15 Incredible Scenic Drives New York State Has to Offer

Today I’ll be giving you my list of the 15 best scenic drives in New York and these are all stunning places I’ve personally gone through, in some cases multiple times.
Although I live in NYC, I’ve discovered that the further you go outside of it, the more beautiful the scenic drives get and that’s why a majority of this list covers places throughout the state in general instead of just the city.
Here is a list of the 15 best scenic drives in NY:
- Palisades Parkway
- Hudson Valley Drive
- Interstate 87
- Road 9N Lake George
- Road 23 Catskills
- Road 9 Adirondacks
- Road 14 and 96A in Finger Lakes
- High Peaks Scenic Byway
- Road 73 in the Adirondacks
- Henry Hudson Drive
- 7 lakes drive at Harriman State Park
- Hawks Nest scenic drive
- Route 44 near Lake Minnewaska
- West Side Highway
- FDR Drive
Palisades Parkway (it’s a great upstate NY scenic drive):

- Recommended route: Start at the GW Bridge and head towards Bear Mountain State Park
- Distance: 50 miles
Hudson Valley Drive (another awesome upstate NY drive):

- Recommended route: Start in upper NYC and head towards Bear Mountain Bridge
- Distance: 40 miles
- Bear Mountain State Park.
- Harriman State Park.
- Bear Mountain Bridge (the photo from above).
- Croton Gorge State Park.
- Hudson Highlands State Park.
- Anthony’s Nose trail.
Interstate 87 from NYC to Canada:

- Recommended route: Start in exit 14 on I87 and head towards the Canadian Border
- Distance: 300+ miles
- The Catskill Mountains
- The Adirondacks
- Ausable Chasm
- Mohonk Preserve
- Lake Minnewaska
- Widow Jane Mine
Road 9N (the Lake George scenic drive):

- Recommended route: From Saratoga Springs to Hague
- Distance: 50 miles
Road 23 into the Catskills:

- Recommended route: Start in Palenville and head towards Lexington NY
- Distance: 50+ miles
- Tannersville
- Hunter
Road 9:

- Location: From Poke o Moonshine Mountain to Plattesburgh NY
- Distance: 70+ miles.
Road 14 in Finger Lakes NY:

- Recommended route: Start in Watkins Glen and head north towards the end of Seneca Lake
- Distance: 70 miles
High Peaks Scenic Byway:

- Recommended route: Start in the town of Underwood and head towards Lake Placid
- Distance: 40 miles
Road 73:

- Recommended route: Road 73 is amazing and is actually the same Highpeaks scenic byway above, so 8 and 9 on this list are the same thing. Sorry for the mistake.
- Distance: 40+ miles
Henry Hudson scenic drive:

- Recommended route: Start in Fort Lee Historic Park (south of the GW Bridge) and head towards Palisades Interstate Park
- Distance: 20 miles
Seven Lakes Scenic Drive at Harriman State Park:

- Recommended route: This is the main drive inside Harriman State Park
- Distance: 30 miles.
Hawks Nest:

- Recommended route: Begin at the Hawk’s Nest lookout, then drive north to Shohola
- Distance: 10 miles
Route 44 near Lake Minnewaska:

- Recommended route: This drive is in upstate NY right outside Lake Minnewaska.
- Distance: 10 miles
West side highway:

- Recommended route: Start at Battery Park and head all the way to the GW Bridge
- Distance: 40 miles
FDR drive:

- Recommended route: It also begins in Battery Park but because it’s on the eastern side, it goes around the other end of the island (it also circles back to the GW Bridge like the west side highway).
- Distance: Also 40 miles