The Waterways The waterways of Northern New York are very diverse, or different. High in the Adirondack Mountains the Hudson River begins in a place called Lake Tear of the Clouds. The Hudson River is 315 miles long and ends where New York City meets the Atlantic Ocean. Lake Tear of the Clouds is on the southwest side of New York’s highest peak, Mount Marcy. The Hudson River drops 4,322 feet in elevation on its way down to New York Harbor, and it eventually drains into the Atlantic Ocean at New York Harbor, between New York City and Jersey City, New Jersey. To the north of the Adirondack Mountains is the Saint Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Lawrence River is the international boundary between Ontario, Canada and the U.S. state of New York. The St. Lawrence River has a 50 mile stretch of islands – 1,864 of them to be exact – and this area is called theThousand Islands. An interesting fact is that in order to be counted as an island among the Thousand Islands, the island must have at least one square foot of land above sea level and have at least two living trees on it. The St. Lawrence River also empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Land The Northern regions of New York is very hilly and these hills turn into the Adirondack Mountains. There are about 2,500 mountains in the Northern region. Mount Marcy is found here, and it is the highest point in New York State with an elevation of 5,344 feet. The Adirondack Mountains may be the oldest mountains in North America, and much of the land here is devoted to dairy farms and fruit orchards. The Adirondack Mountains, also known as the Adirondacks, extend southward from the St. Lawrence River valley and Lake Champlain to the Mohawk River valley. The mountains are only sparsely, or hardly settled by people and much of the area exists in a primitive natural state. It is protected from being developed by state law.
Seasons and Weather As you might expect, the Adirondack Mountains can be very cold. The lowest temperature recorded in this region was in the town of Old Forge, New York in February of 1979 where it was -52 degrees F. February can be the coldest among the winter months. In the fall, the colors are very beautiful as the leaves change colors. The summer temperature is temperate, which means it is not too hot and not too cold. Summers in Northern New York state are wonderful.
Tourism and Points of Interest There are many interesting things to do in this region! You can visit the Adirondack Park, the Ausable Chasm, Bolt Castle, Fort Ontario State Historical Site, and Lake George. The Adirondack Park is a protected park. It has beautiful foliage in the fall and hiking trails that cross the Adirondack High Peaks near Lake Placid. LakePlacid has many exciting winter activities such as: a Toboggan Chute, a Bobsled Experience, Dog Sled Rides, Ice Skating, Snow Tubing. and an Olympic Jumping Complex Tour. Another interesting site is the Ausable Chasm. It has rapids that swirl along its canyon to the east. And if you like camping, visit Lake George’s Island campgrounds.