Directions
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Driving to Potsdam
Potsdam lies on US Route 11, a major northeast-southwest route along the St. Lawrence valley, around 1.5 hours northeast of Watertown and 2 hours west of Rouses Point. It is around 2 hours drive from Ottawa, 2.5 hours from Syracuse or Montreal, 3 hours from Burlington, VT and 4 hours from Albany, NY.
Coming from Syracuse and the west, visitors should travel via I-81 to Watertown, then take route 11N via Gouverneur.
Coming from New England and the east, travelers can take I-89 past Burlington, VT, to Swanton, VT then via the bridge to Rouses Point, NY, and route 11 to Potsdam. Alternatively, from Burlington, some may prefer to take the more direct Grand Isle-Plattsburgh toll ferry; from Plattsburgh, Potsdam is around two hours via Routes 190 and 11.
Coming from Albany and the south, opinions differ on the best route. However one good route is via I-87 to exit 30, then via a very scenic route through the Adirondacks to Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. From Saranac Lake, travelers should take routes 30, 458 and 11B to Potsdam.
From Malone, Route 11B provides a slightly quicker route to Potsdam than Route 11.
Arriving by bus
Trailways New York operate a bus service from Syracuse and Watertown, which begins from New York City (warning - Potsdam is ten hours from New York City by bus!). The main services are as follows:
Buses from Syracuse airport to/from Potsdam Arrivals Dep. Syracuse airport Arr. Potsdam Departures Dep. Potsdam Arr. Syracuse airport Daily arrivals (not Sun) 7:15 am 10:25 am Daily departures (not Sun) 6:30 am 9:30 am Daily arrivals (not Sun) 5:30 pm 8:35 pm Daily departures (not Sun) 1:05 pm 4:10 pm
Coming to Potsdam by plane
There are three small airports close to Potsdam - Massena, Saranac Lake and Ogdensburg - all of which are served with affordable flights by Cape Air. From Albany (ALB), there are three daily flights to/from Massena (MSS), at the same times Mon-Sun:
Flights from Albany to/from Massena Arrivals Dep. Albany Arr. Massena Departures Dep. Massena Arr. Albany Daily arrivals 10:40 am 11:50 am Daily departures 06:48 am 07:50 am Daily arrivals 01:52 pm 03:02 pm Daily departures 12:20 pm 01:22 pm Daily arrivals 06:23 pm 07:33 pm Daily departures 05:01 pm 06:03 pm
There are also daily flights from Boston (BOS) into Saranac Lake (SLK) - an attractive option for those planning on adding in a weekend in the Adirondacks.
Flights from Boston to/from Saranac Lake Arrivals Dep. Boston Arr. Saranac Lake Departures Dep. Saranac Lake Arr. Boston Daily arrivals 09:05 am 10:44 am Daily departures 06:25 am 07:48 am Daily arrivals 01:05 pm 02:44 pm Daily departures 11:10 am 12:33 pm Daily arrivals 05:15 pm 06:45 pm Daily departures 03:25 pm 04:48 pm
All times given as a courtesy for NERM attendees; please check current schedules with Cape Air before booking.
There are no major international airports close to Potsdam. Many long-distance travelers will drive a rental car from one of the major airports, viz., Ottawa (2 hours drive), Montreal (2.5 hours), Syracuse (2.5 hours), Burlington, VT, (3 hours) or Albany (4 hours). Passports are required for travel via Canada.
- Train
There are no passenger rail connections to Potsdam.
