Central Adirondack Trail · Inlet to Speculator

The heart of the Adirondacks on NY-28 and NY-30: from Inlet you pass the chain of lakes to Raquette Lake and Blue Mountain Lake, drop to Indian Lake and continue past Lewey Lake to Speculator. It's 59 one-way miles of forest and lakes, with small hamlets and little traffic. There's no fuel between Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake, so fill up in Inlet before you leave. Blue Mountain Lake has the Adirondack Experience museum, open late May to mid-October.

From Inlet, NY-28 runs past lookouts over Fifth, Sixth and Seventh lakes, and Seventh Lake has a state boat launch with a paved lot about three miles east of town. In the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake, the Adirondack Experience, called the Adirondack Museum until 2017, tells the region's history from the site of the old Blue Mountain House hotel and opens from late May to mid-October. Just east, Lake Durant has a state campground on its east shore with views of Blue Mountain.

At Indian Lake, NY-30 joins NY-28, and the route turns south on NY-30 past Lewey Lake to Speculator. The run between Blue Mountain Lake and Indian Lake has no fuel, so fill up in Inlet before you start. This is a one-way ride: plan where you'll spend the night or how you'll head home from Speculator.