Located just 13 miles west of Plattsburgh, Dannemora is nestled near the Adirondack Park. First settled around 1838, Dannemora has grown to become a quaint mountainside community.
Experience Dannemora’s charming shops, restaurants and recreational parks, as well as view historic, 19th-century buildings while traveling along the area’s picturesque roads.
The Clinton Correctional Facility, which opened in 1845 with the mandate for inmates to work an iron ore mine owned by the state, is the center of Dannemora. The mining experiment ended in 1877 and the wall was built. For over a century, the facility has played an intricate role in the lives of many local families and for the judicial system in New York State.
Just east are the gothic buildings of Clinton Annex, which opened in 1899 as the Dannemora State Hospital for inmates who were declared insane after trial. Closed in 1972, it is now a separate correctional facility.
The Adirondack Mountains, lakes and forests surrounding Dannemora all offer magnificent scenery and a wide range of year-round Adirondack Coast outdoor sports and recreation.
Explore Chazy Lake, located 5 miles west of Dannemora. There, you can enjoy a relaxing day of Adirondack Coast swimming, fishing and paddling at Chazy Lake Beach. The Chazy Lake Boat Launch, located off Route 374, provides easy access for boaters at the northwest end. Once the water freezes, ice fishing and snowmobiling on Chazy Lake become extremely popular activities.
In addition, a nearby, 3.5-mile hiking trail leads to the open summit of Lyon Mountain. Standing at 3,830 feet, Lyon Mountain dominates the western sky of the Adirondack Coast. The “international” view from the top of Lyon Mountain includes the skyline of Montreal, the Adirondack High Peaks, Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont. It is a steep but rewarding climb to the open summit and its abandoned fire tower. Now classified as a “wild forest,” Lyon Mountain has long been a draw for backcountry skiers and snowshoers.
> Learn more about the Town of Dannemora.
