Adirondack Photo Shoot Locations
Picking a spot is the part most people overthink.
You don't have to. Tell me what you're drawn to — water, woods, open sky, somewhere nobody will see you — and I'll tell you where to go. Every place below is somewhere in Clinton, Essex, or Franklin County that I can get to, and most of them you can walk into from the parking lot in under five minutes.
If you're camera-shy, pay attention to the "how private is it" note under each one. That matters more than how pretty a place looks.
(Free travel up to 30 miles from 12952 - A $0.90 charge per mile round trip there after)
Chazy Lake Beach, Dannemora
(Within 30 Miles)
A town beach on the west side of Chazy Lake with a small sandy shoreline, picnic area, and a pavilion. The lake runs north to south through the valley between Lyon and Ellenburg mountains, so you get mountains on both sides of the water. Which is rare for a spot you can park at.
Roughly 5 miles from me. The gate is locked overnight, so this is a daylight location.
Lyon Mountain, NY
The summit is the highest point in Clinton County at 3,830 feet, with a fire tower on top and a 360-degree view Chazy Lake below you, the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east, the High Peaks to the south.
Be honest with yourself about this one. It's 3.4 miles up with 1,900 feet of climbing, and the last stretch is steep switchbacks through spruce and balsam. It's a real hike. But almost nobody books it, so if you want photos nobody else in the North Country has, this is how you get them.
Important: New York State requires a permit for weddings on this land, and they need 30 days. If you want to get married up there, tell me early.
Chateaugay Lake, NY
Two lakes joined by a narrows. Upper Chateaugay is the big one — 2,594 acres, eighteen miles of shoreline, with Moffit Island sitting out in the middle of it. Lower Chateaugay is smaller and quieter.
Most of the shoreline is private camps, so the state boat launch off Route 374 is the reliable public spot. Flat, easy, parking for twenty-five vehicles.
If you own or can borrow a camp on either lake, say so! A private dock at golden hour is one of the best setups in the county and it costs nothing.
Macomb Reservation State Park, Schuyler Falls, NY
Six hundred acres surrounded by more state land, built around Davis Pond and the Salmon River. Beach, easy nature trails, big shade trees, and enough room that you're not photographing around other people.
Open mid-May through Labor Day, $7 per vehicle at the gate. About 26 miles from me, so it's inside the free travel radius for portraits.
Two rentable pavilions at $50 a day if you want somewhere to change, park family, or ride out a rain delay.
Burke Falls, Burke, NY
A sixteen-foot cascade on the Little Trout River, and the reason to go is the rock. Wide flat shelves of it sit up out of the riverbed with water running through the gaps. Franklin County tourism describes them like slabs floating to the top of a soda, which is exactly right.
Short walk in, about two tenths of a mile. Wear something with grip; the rock is slick.
