A few hours and a few dollars will get you there and back. 'There' in this case is Westport, N.Y. reached in a couple of hours for about $25 from the Saratoga Springs station aboard Amtrak's Adirondack train. What's special about this trip is that you get to see an interesting swath of Washington County in a relaxed, between lunch and dinner, excursion. That's what Gwenne and I did earlier this summer and here I'll give you an overview of an experience I think you'd enjoy.
The Adirondack route goes from New York City to Montreal and back. Northbound it is scheduled to arrive in Saratoga at 12:35pm and at the Westport station at 2:36pm. The southbound train pulls into Westport at 3:46pm and Saratoga at 6:00pm. If you are willing to hang out in Westport for an hour or so you can make the scenic trip up and back in less than six hours.
The journey begins with a drive to the end of Station Lane off West Avenue in Saratoga. There is plenty of parking and the station has rest rooms as well as indoor and outdoor seating. I believe you can buy tickets there but it might be a good idea to get them online ahead of time. Be ready to board when the train pulls in from the south. Initially we sat in seats with our backs to the direction of travel. Ugh! I felt disoriented as soon as we began moving. Best bet is the dining car where you can face the way the train is going and easily chat with other folks.
The first part of the route is thru the Saratoga County sand plains on up to the hamlet of Gansevoort. We swooped by the Stewarts Shop where I've been known to sit with an ice cream cone watching trains go by! Gansevoort is the site of many of my boyhood misadventures so there was sweet nostalgia as we rolled past places where I swam, biked, played ball and hung out with my buds. After a short stretch of farm fields you'll notice the train beginning to slow. Be ready for the Hudson River/Rogers Island crossing and a quick stop at the classic Fort Edward station. The station is unmanned but beautiful inside and out. A number of businesses have come and gone here down thru the years but it currently sits empty.
Just beyond Fort Edward is an industrial area and the large complex where PCB dredgings from the Hudson River were processed and loaded on freight cars to go God knows where. Beyond that the tracks parallel the Champlain Canal and go thru swampy areas that mark the divide between the Hudson and the St. Lawrence watersheds. This is probably the highest point on the trip but you would never guess it. The Empire State Trail parallels the tracks to the left. The train continues north past Smiths Basin which used to have a cute station of its own (long since torn down) and on up to Fort Ann, once a bustling stop but now just a blur as you speed by. The tracks cross Halfway Brook where it joins Wood Creek/Champlain Canal and squeeze into a narrow gap of Adirondack rock with Battle Hill off to the left and the canal on the right. Here you are traveling thru the scene of a fierce skirmish between the British and American forces in the Revolution. Going farther back in time (way farther) this was where glacial meltwaters (and later seawater) were backed up into the Champlain lowlands as the ice receded. At times all the drainage from the Great Lakes roared thru this narrow gap!
A long straight run down the Wood Creek valley brings you to Whitehall. The Adirondacks rise to the left and the Taconic hills are on the right. In Whitehall tracks branch off towards Vermont and a scenic gap in the high Taconics before terminating in Burlington. This line is called the Ethan Allen and would be a fun alternative but the schedule requires an overnight stay with a return the following day.
After a brief stop in Whitehall the Adirondack continues north past Putts Rock and East Bay, soon crossing the inlet to South Bay. From here the tracks lie close to the marshy margins of the Lake Champlain Narrows with the rugged cliffs of Bald Mountain to the right. They are in Vermont but geologically part of the Adirondacks. Names like Dresden Station and Putnam Station speak of a time when the train used to stop but now it's on to Ticonderoga where there's a small trackside shelter that seems to be in the middle of nowhere although the Fort and a ferry to Vermont are nearby. Just before this stop the train hugs the steep slopes of Mt. Defiance and crosses the wetlands at the mouth of Ticonderoga Creek, Lake George's outlet. Look for a view of Fort Ticonderoga across the water.
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Continuing North the tracks cling so close to the lake shore that you can look down and see fish swimming. Rafts of various waterfowl also add interest. I remember a short stop in Port Henry and Lake Champlain becoming much broader with distant views of the Green Mountains across the water. There are rock cuts so tight you feel you could reach out and touch the walls and I even recall a short tunnel. Eventually the rails pull away from the lake and after stretch of hilly pasture and farm fields the iconic Westport depot comes into view. Time to say goodbye to the friends you've made on the trip up and await the southbound train and new friends.
The Westport Station is home to the appropriately named Depot Theatre which puts on several productions over the summer. With a little planning you could ride up, get something to eat, watch a show and spend the night in town before catching the next days train back. You might also check out The Mill, a recently renovated former grist mill that now houses an art gallery, music venue, bar and cafe. It would probably require an overnight stay. Across the street is the Adirondack Food Hub, a convenient place for refreshments during the hour between trains for those doing a quick one day up and back.
On our trip Gwenne opted for a brisk stroll downtown to a bookstore and a cup of coffee. I stretched my legs with a walk along the tracks (probably a no-no) and then hung out at the depot reading, talking to fellow travelers and taking in the view. It seemed like a mere blink before the southbound chugged to a stop and we hopped on.
A few observations: I would advise sitting on the east side going up and the west side on the return for slightly different views. Avoid the backward facing seats. There were plenty of open seats in the dining car on our jaunt and it's a socially fun place to be with people talking, playing games and antsy kids having a good time. So much more relaxing than driving or flying. There is food and drink available but you might do better bringing your own. This time of year the end of the trip will be after dark but stick season does offer more open views. Probably the ideal time would be a warm day during fall foliage season but, like most things in life, 'just do it' makes the most sense. Also, you could just as easily start the trip in Fort Edward, shaving a few minutes and a few dollars. Whether in Fort Edward or Saratoga, you'll be ready for a bite to eat after your fun adventure with lots of local dining options. Beyond that, all I can say is "All aboard!"
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