Kettle Pond Writers' Conference

Getting to Kettle Pond

The easiest means of travel to Paul Smith’s College is by car and the campus is located within a few hours drive of most locations in the northeast. Travel by bus to Paul Smith’s campus from Boston, New York, and Philadelphia is available once daily. Travel by air or train to the region is also available, though we strongly encourage writers to plan their travel well in advance as public transit schedules to the immediate area are limited as is space on shuttles to and from the Residency from Plattsburg, New York. Campus shuttles are only available on Registration & Check-out days, and will need to be reserved ahead of time. Shuttles are $75 each way per writer.

By Car

For GPS*, Paul Smith’s College address is: 7777 NY-30, Paul Smiths, NY 12970. Writers in the region who do not own a car, or who wish to carpool to offset the cost of driving, should contact conference staff directly. We will make every effort to connect admitted writers interested in ride-sharing, and have found this typically works out quite well, but do not facilitate these arrangements ourselves.

*Please note that cell phone service is limited in the region. Writers traveling by car should make sure to download or print out driving directions in advance to ensure a smooth trip.

By Air

The closest airport to Paul Smith’s college is the tiny, beautiful Adirondack Regional Airport in Saranac Lake, New York, less than a fifteen minute drive from campus. Adirondack Regional Airport is served by two daily flights in the summer season, though flights are only available from Boston Logan International Airport via Cape Air. Writers considering booking flights to Saranac Lake should keep in mind these flights will likely be on a 9-seat Cessna 402C before making their travel decisions. This mode of travel is either a feature or a bug, depending on a writer's enthusiasm for small aircraft. Rental car or cars (extremely limited) are available at Adirondack Regional for writers interested in having access to a car during the week though we suspect rentals must be made in advance given limited availability. Shuttles to campus will also be available from Adirondack Regional Airport for a nominal fee, but must be arranged in advance.

The closest regional airports are Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, New York, or Burlington International Airport in Burlington, Vermont. Plattsburgh International is roughly an hour’s drive from campus; Burlington is roughly two hours away and involves a short, beautiful ferry ride across Lake Champlain (this is a cheap, commuter, car ferry and runs regularly 24 hours a day; reservations are neither required nor accepted). Writers should ensure their GPS is set to take them through the Grand Isle, VT ferry terminal (service to Plattsburgh, NY), other Lake Champlain ferry terminals have much more infrequent service. A limited number of seats on conference shuttles will be available from Plattsburgh but must be arranged in advance, and are dependent on arrival time. Writers arriving in Burlington should plan to either rent a car or arrange a ride share with another writer traveling to Kettle Pond via northern Vermont.

The closest major airport is Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, roughly a three hour drive from campus. Albany International in Albany, New York and Syracuse Hancock are midsize airports also roughly three hours away. Please note that Kettle Pond is currently unable to offer shuttle service to campus from these locations. Writers will need to arrange their own travel to campus.

Bus & Train Service

From Boston:

Bus service to Paul Smith’s campus is available once daily from Boston on Greyhound (transfer in Albany, NY). Train service from Boston to Paul Smith’s is not currently available.

From NYC:

Bus service to Paul Smith’s campus is available once daily from the Port Authority in New York City on New York Trailways (transfer in Albany, NY). New York Trailways also honors Greyhound tickets.

Train service from Penn Station to Saratoga Springs, NY, with a transfer to Greyhound to Paul Smith’s is also possible on Amtrak (though it is more time consuming than taking the bus the whole way). Alternatively writers may take Amtrak to Plattsburgh directly from Penn Station, roughly a one hour drive from Paul Smith’s campus. Rental cars are available in Plattsburgh and shuttles to campus will be available from Plattsburgh but must be arranged in advance.

From Philadelphia:
Bus service to Paul Smith’s campus is available once daily from Philadelphia on Greyhound (transfer in Albany, NY).

Train service to Albany from Philadelphia is available via a transfer at Penn Station in New York City, with a second transfer to Greyhound serving Paul Smith’s in Saratoga Springs, NY (see information above on travel from NYC), is also possible on Amtrak. Alternatively writers may take Amtrak to Plattsburgh directly from Philadelphia, roughly a one hour drive from Paul Smith’s campus. Rental cars are available in Plattsburgh and shuttles to campus will be available from Plattsburgh but must be arranged in advance.