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Highway 28: Central Adirondacks, Adirondacks, New York
Photo: John Brighenti from Rockville, MD, United States · CC BY 2.0

Drives New York The Adirondacks and the North Country

Highway 28: Central Adirondacks

NY 28 · Old Forge → Blue Mountain Lake

Leisurely34 mi50 min1,900 ft climbHigh point ≈ 2,000 ftOne way
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The drive

Highway 28 is the main road through the central Adirondacks, and this stretch is its lake country. It starts in Old Forge, the park's western gateway, and runs northeast beside the Fulton Chain of Lakes, the string of numbered lakes that runs from Old Forge Pond up to Eighth Lake, through Inlet and Eagle Bay.

Past Eighth Lake, with its state campground right on the highway, the road passes south of Raquette Lake and carries on through deep forest to the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake, where the drive ends. The Adirondack Experience, the museum on Blue Mountain Lake, sits just up Highway 30 from there, on a hillside above the water.

It's an easy road with long, gentle curves and the lakes beside it for much of the way, part of the Central Adirondack Trail scenic byway. The Highway 30 drive north to Long Lake and Tupper Lake starts where this one ends.

Along the way

  1. Old Forge
  2. Inlet
  3. Blue Mountain Lake
Elevation
1,900 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 2,000 ft
Old ForgeBlue Mountain Lake
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
Old ForgeBlue Mountain Lake
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Eighth Lake State Campground sits right on Highway 28 between Inlet and Raquette Lake, with a sand beach and a boat launch.
  • Deer and moose are most active from October through December and at dawn and dusk, New York's DMV and DEC warn.
  • The Adirondack Experience museum is seasonal, open from late May into fall.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check 511NY.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from Old Forge to Blue Mountain Lake on Highway 28?

Highway 28 from Old Forge through Inlet to Blue Mountain Lake is 34.2 miles and takes about 50 minutes without stops.

What lakes do you see on Highway 28 from Old Forge?

Highway 28 follows the Fulton Chain of Lakes, from Old Forge Pond to Eighth Lake, passes south of Raquette Lake and ends at Blue Mountain Lake.

Is Highway 28 in the Adirondacks a scenic byway?

Yes. This part of Highway 28, from Old Forge through Inlet and Raquette Lake to Blue Mountain Lake, is part of the Central Adirondack Trail scenic byway.

Is Highway 28 from Old Forge to Blue Mountain Lake twisty?

No. It's a leisurely drive with mostly gentle curves and about 1,900 feet of climbing; the lakes and forest are the reason to go.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Highway 28: Central Adirondacks, from Old Forge to Blue Mountain Lake