You're standing on the Burlington waterfront, looking west across Lake Champlain. Those jagged blue peaks in the distance? That's the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. It looks close. It feels like you could almost touch it. But getting from Burlington to Lake Placid is a weirdly deceptive journey that catches a lot of people off guard.
It’s only about 50 or 60 miles as the crow flies.
In reality, you’re looking at a two-hour commitment, give or take, depending on whether you're a "scenic route" person or a "let's just get there" person. Most visitors think they can just zip across a bridge. They can't. Lake Champlain is a massive geographical barrier that dictates every single move you make on this trip.
Honestly, the way you choose to cross that water defines your entire day.
The Lake Champlain Ferry vs. The Crown Point Bridge
If you’re heading from Burlington to Lake Placid, you have two real choices. You either take the ferry or you drive all the way south to the bridge.
Let's talk about the ferry first. Most people take the Grand Isle-Plattsburgh ferry. It’s run by the Lake Champlain Transportation Company. It’s consistent. It runs 24/7. You drive your car onto a boat, get out, smell the lake air for 15 minutes, and then drive off in New York. It’s efficient, but it’s not exactly "Burlington." You have to drive about 25 minutes north of the city to Gordon Landing on Grand Isle to catch it.
The "classic" way—the one that feels like a real vacation—is the Charlotte-Essex ferry.
This one is seasonal. Don't show up in January expecting to sail; the lake freezes, or the ice floes make it impossible. But in the summer? It’s arguably the most beautiful part of the whole trip. You drive south from Burlington to Charlotte (pronounced shar-LOT), roll onto the boat, and spend 20 minutes crossing over to Essex, New York. Essex is this tiny, preserved 19th-century village that looks like a movie set.
Wait. There’s a catch.
✨ Don't miss: Hotel Gigi San Diego: Why This New Gaslamp Spot Is Actually Different
If you miss the boat, you’re sitting there for an hour. And it’s more expensive than the bridge, which is free.
The Lake Champlain Bridge at Crown Point is the "land" route. Well, it's a bridge, but you don't have to worry about schedules. From Burlington, you head south on Route 7, cut over to Addison, and cross into New York. It adds mileage. It adds time. But if you have a dog that hates boats or a tight budget, this is your play. It’s about a 90-minute drive just to get to the New York side of the lake this way.
Navigating the Adirondack Backroads
Once you hit the New York side, the terrain changes instantly. Vermont is rolling hills and dairy farms. The Adirondacks are raw, vertical, and dense.
From the Essex ferry, you’ll likely take NY-22 to NY-9N. You’re going to pass through places like Westport and Elizabethtown. This isn't highway driving. It's "keep your eyes on the road because a deer might jump out" driving. You’ll start to see the signs for the High Peaks. The road begins to twist.
You’ll eventually hit Route 73.
This is the artery of the Adirondack Park. It’s incredibly famous among hikers because it passes the trailheads for Giant Mountain, Cascade, and Porter. On a Saturday morning in the fall, this road is a nightmare. You’ll see hundreds of cars parked along the shoulder—sometimes illegally—as hikers swarm the trails.
The "Cascade Pass" section of Route 73 is the dramatic climax of the drive from Burlington to Lake Placid. The cliffs of Cascade Mountain tower over you on the left, while the Lower and Upper Cascade Lakes pressed right against the road on the right. It feels alpine. It feels huge.
Then, suddenly, the trees clear, and you see the Olympic Ski Jumps.
🔗 Read more: Wingate by Wyndham Columbia: What Most People Get Wrong
The Olympic Legacy and What to Do When You Arrive
Lake Placid isn't a normal mountain town. It hosted the Winter Olympics twice—1932 and 1980. That history isn't just in museums; it’s the literal architecture of the town.
When you roll into the village from the Burlington side, the first thing you see are those massive 90-meter and 120-meter ski jumping towers. They look like giant concrete slides for giants. You can actually take an elevator to the top of the 120-meter tower. If you have vertigo, maybe skip it. If not, the view of the High Peaks is the best in the region.
Main Street in Lake Placid is a tight, one-way-ish loop around Mirror Lake.
Note the name: Mirror Lake. Not Lake Placid.
The actual Lake Placid is a much larger, colder body of water just to the north. Most of the shops, the famous "Miracle on Ice" rink (the Herb Brooks Arena), and the restaurants are clustered around Mirror Lake. It's walkable. It's crowded. It’s expensive.
If you’re hungry after the drive, Big Slide Brewery is usually the go-to for a "local" vibe that isn't as tourist-heavy as the spots right on Main Street. They do a lot of farm-to-table stuff that rivals what you’d find back in Burlington.
Misconceptions About the Trip
People think they can do a "quick" day trip.
You can, but you’ll spend four to five hours of it in a car or on a boat. To really do the Burlington to Lake Placid run justice, you have to embrace the slow pace. If you try to rush it, you’ll get stuck behind a log truck on a two-lane road in Jay, New York, and lose your mind.
💡 You might also like: Finding Your Way: The Sky Harbor Airport Map Terminal 3 Breakdown
Another thing: Cell service.
As soon as you cross the lake, your bars will drop. The Adirondack Park is a six-million-acre "Blue Line" zone with strict utility regulations. There are massive dead zones between Elizabethtown and Lake Placid. Download your Google Maps for offline use. Seriously. If you rely on a live stream for navigation, you’re going to end up in a gravel pit in Lewis.
Also, watch your gas tank.
In Burlington, there's a gas station on every corner. In the Adirondacks, once you leave the ferry port, you might go 20 miles without seeing a pump. Most of the small-town stations close early.
The Seasons Change Everything
Winter is a different beast.
The Burlington to Lake Placid drive in February requires snow tires. Not "all-seasons." Snow tires. Route 73 through the Wilmington Notch gets icy, dark, and narrow. The wind whipping off Lake Champlain during the ferry crossing can be brutal—we’re talking 30mph gusts that will rock your SUV on the deck.
But autumn? Fall is why this route exists.
The Adirondack maples turn red about a week or two before the Champlain Valley oaks and birches do. You get this weird time-travel effect where you leave Burlington and it's still green, and by the time you're climbing into the High Peaks, the world is on fire with orange and crimson.
Actionable Steps for Your Trip
If you're planning this journey tomorrow, here is exactly how to execute it for the best experience:
- Check the Ferry Schedule first. Go to the Lake Champlain Transportation Company website. See if the Charlotte-Essex ferry is running. If it isn't, prepare to drive north to Grand Isle or south to Crown Point.
- Bring $20-$30 in cash. While the ferries take cards now, their systems occasionally go down in the middle of the lake. Having cash saves you from a very awkward conversation with the deckhand.
- Download offline maps. The "Northway" (I-87) and the mountain passes are notorious for dropped calls.
- Time your arrival. If you're visiting Lake Placid on a weekend, arrive before 10:00 AM. Parking in the village is a nightmare. There's a large public lot behind Main Street near the Olympic Center, but it fills up fast.
- Pack layers. It is consistently 5 to 10 degrees colder in Lake Placid than it is in Burlington. That lake breeze in Vermont is nothing compared to the mountain air at 1,800 feet of elevation.
The drive from Burlington to Lake Placid is a transition from the polished, collegiate vibe of Vermont to the rugged, wilderness-first atmosphere of New York’s largest park. It’s a short distance, but a massive change in scenery. Enjoy the boat ride—it’s the best part.