This is the Adirondack North Country: Twenty thousand square miles, more than a third of New York State. Most of the state’s tallest mountains. Dozens of towns, villages and hamlets, each with its own personality.

It’s a pretty big place. Not just in size, though, but in scope. Because there’s a lot more to the North Country than space. We put the “community” in CSA. We were artisan before artisan was cool. We live someplace where change doesn’t happen quickly – but we’re adapting all the time.

Getting your arms around all this can be hard. That’s why we brought together residents from across the North Country and asked them for a perfect-day itinerary: What they’d do with their best friend in town, where they’d go for dinner if the stove broke, what their absolutely-can’t-miss, best-day-of-the-year favorite event is.

That’s a lot of hard-won knowledge. Now, it’s yours. So go meet people. Get your hands dirty. Drive, pedal or hike the backroads – there are a lot of backroads – and understand why this not-so-easy-to-get-to place is so hard to leave.

Find something big.

The North Guide was developed by ANCA as part of a NYS Scenic Byway Program project, funded by the Federal Highway Administration and administered by the NYS Department of Transportation.
Portions of the North Guide are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.