New York State Route 86

New York State Route 86 (NY 86) is a 39.11-mile (62.94 km) long state highway located within Adirondack Park in northern New York, in the United States, linking Franklin County to Essex County. The western terminus of the route is at NY 30 in the hamlet of Paul Smiths. The eastern terminus is at NY 9N in Jay. Although largely a two-lane road, NY 86 is one of only two east–west highways in the High Peaks area of the Adirondack Park (the other being NY 73), providing a major link between hamlets and tourist destinations.

NY 86 was established in the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, largely replacing a realigned NY 3. North of Saranac Lake, NY 86 initially followed modern NY 186 before being rerouted onto its modern alignment. The portion of NY 86 north of Harrietstown was once NY 192.

Route description

NY 86 begins at NY 30 in Paul Smiths, Franklin County. The route heads east through the town of Brighton, providing mountain views of Adirondack Park. After passing through the tiny communities of Easy Street and Gabriels and traversing the southern edge of Paul Smiths College, NY 86 turns south to serve Harrietstown, where it meets NY 186 at the hamlet of the same name. NY 86 continues southward to Saranac Lake, the largest community on NY 86 in Franklin County. Moving through Saranac Lake, the business and tourism anchor for the area, NY 86 is well marked, but follows local roads to an intersection with NY 3 in the village center. The routes briefly overlap before splitting at the northern edge of Lake Flower.