news/adr-tupper-lake/
36. tupperlake.com tupperlake.com/events/adirondack-mountaineer-thendara-tupper-lake
37. Lake Placid tourism (ROOST) lakeplacid.com/history/lake-placid-north-elba-historical-society-museu
38. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation extapps.dec.ny.gov/docs/lands_forests_pdf/wp310floodwoodrdparking.pdf