# Road trips in New York > 9 road trips and 23 hand-picked places in New York, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/new-york/ 9 road trips and 23 hand-picked places in New York, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. ## Road trips through New York - [Niagara, Finger Lakes and Adirondacks](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/finger-lakes/): Niagara Falls, gorges and wineries on the Finger Lakes, then Olympic Lake Placid. - [Hudson Valley](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/hudson-valley/): Giant sculptures at Storm King, art in Beacon and Roosevelt’s home at Hyde Park. - [Catskills waterfalls and artists’ towns](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b10-catskills/): Woodstock, mountain hamlets, the Hudson River School’s favorite falls and Frederic Church’s Olana. - [Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b10-thousand-islands/): Along the Seaway Trail from Oswego to castles on islands in the St. Lawrence River. - [Adirondacks: Lake George, Ticonderoga, Whiteface and Old Forge](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-adirondacks/): A drive through the Adirondack Park: Lake George, Fort Ticonderoga, Lake Placid and the Whiteface summit road, then south through the lakes to Old Forge. - [Letchworth, Seneca Falls and the northern Finger Lakes](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-western-ny/): From Buffalo to the Grand Canyon of the East at Letchworth, then along the north end of the Finger Lakes to Seneca Falls, Taughannock Falls and Ithaca. - [West of the Hudson: Palisades, Bear Mountain and the Shawangunks](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-hudson-west-bank/): Up the west bank of the Hudson from the Palisades cliffs to Bear Mountain, West Point and the Walkway, then over to New Paltz and Minnewaska. - [Connecticut, Rhode Island and Montauk](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/new-england-shore/): Mystic seaport, Newport’s mansions and the ferry to the tip of Long Island. - [Delaware Water Gap and the Poconos to Ricketts Glen](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b20-poconos-water-gap/): From New York to the Delaware Water Gap, the waterfalls around Milford, a boulder field, Victorian Jim Thorpe and the 21 falls of Ricketts Glen. ## Places worth the detour in New York - [Watkins Glen gorge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/watkins-glen/): A trail of stone stairs past nineteen waterfalls in a narrow gorge. Open May to October. - [Kaaterskill Falls](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-kaaterskill-falls/): A two-tiered 260-foot waterfall painted by the Hudson River School. Use the upper trail and viewing platform; the old creekside path on Route 23A is dangerous. - [Boldt Castle](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-boldt-castle/): An unfinished six-story castle on Heart Island, begun by a hotel magnate for his wife. Reached by tour boats or water taxi from Alexandria Bay; bring a passport if your cruise enters Canada. - [Fort Ticonderoga](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-fort-ticonderoga/): An 18th-century star fort on Lake Champlain, taken by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys in 1775 and restored with exhibits and demonstrations. Mount Defiance next door has the best view; admission is charged. - [Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-whiteface-highway/): A toll road climbing to a stone castle just below the summit of Whiteface Mountain, with an elevator or a rocky path to the top. Open roughly late May to mid-October; views reach Lake Placid and Lake Champlain. - [Letchworth State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-letchworth/): The Genesee River cuts a gorge up to about 550 feet deep with three large waterfalls, seen from overlooks along a 17-mile park road. Vehicle fee; Inspiration Point and the Middle Falls area are the busiest spots. - [Walkway Over the Hudson](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-walkway-hudson/): A former railroad bridge turned into a 1.28-mile footpath 212 feet above the Hudson, one of the longest elevated pedestrian bridges in the world. Free; parking lots at both ends. - [Niagara Falls](https://camping-spirit.com/places/niagara/): Three waterfalls on the US–Canada border. Put on a poncho at the Cave of the Winds decks to get soaked. - [Storm King Art Center](https://camping-spirit.com/places/storm-king/): Giant outdoor sculptures spread over 500 acres of fields and hills in the Hudson Valley. - [Montauk Point Lighthouse](https://camping-spirit.com/places/montauk-point/): New York’s oldest lighthouse, at the eastern tip of Long Island. - [North-South Lake](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-north-south-lake/): Twin lakes with a campground and beach below the escarpment; a short walk leads to the site of the Catskill Mountain House and its famous view over the Hudson. - [Olana State Historic Site](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-olana/): Painter Frederic Church’s Persian-style hilltop house, set in a landscape he designed around views of the Hudson and the Catskills. - [Fort Ontario](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-fort-ontario/): A star-shaped fort above Lake Ontario that later sheltered nearly 1,000 World War II refugees, told at the nearby Safe Haven museum. - [Tibbetts Point Lighthouse](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-tibbetts-point/): A white lighthouse where Lake Ontario flows into the St. Lawrence River; a great sunset spot and a good place to watch ships. - [Wellesley Island State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b10-wellesley-island/): A large island park reached by the Thousand Islands Bridge, with river campsites and a nature center with trails over granite knobs. - [The Wild Center](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-wild-center/): A natural history museum of the Adirondacks with river otters, live exhibits and the Wild Walk, a raised trail through the treetops. Admission is charged; allow half a day, longer with children. - [Women’s Rights National Historical Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-womens-rights-nhp/): Where the first women’s rights convention met in July 1848, with the Wesleyan Chapel, the Elizabeth Cady Stanton house and a visitor center on Fall Street. Free; street parking downtown. - [Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-montezuma-nwr/): Marshes at the north end of Cayuga Lake with a 3.5-mile wildlife drive, observation towers and large flocks of geese and ducks in spring and autumn migration. Free; start at the visitor center off NY-5/US-20. - [Taughannock Falls State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-taughannock-falls/): A 215-foot plunge waterfall, taller than Niagara, at the end of a flat gorge trail of under a mile, plus a rim overlook off Taughannock Park Road. Parking fee in season; swimming at the Cayuga Lake end. - [Bear Mountain State Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-bear-mountain/): A Hudson Highlands park with Hessian Lake, a small zoo and Perkins Memorial Drive, which climbs to a stone tower with views over the river and the Bear Mountain Bridge. The drive is narrow and closes in winter. - [United States Military Academy at West Point](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-west-point/): The army’s academy on a bend of the Hudson, with a museum and visitor center outside the gate in Highland Falls. Entry to the grounds is by guided bus tour with photo ID; check current security rules before going. - [Historic Huguenot Street](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-huguenot-street/): A street of stone houses built by French Protestant settlers from the late 1600s and early 1700s, among the oldest in the US. The grounds are free to wander; guided house tours run on set days. - [Minnewaska State Park Preserve](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b20-minnewaska/): A cliff-top lake on the Shawangunk Ridge, circled by carriage roads with long views and white conglomerate rock. Vehicle fee; the lot closes when full on autumn weekends, sometimes by mid-morning. ## FAQs **What are the best road trips in New York?** Popular routes include Niagara, Finger Lakes and Adirondacks, Hudson Valley, Catskills waterfalls and artists’ towns and Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands. CampingSpirit has 9 trip guides that pass through New York, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map. **Which places in New York are worth a detour?** Our editors recommend Watkins Glen gorge, Kaaterskill Falls, Boldt Castle, Fort Ticonderoga, Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway and Letchworth State Park.