Getting Oriented

The triangular Leatherstocking region, which includes Montgomery, Schoharie, Otsego, southern Herkimer, Chenango, Broome, Madison, and Oneida counties, is sandwiched between Albany to the east, Syracuse to the west, the Adirondacks to the north, and the Catskill Mountains to the south. The Mohawk, Susquehanna, Chenango, and other, less-important rivers cut through the region, as do several highways. U.S. 20, the longest continuous highway in the country, originated in these parts as the Great Western Turnpike. It runs west–east through the heart of the region. Fewer than 15 mi to the north, Interstate 90 parallels U.S. 20. Defining the region's southern edge is Interstate 88. The north–south Interstate 81 skirts the region on the west, connecting Syracuse (part of the Finger Lakes region) and Binghamton; Route 12 links Binghamton and Utica. Several other north–south routes link Interstate 90 and Interstate 88, including (from east to west) Routes 10, 28, and 8.

The capital region consists of Albany and three smaller cities: Troy, Schenectady, and Saratoga Springs. All are accessible via Interstate 87, which runs north–south the length of the state, and Interstate 90, which runs east to west. Across the Hudson River and a few miles northeast of Albany is Troy. Schenectady, which hugs the Mohawk River, is a few miles northwest of the capital. Traveling north on Interstate 87 gets you to Saratoga Springs.