Where the motor vehicle rules are looser than in the Forest Preserve
acres of conservation easement open to the public 16
900K+
Working private forest; access can be suspended while logging is under way
The season for gathering
The dirt season runs from after mud season to the first snow, which is why the paid roads publish dates: the Prospect Mountain highway runs 23 May to 11 November and Montezuma’s wildlife drive 1 April to 30 November.
Any gathering on Forest Preserve land of more than twenty people needs a temporary revocable permit from the conservation department, and that is worth arranging early rather than late.
The large expos combine a vendor show, classes and a campground full of real vehicles. Rallies and brand gatherings are smaller and more social. Training weekends and club runs are where you actually drive.
Getting the most from one
The vendor hall is the least useful part.
01Take the classes. They are the best value at any expo.
02Walk the camping area. Owners will tell you what they would do differently.
03Talk to builders in person, and look closely at their work.
04Book camping early. It sells out before day tickets do.
For organizers
List the event with its dates, location, what it costs to attend and a link to register. We will add it to the directory and to the state it happens in.
Questions people ask
Are events worth it for beginners?
They are the quickest education available: a weekend of classes, hundreds of vehicles to look at, and owners who will happily tell you what they would do differently.
How do I add an event?
Use the List your business form and choose Events. Include the dates, the location and a link.
How high is New York?
From Patchogue at 21 feet to Mount Marcy at 5,344.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,0006,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
TannersvilleThe Kaaterskill and North-South Lake approach1,901 ft
Lake PlacidServices and fuel before the Whiteface highway and the High Peaks1,795 ft
Indian LakeThe eastern gate of the Moose River Plains road, by way of Cedar River Road1,747 ft
Old ForgeThe western gateway, and the road in to the Moose River Plains by way of Inlet1,740 ft
Long LakeMid-Park fuel on Route 30, between the Perkins tracts and the north1,674 ft
Tupper LakeLast full services heading west across the Park1,592 ft
NewcombThe Blue Ridge Road approach to the Boreas Ponds tract1,559 ft
Saranac LakeThe largest village in the north-central Park, and the Floodwood Road approach1,544 ft
Cranberry LakeRemote northwest Park, near the Five Ponds country1,495 ft
SalamancaThe gateway to Allegany State Park, the largest in the state system1,379 ft
North CreekUpper Hudson services on the Park’s eastern edge1,033 ft
PhoeniciaCentral Catskills services below Stony Clove Notch826 ft
Watkins GlenThe town for the Finger Lakes National Forest, the only one in the state459 ft
Lake GeorgeThe Prospect Mountain highway and the Lake George Wild Forest roads352 ft
MontaukThe eastern end of the beach fishing permit, open around the year31 ft
PatchogueThe mainland side of Fire Island, where the ferries leave21 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount MarcyThe state high point, in Essex County. The published USGS figure; our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 5,333 ft5,344 ft
Whiteface MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point. No agency publishes a summit figure on a page that opened4,858 ft
Slide MountainThe highest of the Catskills. The Catskill master plan gives 4,180 ft and our own reading agrees exactly4,180 ft
Hunter MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Greene County4,030 ft
Blue MountainOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in Hamilton County3,760 ft
Indian PassOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the High Peaks2,852 ft
Stony Clove NotchOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the Catskill road between Phoenicia and Hunter2,103 ft
Prospect MountainProspect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway2,030 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.