Once part of Montgomery County, Herkimer County offers a picturesque swatch of Adirondack Park that is largely wild and mountainous and fills more than half of its northern region. There is a collection of towns along Interstate 90 and the Mohawk river in its lower region. Between Albany to its east and Syracuse to its west, Herkimer County is the longest county in upstate New York at 83 miles from its northern to its southern border.
Herkimer County is more than picturesque territory surrounding I-90 to pass along your way east to Albany or west to Buffalo. Herkimer County is famous in its own right. It is most known for the quartz crystals first discovered in Little Falls that are now called Herkimer Diamonds even though they can also be found in next-door Fulton and Montgomery counties. Believed to be 500 million years old, Herkimer Diamonds are more rare than other quartz crystals because they are double-pointed, which is possible because they formed at relatively low temperatures while free-floating in clay.
You can dig for your own at the Herkimer Diamond Mines and KOA Kampgrounds. Or you can stay at The Herkimer Diamond Mines Resort and select the Herkimer Diamond you want at its jewelry, rock and gem store. The KOA Kampground boasts 50 camp service sites for motor homes and recreational vehicles along a creek filled with West Canada trout.
Herkimer Diamond Mines
4601 State Route 28
Herkimer, NY 13350
315-717-0175 (weekdays)
315-891-7355 (weekends and evenings)
herkimerdiamond.com
More than double the size of Yosemite and Yellowstone State Parks combined, Adirondack Park offers 2.5 million acres of state-owned terrain intermingled with 3.5 million acres of privately owned land. The Park extends into eleven different counties in eastern Upstate New York and includes the two-time host of the Winter Olympic, Lake Placid; but Herkimer County's section of the park boasts virtually untouched land across the horizon with many trails to hike or bike. Much of the park's terrain in Herkimer County is rugged. Most of its trails are not for novices.
Enjoying the Adirondack Mountains in Herkimer County will let you lose yourself in your surroundings. From Herkimer off of I-90, take Route 28 (which travels through neighboring Oneida county) directly into the Park in northern Herkimer County. Or take Route 8 from Route 28 for the lower part of the Park.
The State-run Adriondack Park Agency Visitor Interpretive Centers offer free and low-cost public programming where you can learn about the Park's natural resources. (See Resources).
Adirondack Park Agency
PO Box 99
1133 NYS Route 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977
apa.state.ny.us
While it became an island only after locks were built so that boats could travel past 40-ft. falls, Moss Island is a National Natural Landmark popular with rock climbers. It boats rock formations created by "glacial potholes" that have left a cliff made of the same rock as the Adirondack Mountains. To climb, you will need a permit, which can be bought at Town Hall during the week or at the Fire Station on the weekends. There are almost 120 routes along the cliff, some of which are for novices. From I-90 Exit 29A, take a left on Route 5S, and then a right on the Flint Avenue Extension to got to Town Hall at 478 Flint Avenue Ext. To get to the falls from Town Hall, follow the Flint Avenue Extension past Town Hall, make a left on Towpath Lane, and a right on Route 167. Follow until you cross the first but not the second bridge over the Mohawk River.
Little Falls Town Court
478 Flint Avenue Extension
Little Falls, NY 13365
315-823-1202
town-court.com/getTownCourt.php?courtID=743
