New York State Route 73

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NY Route 73

Length:

27.60 mi^[1] (44.42 km)

West end:

NY 86 in Lake Placid

East end:

US 9 in Underwood

Counties:

Essex

New York State Routes
< NY 72		NY 74 >

New York State Route 73 is a state highway of modest length contained entirely in Essex County. Its length belies its regional importance, however, as it used by countless visitors each year to get to Lake Placid from the Adirondack Northway (Interstate 87). Despite the circuitous route forced on it by the surrounding Adirondacks, it is the most direct way to the popular resort destination at the heart of the High Peaks Region.

Its east-west orientation is more of an approximation, and near its eastern terminus 73 actually runs in a more north-south direction. But the same terrain that forces the somewhat hairpin-shaped route also makes it one of the most scenic routes in the entire state. There are also some historic sites of note.

1 Route description
2 Communities along the route
3 Major intersections
4 References

[edit] Route description

Route 73 begins near the eastern end of the village of Lake Placid, at a traffic light with NY 86. It heads eastward across what is at first rather level and open country, passing a few motels and fields. Whiteface Mountain, to the north, commands attention even from this distance. To the south is the farm where John Brown lived for a while before his famous raid at Harpers Ferry.

A few bends and turns later, the ski jump built for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games pokes up from the woods. This is also the entrance to the bobsled and luge runs, recently brought back up to international competition standards. During the winter months visitors can ride bobsleds (driven by trained professionals) down the runs themselves for a fee; this is the closest many will get to experiencing the real thing.

Further down 73 passes Adirondack Loj Road, which leads to the popular Adirondack Mountain Club-owned campground that serves as the major gateway to the High Peaks Wilderness Complex and its miles of hiking and cross-country skiing trails. Ahead the road begins to climb slightly in anticipation of the approaching mountains.

The next major attraction, south of the road is the Mount Van Hoevenberg cross-country ski trail network, the 1980 venue for that event. The road's climb, while remaining gentle, becomes more continuous.

A few miles later on, the road levels again in the area known as Cascade Pass. At 2,100 feet (640 m) in elevation, this is the highest point on any state highway in the Adirondacks after the toll road up Whiteface, and one of the highest anywhere in the state.

Cascade, the most accessible of the High Peaks, can be seen ahead, and the trail to its summit begins on the south side of the road near the east end of the pass. A beautiful summer day will always see many cars parked along the road leading up to the trailhead, as this is one of the most popular hikes in the area. The road continues past the two striking Cascade Lakes, which like the mountain and the pass get their name from a waterfall on the mountain side.

Past the lakes 73 begins descending, a bit more sharply than it ascended, and turns in a more northerly direction. This bottoms out in the hamlet of Keene, where NY 9N joins the road from the west.

The multiplex continues for two miles or so, as it briefly resumes a more easterly bearing. Then 9N leaves to the north for Elizabethtown, and 73 begins ascending slightly again and trending to the south as it comes into Keene Valley. Much quieter than Lake Placid, this hamlet is an Adirondack destination in its own right, as it is probably the closest settlement to Mount Marcy, the state's highest mountain. The Garden, another popular trailhead for High Peaks outdoor adventuring, is located here at the end of a residential street.

Up the road, closer to the smaller hamlet of St. Huberts, is the exclusive housing of the Au Sable Club, whose trails are also open to hikers. The road continues climbing past here and eventually reaches another area blessed with dramatic scenery, Chapel Pond and its rocky surrounding cliffs. To the north of the road several trails leave for Giant Mountain, one of the few High Peaks not in the eponymous wilderness area.

73 continues climbing, surrounded on both sides by the unbroken woods of the Forest Preserve. Finally, shortly after it tops out, it leaves the Town of Keene and arrives at its eastern terminus with U.S. 9, less than two miles from the Northway.