Southern Adirondack Trail

Southern Adirondack Trail runs 112 miles from the Erie Canal towns of Herkimer and Little Falls into lakeside villages of the southern Adirondacks. The byway passes the Herkimer diamond mines, where visitors can dig for naturally double-terminated quartz crystals prized for their clarity, and follows the sparkling waters of West Canada Creek toward the mountains. Much of the route runs alongside the New York State Canalway Trail System, a network exceeding 260 miles of multi-use paths that planners hope to eventually double along the full 500-mile Erie Canal corridor, giving cyclists and hikers a parallel route to the road itself. The drive shifts character from historic canal-town streets and 19th-century industrial architecture in Herkimer and Little Falls to increasingly forested, lake-dotted terrain as it climbs into the Adirondack Park. Hiking, boating, fishing, and cycling are all readily accessible along the way, and the byway is managed by the Adirondack North Country Association as part of the state's broader scenic byway program.

• Herkimer and Little Falls (Erie Canal)
• 112 miles
• Herkimer diamond mines
• West Canada Creek
• NY State Canalway Trail System
• southern Adirondack Park