Best summer road trip destinations in New York

by Kamala Puligandla

posted on July 1, 2022

Six weekend-worthy spots outside NYC

Now that Turo is available in New York state, you’re better equipped than ever to savor the season on a summer road trip! The state is studded with glassy lakes, impressive waterfalls, picturesque mountain ranges, and charming small towns that are the perfect antidote to the heat and chaos of the city. So you can stop trying to catch a ride from your one friend with a car, and design the perfect summer road trip for you and your friends, family, dogs, antiques collection, whatever suits you.

Montauk

All the way at the eastern end of Long Island, Montauk is the quintessential beach road trip destination. The draw of the Hamptons in the summer, is, of course, the striking and plentiful shoreline, and Montauk has arguably some of the best beaches. Check out Ditch Plains Beach for its surfable waves, Camp Hero State Park and Hither Hills State Park for hiking, and Kirk Park Beach for a relaxing beach day close to town. It’s also the ideal place to get your fill of lobster rolls and other fresh seafood, and don’t miss out on Montauk Lighthouse, the oldest in New York, where you can climb up to the top for a beautiful view.

Hudson

Located at the foot of Catskills in the Hudson Valley, this hip, upstate artist enclave offers the scenic beauty of the country, with the well-curated cultural delights of the city. On central Warren St. and all around this ex-whaling town, you’ll find everything from specialty vintage furniture stores and art galleries to craft breweries, artisan cheese shops, and dining establishments at the heart of the farm-to-table movement. Get a dose of the outdoors at the nearby Greenpoint Conservation Area and, for art and architecture buffs, visit the Olana State Historic Site, the former estate of notable Hudson River School landscape painter, Frederic Church.

Finger Lakes

The Finger Lakes region contains 11 lakes and so many quaint cities and towns that we’re hard-pressed to pick just one. That said, if you’re looking for lake views with good shopping and eating, you won’t go wrong staying in Geneva or Watkins Glen on the shores of Seneca Lake, Ithaca on Cayuga Lake, Penn Yan on Keuka Lake, or Skaneateles on Skaneateles Lake. You’d be remiss if you didn’t go chase a few waterfalls — they’re everywhere — and you can catch some of the best on the Gorge Trail at Watkins Glen State Park and at Letchworth State Park. These are also ideal locations for swimming, kayaking, rafting, even hot air ballooning! While natural beauty is one of the main draws to the Finger Lakes, there is a bevy of culturally edifying attractions, including the Corning Museum of Glass and the Harriet Tubman National HIstorical Park, and pure fun, like winery and boat tours, shopping for locally made crafts, and the popular Ithaca farmer’s market.

Adirondacks

The Adirondacks are the stuff of legend, and contain the challenging 46 Peaks, which are known as some of the highest mountains to climb in New York. While the Olympic-level ski jumps aren’t exactly the draw of the season, whether you’re hitting a small village, like Saranac Lake on the northern end, or strolling Million Dollar Beach in Lake George in the south, you’re surrounded by stunning peaks and inviting lakes and ponds, perfect for recreation or relaxation. Get your activewear out for hiking, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, or guided paddling tours, or relax on a steamboat cruise. To immerse yourself in history, pay a visit to Fort Ticonderoga, an important site during the Revolutionary War, or the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, home and resting site of the notable abolitionist.

Saratoga Springs

With a city slogan like “health, history, and horses”, it’s pretty clear the kind of fun you’ll get up to in Saratoga Springs. This fashionable resort town has been a popular getaway for hundreds of years, originally because of the abundant mineral springs, whose healing properties were sought out to drink and soak in, by everyone from the early Mohawk people to President Franklin Roosevelt. Today, you can visit the Saratoga Spa State Park, to tour some natural mineral springs and soak in various mineral waters at the Gideon Putnam Spa. Perhaps the biggest draw, however, is the Saratoga Race Course, with its historic grandstand and thoroughbred races from mid-July to Labor Day that draw big crowds. Lastly, the Saratoga Automotive Museum is a must for enthusiasts, with exhibits that feature and celebrate models from different eras as well as historical pieces of driving culture.

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is a classic for a reason: the sheer magnitude of the falls are awe-inspiring and the beauty is spectacular. Niagara State Park, on the US side of the border, is home to three waterfalls — the most iconic of which is Horseshoe Falls. Visitors can take advantage of hiking trails, an aquarium, a waterfall splash zone walk called Cave of the Winds, and a restaurant perched at the top of the falls. On a hot summer day, a tour of all three falls, on the Maiden of the Mist ferry, offers the same thrills as a theme park water ride, but with a million times more majesty. As you correctly presumed, Niagara Falls is a tourist haven, and while the fireworks show on summer nights is impressive, you can get more real-life vibes, by staying in Buffalo, NY and making a day trip out of the falls.

Kamala Puligandla

Kamala Puligandla is a writer, editor, and bon vivant in LA. She is the author of two books, Zigzags and You Can Vibe Me On My Femmephone, and is always on the look-out for strange stories, excellent eats, and relaxing locales.

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