Route 86 through the Wilmington Notch — the narrow gorge the West Branch of the Ausable River carved between the mountains, one of the loveliest river drives in the Adirondacks.
You're driving into the Wilmington Notch now, and this is one of the prettiest stretches of road in the whole park. That tumbling, boulder-strewn river running alongside you is the West Branch of the Ausable — a famous trout stream — and it's the artist that carved this whole passage. Over thousands of years the Ausable cut down through the rock right here, opening a narrow notch between the mountains just wide enough for the river and this road to squeeze through together.
Keep an eye on the water as you go: rapids, deep green pools, little waterfalls, and slabs of ancient rock. There are pull-offs all along here — fishermen love this river, and so do photographers, especially in the fall when the maples on these steep valley walls turn scarlet and the whole notch glows. This is unspoiled Adirondack country, and there's a reason it looks so wild and untouched, which I'll tell you about in a minute.
Take it slow through the notch; it's a winding two-lane road with the river on one side and rock on the other. Enjoy the river's company. It'll run with you most of the way to Wilmington and the foot of the mountain.
Photo: James St. John · CC BY 2.0
_(Wilmington_Flume,_Adirondack_Mountains,_New_York_State,_USA)_1_(20103219455).jpg){kind=link}