Scenic Trains of the Adirondacks

Trip Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Chicago

Midwest Scenic Trains of the Adirondacks members will meet in Chicago Union Station this evening in time to board the eastbound Lake Shore Limited. Departure is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Eastern tour members will depart tomorrow for Albany. Relax in your comfortable reclining coach seat with leg rest. Roomettes or Bedrooms are available at an additional cost. All dining car meals are included. You’re free to explore the train. Go to the lounge car for snacks, sandwiches, and beverages.

Day 2: En Route / Albany

Tour members from upper New York State will board the Lake Shore Limited, coach class, this morning. Our arrival into Albany is scheduled for 2:50 p.m. We’ll transfer to the Hampton Inn Albany Downtown, our home for the night.

Meal(s):  B* & L*

Day 3: Saratoga & North Creek Railroad

This morning we’ll board a deluxe motorcoach and transfer to Saratoga Springs in time for the 10:00 departure of the Saratoga & North Creek Railway’s New York Express. We’ll encounter magnificent scenery as we roll in and out of dense forest and along the pristine water of the upper Hudson River. We’ll pass several quaint towns and villages before reaching North Creek. Our arrival is scheduled for 12:19.

The North Creek Railroad Station is remembered by historians as the place where Theodore Roosevelt, who was on a hunting trip in the area, learned of the death of President McKinley and thus his succession to the presidency of the United States. The station is now a museum.
We’ll have time to visit the museum as well as main street’s many antique shops, country stores and restaurants.

This afternoon we’ll board our motorcoach and transfer to Ticonderoga; our home for the evening is the Best Western Plus Ticonderoga.

Meal(s):  CB

Day 4: Fort Ticonderoga / Plattsburgh

This morning we’ll visit Fort Ticonderoga. Located on the western shore of Lake Champlain, it was originally a French fort called Carillion and was seized by the British in the French and Indian War. The fort was later captured by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, along with Benedict Arnold in 1775. This was America’s first victory of the Revolution. 

We will be greeted by a costumed interpreter and given a brief historical introduction to the site. We will then be free to explore the museums, daily programs, demonstrations, and exquisite gardens.
This afternoon we’ll transfer to the Ticonderoga Amtrak Station and board the famous Adirondack. The Adirondack was named “One of the Top 10 Most Scenic Train Trips in North America” by Conde Nast Traveler. We’ll experience the best of this scenery as the train hugs the western shore of Lake Champlain.

Our arrival into Plattsburgh is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Our home for the night is the conveniently located La Quinta Inn.

Meal(s):  B

Day 5: Lake Placid / Saranac Lake

This morning we’ll transfer to Saranac Lake for a scenic wilderness ride aboard the Adirondack Scenic Railroad to Lake Placid. The Lake Placid Station is home to the Lake Placid Historical Museum.

Following an “on-your-own” lunch we’ll be joined by a local step-on guide. We’ll visit the Lake Placid Winter Olympic Museum and Hall of Fame. We’ll relive the Miracle on Ice of the 1980 Winter Games and learn how this little mountain village twice became the center of the winter sports world. The displays and exhibits will bring to life the memories and accounts of the 1932 and 1980 winter games.

Our home for the night is the Lake Placid Crowne Plaza Resort.

Meal(s):  CB

Day 6: Thendara / Utica / En Route

Today we’ll stop for a luncheon cruise on Raquette Lake on our way to Thendara.

We’ll board the southbound Adirondack Scenic Railroad for Utica and travel through forests, over rivers and streams, enjoying more of the hidden beauties of the Adirondacks.

Our arrival into Utica is scheduled for 6:45. Upon arrival we’ll enjoy a farewell dinner. Eastern and Mid-Atlantic tour members will transfer to the nearby Radisson Hotel Utica Centre where they’ll spend the last night of the tour. Midwest participants will board the Lake Shore Limited for Chicago and enjoy the same accommodations they enjoyed on the eastbound train. Upper New York travelers arrive home this evening.

Meal(s):  B & D

Day 7 : En Route to Home Destinations

Eastern and Mid-Atlantic travelers will transfer to Utica’s Union Station in time for the 12:42 p.m. train for New York’s Penn Station where they’ll transfer to trains bound for home destinations.
Midwesterners will arrive into Chicago at 9:45 a.m. on the Lake Shore Limited. They’ll continue on to home destinations throughout the morning and afternoon.

Meal(s):  B*

*Midwest tour members only