Sometimes the Long Way Is the Only Right Way

The direct route from Porsche Albany, starting near Clifton Park NY, up to Lake Placid would have been quick, simple, and efficient.

We wanted none of that.

Instead, we chose the twisty backroads on purpose. According to our GPX track, the drive covered roughly 185 miles and stretched to almost five hours of elapsed time. In other words, it took about twice as long as the straightforward highway route.

That was exactly the point.

This drive was never about getting to Lake Placid as fast as possible. It was about enjoying the road, the scenery, and the experience of driving some wonderful cars the way they were meant to be driven.

The Crew and the Convoy

Our little convoy consisted of myself, Pat, David, Kevin, and Jen.

The cars were just as much a part of the story as the people. I was in SKPR, my Racing Yellow 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 aka SKPR. Pat and David were in their white Boxster named Sweet Pea. Kevin and Jen did not bring their red Cayenne so they had rented an SUV.

It was a great mix.

The Boxsters felt perfectly at home on the tighter, curvier roads, while the SUV added its own kind of confidence and presence. More than anything, the small group size made the day work beautifully. No chaos, no pressure, no giant parade to manage. Just friends, cars, and a route built for people who still believe the best drives are the ones that take the longest.

A Big Thank You to Porsche of Clifton Park

Before we ever pointed the cars toward Lake Placid, a big thank you goes to Porsche of Clifton Park for taking delivery of our Porsches and giving them some TLC before we picked them up.

That made the whole trip easier. The cars were waiting for us, cleaned up, looked after, and ready to head north. For a group coming in from out of town for Porsche Parade, that kind of help matters. It took a big logistics headache off the table and let us get straight to the good part: friends, backroads, and a convoy of Porsches headed for Lake Placid.

They helped set the tone for the whole day before we even left the parking lot.

Rolling Out from Clifton Park

We left from the Porsche Albany area near Clifton Park, and immediately committed to the scenic plan.

Instead of taking the fast and obvious path north, our GPX track shows us working our way through eastern New York on smaller roads and backroads, threading through places like Greenwich, Cambridge, and Granville before crossing into Vermont near Poultney and Lake St. Catherine.

That early part of the drive set the tone perfectly. The scenery kept changing just enough to stay interesting. Farms gave way to wooded stretches. Open views turned into tighter corridors of trees. The roads rolled, dipped, and curved in a way that kept everyone engaged. This was not point-and-shoot highway driving. This was the kind of route where you stay connected to the car and to the road the whole time.

The Only Stop: Lunch at Lake St. Catherine

Other than lunch, we really did not stop.

Our one real pause in the day came near Lake St. Catherine at Cones Point Country Store and The Cluckin’ Cafe, where we grabbed lunch and took our group photo.

That made the stop more memorable, because it was the only time all day that we were out of the cars long enough to document anything. The rest of the day was exactly what we had hoped it would be: continuous driving with spectacular scenery unfolding through the windshield.

No scenic overlooks. No photo sessions every twenty minutes. No wandering around trying to make the drive into something it was not.

The drive itself was the attraction though Pat did snap this photo of the Skipper and shared it with me.

Bunker Hill Rd: The Dusty Surprise

One of the most fun and unexpected highlights of the route was Bunker Hill Rd.

If you have ever planned a proper backroads drive, you know there is always a chance the route will throw in a surprise. In our case, that surprise came in the form of an unpaved dirt and gravel section that instantly added a little extra adventure to the day.

Bunker Hill Rd was not some wild off-road ordeal, but it was enough to dust up the cars and make us grin. There was something genuinely fun about watching a convoy of Porsches tackle a twisty gravel stretch with zero drama. The Boxsters stayed composed, the SUV looked completely at home, and the whole section quickly became one of those moments that everyone remembers.

A little dust only made the story better.

Vermont Backroads and Big Scenery

After the lunch stop near Lake St. Catherine, we kept moving north through Vermont, continuing the scenic rhythm of the day.

The route had that wonderful backroads variety that makes a drive feel like it has chapters. Some sections were tight and tree-lined. Others opened up with broader views of the countryside. The roads never felt repetitive. They kept asking for just enough attention to stay fun without ever becoming tiring.

That is what made this drive so satisfying. It was not a single headline road or one famous stretch. It was the cumulative effect of curve after curve, town after town, and constantly changing scenery. By the time we started angling back toward New York, it already felt like the drive had delivered far more than a simple transfer up to Lake Placid ever could.

The Plot Twist: Back Into New York, Then Backtracking to Port Henry

Near the end of the trip, the day threw us one more surprise.

After re-entering New York from Vermont, we ran into unexpected road closures caused by a very nasty motorcycle accident. At that point, the carefully planned route abruptly stopped being an elegant scenic drive and became a real-world exercise in patience and adaptation.

What mattered most was that we handled it safely, stayed together, and kept the mood of the day intact.

There was no dramatic shortcut. We had to safely turn around and backtrack all the way to Port Henry before we could finally point the cars back toward Lake Placid.

It was frustrating in the moment, of course, but it also became part of what made the drive memorable. Real road trips always have a little unpredictability. Sometimes that means weather. Sometimes construction. Sometimes it means a full reversal of direction just when you think the destination is close.

The Final Run to Lake Placid

Once we got ourselves sorted out near Port Henry, we turned back toward the Adirondacks and made the final push to Lake Placid.

By then, the drive had already become one of those days that sticks with you. We had twisty roads, small towns, changing landscapes, a surprise gravel section, and an unplanned backtracking detour that turned the final miles into even more of an adventure.

Arriving in Lake Placid felt earned.

That is the beauty of taking the long way. The destination matters more because the journey mattered more.

Why This Drive Was Worth Every Extra Mile

The direct route would have been faster. It also would have been forgettable.

Instead, we got a real driving day. We got the kind of route that reminds you why backroads matter. We got a convoy of good friends in great Porsches. We got dust from Bunker Hill Rd, beautiful scenery through New York and Vermont, and one unexpected final twist when the road closure forced us to backtrack through Port Henry before finishing the run into Lake Placid.

Most of all, we got exactly what we were after from the beginning: a drive where the road itself was the experience.

And if you ask me, that is exactly how a trip to Lake Placid should begin.