Adirondack With Kids: Every Stop, Lake Champlain and Border Tips
Yes, you can take the Adirondack to Montreal with kids, and it was running daily in October 2026. The ride takes about 11 to 12 hours from New York to Montreal's Central Station, up the Hudson and then along the west side of Lake Champlain. Kids 2 to 12 pay half fare, everyone needs border documents, and children under 16 who are U.S. or Canadian citizens can use a certified birth certificate instead of a passport. Customs happens right at your seat, but give it up to two hours.
The short version
- One train each way a day. Northbound leaves New York at 8:15 a.m. and pulls into Montreal at 8:16 p.m.
- U.S. or Canadian kids under 16 can cross with a certified birth certificate. Adults need a passport or other approved ID.
- Nobody under 18 crosses the border alone, and Amtrak's unaccompanied minors can never cross.
- Customs happens at your seat: at Lacolle, Quebec going north and at Rouses Point, New York going south.
- Coach only. The café car takes U.S. money and cards, but not Canadian cash.
- Want the lake without the passport? Saratoga Springs to Ticonderoga and back stays in New York.
Adirondack at a glance
- Runs between
- New York (Moynihan Train Hall) and Montreal Central Station (Gare Centrale)
- States
- New York and Quebec
- Distance
- about 381 miles
- End to end
- about 12 hours northbound and 11 hours southbound, border stop included
- Trains
- one each way, every day
- Train cars
- single-level Amfleet coaches and a café car; Coach only, no Business Class
- Upstairs seating
- no upper deck
- Food
- café car; it can close during the border stop and does not take Canadian cash
- Sleeper rooms
- none; seats only
- Bikes
- carry-on bikes only between New York and Rouses Point
- Border
- Canadian check at Lacolle, Quebec (northbound); U.S. check at Rouses Point (southbound)
Look inside the book
Taking the Adirondack to Montreal? Pack Rally with the passports.
It reads in about five minutes, far less time than the border check. Have a look inside.
Rally Takes the Train
Eight pages from the book
Turn the page
That's 8 of 25 pages
See who’s waiting at the station
Grandmommy and Papa are at the last stop. Get the full hand-painted book, $13.99 on Amazon.
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Like it so far? See the full book
25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.
Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.
Do kids need a ticket on the Adirondack?
Fares first, because they're the simple part. The Adirondack uses Amtrak's standard family pricing: half off for ages 2 to 12 traveling with someone 18 or older, and a free lap seat for one baby under 2 per adult. Teens get a perk too. The New York Student Discount (15 percent off coach, ages 13 to 25 with student ID) works on Adirondack trips inside New York and all the way from New York to Montreal or St-Lambert.
Documents for kids
When you book a cross-border trip, Amtrak asks for each rider's date of birth, citizenship and the ID they'll carry, and the ID on the train has to match. U.S. and Canadian citizens under 16 can use a certified birth certificate (the kind with a raised seal), a passport or a passport card. U.S. kids can also use a Consular Report of Birth Abroad or a Naturalization Certificate. Dig out the real documents now: Amtrak doesn't accept copies or expired ones.
Traveling without the other parent? If a child under 18 isn't with both parents, Amtrak recommends a signed letter from the parent who isn't there, giving permission to cross, with addresses and phone numbers. Shared-custody families should carry copies of custody papers, and if a parent has died, a death certificate. Amtrak won't refuse to sell you a ticket without these, but border officers may ask more questions.
Teens riding alone
No one 17 or younger may cross the border without someone 18 or older. The one exception is a 16 or 17 year old citizen or resident going home with a permission letter, and a child 15 or younger may never cross alone. Amtrak's unaccompanied minor program for ages 13 to 15 covers only U.S. trips, with arrival by 9:30 p.m. So a solo young teen could ride the northbound train from New York to Saratoga Springs, but not the southbound train back into New York City, which arrives at 10:15 p.m.
Free for train families
Print the free Adirondack activity book
A stop tracker for all 18 stops, a word search full of Adirondack stops, window bingo, a maze, a ticket to fill in and a page to draw the view. It fits in a folder with a few crayons and weighs nothing in the diaper bag.
Get the free Adirondack activity bookEvery Adirondack stop, from New York City to Montreal
The Adirondack serves 18 stations. Port Kent, New York, the old ferry landing for Burlington, Vermont, is temporarily closed and isn't on the current timetable. St-Lambert is drop-off only going north and pick-up only going south.
New York- New York (Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station)
- Yonkers
- Croton-on-Hudson (Croton-Harmon)
- Poughkeepsie
- RhinecliffLook for: Look up at the 1914 station clinging to a bluff above the Hudson River. Its tall arched windows let in the river light.
- Hudson
- Rensselaer (Albany-Rensselaer)
- Schenectady
- Saratoga Springs
- Fort Edward
- WhitehallLook for: History moment: this town was the first permanent European settlement on Lake Champlain, chartered as Skenesborough in 1765.
- TiconderogaLook for: Fort fans, this is your stop. The platform is just north of historic Fort Ticonderoga and within walking distance of the ferry across Lake Champlain to Vermont.
- Port HenryLook for: Point out the Romanesque-style depot, built in 1888 for the Delaware and Hudson Railway. It still has a small waiting room.
- WestportLook for: Here's a station that's also a playhouse: the Depot Theatre puts on shows every summer inside this fancy 1876 Victorian depot.
- PlattsburghLook for: Look for the red brick Queen Anne depot from 1886, near where the Saranac River runs into Lake Champlain.
- Rouses Point (U.S. customs stop southbound)Look for: Last U.S. stop before Canada. The renovated depot holds a visitors center with history exhibits.
- Saint-Lambert, St-Lambert (drop-off northbound, pick-up southbound)
- Montreal, Gare Centrale (Central Station)
What kids can see from the Adirondack
Lake Champlain, mostly on the right going north
North of Saratoga Springs the train runs between the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Champlain, all the way up to Rouses Point. The lake is east of the tracks, so you'll see it mostly on the right heading north and on the left heading south. One 2026 route guide notes the best side can change by milepost, so if seats open up, move. The lake is 107 miles long and reaches from New York and Vermont up into Quebec.
Look for Champ
Here's one for the window watchers: the lake has its own monster legend. Samuel de Champlain reported a strange creature in 1609, and today “Champ” is the mascot of the Vermont Lake Monsters baseball team. A Vermont Historical Society publication suggests floating logs, big sturgeon or flocks of blackbirds as likely sightings, so in our book, any of those counts as spotting Champ.
The floating railroad bridge
Near Ticonderoga, a “floating” rail trestle once crossed the lake from Larabees Point, Vermont. It was abandoned in 1918 after accidents in which locomotives and rail cars slid into the water. Older kids tend to love a story like that. With a nervous preschooler, you might save it for another day.
Hudson River first
Before the lake, the first three and a half hours follow the Hudson Valley, with the river on the left going north. Amtrak calls this route one of the Top 10 Most Scenic Train Rides in the World, and fall color along the lakeshore in late September and October is the big reason families pick it.
Why it sometimes stops short
The Adirondack has run with New York State support since August 6, 1974, and after a pandemic break it returned to Montreal on April 3, 2023. But in the summers of 2023 and 2024, heat-related speed limits and track work on the Canadian side led Amtrak to cut it back to Albany or Saratoga Springs for weeks. Planning a July or August trip? Check amtrak.com for alerts before you buy.
Where to sit with kids on the Adirondack
Everyone rides Coach on the Adirondack; there's no Business Class. Seats are two and two and first come, first served, so line up early at Moynihan if you'd like your crew seated together.
Heading to Montreal, you'll check in at a desk near the departure gates in New York before boarding. Coming home, Amtrak asks you to be at Montreal's Central Station at least 30 minutes before the 11:10 a.m. departure, or more than an hour early if anyone in your group isn't a U.S. or Canadian citizen.
At the border, officers walk through the cars and check each rider at their seat. Keep everyone's passports or birth certificates in one easy pocket, and wake sleeping kids gently before the officers reach your row. Expect one to two hours of waiting. Southbound, the train is scheduled to sit at Rouses Point for about 70 minutes.
Each seat has a reading light and an outlet, so the tablet can charge while you ride. Carry-on bikes are allowed between New York and Rouses Point, but not across the border.
A folding stroller or car seat rides free in place of a regular bag. Car seats can't be secured to Adirondack seats, so bring one only if you'll be driving after you arrive, and keep the stroller folded while officers work through the car.
Getting your crew side by side on the Adirondack
Book everyone on one reservation. With no Business Class and no seat assignments, a ticket covers a seat but not a particular one. Early is the whole strategy, starting at the Moynihan check-in desk. At the gate, find out if families with young children are boarding first.
Cars filling up? Walk each coach for a pair of empty seats, then try the next one. A seat across the aisle from your kids is a fine stopgap. Look again after each stop.
Before you ask anyone to switch, think about what they'd lose. Past Saratoga Springs, a right-side seat heading north is a lake seat, so don't ask a rider to trade a lake window for an aisle. Ask before they spread out: “I'm traveling with a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old. Is there any chance you'd take this window so we can be together?” Match what they have, and give a cheerful thanks if they'd rather stay.
At the ticket scan, the conductor can tell you which cars have room and get riders to move their things off seats, because a ticket is for one person, not their luggage. Nobody already sitting gets moved. Keep every young child next to an adult, especially at the border, when officers check everyone seated.
The best first Adirondack ride with kids
For a first ride, stay on the U.S. side and let the lake be the treat. These times are from Amtrak's current timetable, so give them a quick check before you ride.
- Saratoga Springs to Ticonderoga and back. Board northbound in Saratoga at 12:35 p.m. and step off at Ticonderoga at 1:52 p.m. You'll have about two and a half hours for Fort Ticonderoga (line up a ride from the platform ahead of time) before the southbound train leaves at 4:35 p.m., back in Saratoga at 6:02 p.m.
- Albany-Rensselaer to Saratoga Springs, about 50 minutes. Leave Albany at 11:45 a.m. and arrive at 12:35 p.m. Spend the afternoon in Saratoga and catch the southbound train at 6:02 p.m., back in Albany at 7:00 p.m.
- Plattsburgh to Westport, about 1 hour, one way. The southbound train leaves Plattsburgh at 2:45 p.m. and reaches Westport at 3:46 p.m., running near the lake for much of the hour. With one train each way crossing at midday, this works best one way, with a car waiting at the other end.
Ready for the whole trip? Go north in the morning so you see Lake Champlain in afternoon light, and let Montreal be the evening arrival.
Food, bathrooms and naps on the Adirondack
The café car sells hot and cold meals, snacks, coffee and other drinks, but it may close during crew breaks and the border stop. It takes U.S. dollars and cards only, not Canadian cash. For a 12-hour day, bring plenty of your own food; you're welcome to eat at your seat.
Each Amfleet coach has a restroom at one end. We found no mention of changing tables on the Adirondack, so pack a roll-up changing pad, and do changes before the border while you can still move around.
Customs is the hard part for small kids, because everyone stays seated during the inspection. Have a fresh diaper, a new snack and a quiet activity ready before Rouses Point or Lacolle, and the wait gets a lot easier.
With an 8:15 a.m. start from New York, there's a good chance a toddler naps through the Hudson Valley and wakes up near Saratoga, right in time for the lake.
For the customs wait, a sheet from our free Rally word search and maze does more than a tablet with a low battery.
A train book for the ride
The arrival page in Rally Takes the Train is the one where Rally's grand-paw-rents stand waving. On the Adirondack, that moment comes after the border, when the train rolls into Montreal in the evening. Save that page for the last half hour and read it as the city lights show up.
During the long wait at customs, a book your kids already know is a comfort. Slip a few printed sheets from our free Rally activity pack (on the coloring pages page) into the document folder, and let the book ride along to Montreal.
Something calm for the customs waitRally's first train ride ends with his grand-paw-rents waving, a nice picture to hold onto at the border. Watercolor pages, ages 0 to 8, $13.99 on Amazon.
Buy on Amazon
More for train families
- Every Amtrak route with kids: find another train by city or station
- The complete guide to Amtrak with kids: tickets, car seats, changing tables, family tables and what to pack by age
- Free Rally activity pack and coloring pages to print before your trip
- Ethan Allen Express with kids
- Empire Service with kids
- Maple Leaf with kids
- Vermonter with kids
Sources
- Amtrak: Adirondack route page
- Amtrak: Adirondack timetable (printed Oct. 12, 2026)
- Adirondack timetable valid from Sept. 12, 2026 (juckins.net)
- Amtrak: Crossing the U.S./Canadian border
- Amtrak: Unaccompanied minors policy
- Amtrak: Passenger discount for children
- Amtrak: New York Student Discount
- Wikipedia: Adirondack (train)
- Wikipedia: Port Kent station
- Wikipedia: Lake Champlain
- Travels With Kev: Amtrak Adirondack schedule, stops and route guide
- American-Rails: Amtrak's Adirondack 2026 guide
- Amtrak: Rhinecliff station
- Amtrak: Whitehall station
- Amtrak: Ticonderoga station
- Amtrak: Port Henry station
- Amtrak: Westport station
- Amtrak: Plattsburgh station
- Amtrak: Rouses Point station
Checked against Amtrak and partner railroad pages in October 2026. Schedules and policies change, so confirm on amtrak.com before you ride.
Adirondack with kids: questions parents ask
Do kids need a ticket on the Adirondack?
Yes, from age 2. Children 2 through 12 ride the Adirondack at half price when a traveler 18 or over is on the booking. Students 13 to 25 with ID can take 15 percent off coach with the New York Student Discount, even all the way to Montreal or St-Lambert. Amtrak also asks for each child's birth date, citizenship and ID details when you book.
Do babies ride free on the Adirondack to Montreal?
Yes. Every adult on an adult fare can carry one baby under 2 for free, and an extra baby, or one given a seat, is charged the child rate. Going to Montreal, even a lap baby needs border papers. U.S. and Canadian citizens under 16 can use an original certified birth certificate or a passport.
Do I need a car seat on the Adirondack?
No. Amtrak can't fasten a car seat to any of its seats, the Adirondack's included. It could go in a vacant seat, but only if that seat isn't needed by a paying rider, and first-come Coach seating makes that iffy. Bring it if you'll drive from Plattsburgh or Montreal. It's free as one of your bags, and it stays in your row through customs.
Are there changing tables on the Adirondack?
We found no mention of them on the Adirondack, and since Amtrak sets no formal rule, plan as if there aren't any. Each Amfleet coach has a restroom at one end. Bring a roll-up changing pad, look for the roomier accessible restroom, and change diapers before the border stop, when everyone has to stay seated.
Where are the bathrooms on the Adirondack?
Every Adirondack coach has a restroom at one end, with a light that tells you when it's in use. Walk little kids there yourself and tell them ahead that the flush is noisy. The big tip on this route: go right before Lacolle heading north or Rouses Point heading south, since everyone stays in their seats during the inspection.
Can I bring a stroller on the Adirondack?
A folding stroller is fine. On the Adirondack it rides free in a regular bag's place, and for a child under 2 it doesn't eat into your two carry-ons. Amtrak sometimes requires jogging and double strollers to be checked, and checked baggage isn't something we could confirm on the Adirondack, so go compact. Keep it folded and out of the aisle while officers walk through.
Can I breastfeed or bottle-feed on the Adirondack?
Yes. Nursing a baby in public is legal in every U.S. state, so feed yours at your Adirondack seat whenever needed. The Adirondack has a café car, not a dining car, so bottles, formula and water come from home. Have a bottle ready before the border check, because the café may close during that stop and a fed baby handles the wait better.
Is there food for kids on the Adirondack?
The café car sells hot and cold meals, snacks, coffee and other drinks. It may close during crew breaks and the border stop, and it takes U.S. dollars and cards only, not Canadian cash. For a day of about 12 hours, pack most of your food from home; you're welcome to eat it at your seat.
How do I keep kids busy on the Adirondack?
Lake Champlain does a lot of the work. After Saratoga Springs, watch the lake on the right heading north and hunt for Champ, the lake's legendary monster; a floating log counts. Earlier, the Hudson fills the left windows. Walk to the café car for a break, grab our free Rally printables, and save Rally Takes the Train for the customs wait.
Where should my family sit on the Adirondack?
Everyone rides Coach, with seats two and two, first come, first served, and no Business Class. To sit together, check in early at the desk near the departure gates in New York. Heading north, the left side has the Hudson, then the right side has Lake Champlain after Saratoga Springs, so move over if seats open after Albany. Every seat has an outlet.
What if we can't sit together on the Adirondack?
Search before you settle. Walk the length of the car for two side-by-side seats, then try the next one. Until one opens, a parent can sit across the aisle, as long as each preschooler has a grown-up beside them. Check again after every stop. Try to sort it out before Lacolle or Rouses Point, since everyone stays seated while officers come through and a young child belongs right beside you.
Can I ask the conductor to help my family sit together on the Adirondack?
Yes. Grab the conductor when tickets are scanned and tell them how many are with you and how old the children are. Ask if there's space in another coach. On the Adirondack they can show you open seats and ask people to pull bags off seats, because one ticket means one seat. They can't force anyone out of a seat, so a friendly trade with the people nearby may be the last step.
Is there a Quiet Car on the Adirondack?
We couldn't confirm a Quiet Car on the Adirondack; the pages we used don't list one for this Coach-only train. If you find one, it's hushed voices only, with phones and screens kept silent, which is tough across a 12-hour day with kids. Headphones are a must for any tablet, and the seat outlets keep them charged up to the border.
What should I pack for kids on the Adirondack?
Start with papers: a passport or original certified birth certificate for each child, all in one folder, plus a signed letter from any parent who isn't coming, and custody papers when parents share custody. Then pack for about 12 hours: real meals, extra snacks, diapers and a changing pad, headphones, a charger for the seat outlet and one quiet activity for customs, like our free coloring pages and train maze.
Can kids sleep on the Adirondack?
There are no sleeper rooms, so naps happen in Coach seats. With an 8:15 a.m. start from New York, a toddler may sleep through the Hudson Valley and wake near Saratoga for the lake. Wake sleeping kids gently before officers reach your row at the border, and plan an early bedtime, since the northbound train reaches Montreal at 8:16 p.m.
What is a good first ride on the Adirondack with kids?
Albany-Rensselaer to Saratoga Springs, about 50 minutes. Leave Albany at 11:45 a.m. and arrive at 12:35 p.m., spend the afternoon in Saratoga, then catch the 6:02 p.m. southbound train, back in Albany at 7:00 p.m. No border, no passports, and a good test of how your kids handle the train before you commit to a full Montreal day.
Can my teenager take the Adirondack to Montreal alone?
Almost never. Amtrak says riders 17 and younger may not cross unless someone 18 or older is with them. The only exception is a 16 or 17 year old citizen or resident heading home with a permission letter. A child 15 or younger may never cross alone, and Amtrak's solo-teen service is for trips inside the U.S. only.
How early should we get to the station for the Adirondack?
In New York, get to Moynihan about 30 minutes early and check in at the desk near the departure gates; at a station that busy, ask whether families with small kids can board first. Coming home, be at Montreal's Central Station at least 30 minutes before the 11:10 a.m. departure, or more than an hour early if anyone isn't a U.S. or Canadian citizen.
What if my child gets nervous at the border on the Adirondack?
Tell them ahead that officers will walk through the car and check everyone at their seats: at Lacolle, Quebec going north, and at Rouses Point going south. Nobody has to get off. Hand over a fresh snack and a page from our free train activity pack, keep your answers calm and short, and share Rally's tunnel page, a dark moment that ends in sunshine.
Is the Adirondack safe for young kids?
Yes. Hold hands on the platform, let the train come to a full stop before anyone steps forward, and keep shoes on. Several Adirondack stops are small depots, like Port Henry with its little waiting room, so wait inside or well back from the tracks. On board, kids stay seated while it's moving and go to the café car with you, never solo.
What if the Adirondack is delayed?
Look at the Amtrak app and any advisories, especially in summer: in 2023 and 2024, heat limits and track work in Canada cut the train back to Albany or Saratoga Springs for weeks. On a normal day, customs alone can take one to two hours, and southbound trains are scheduled to sit at Rouses Point about 70 minutes. Pack extra snacks and diapers.
Do kids need a passport on the Adirondack to Montreal?
Not always. Amtrak's border page lets U.S. and Canadian citizens under 16 show a raised-seal certified birth certificate, a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, or a naturalization or citizenship document, as well as a passport or passport card. Everyone 16 and up needs a passport or another document on Amtrak's approved list. Bring originals, and keep them all in one folder.