while in NY, you're going to be going through/over/around the high peaks so that will be pretty much enough to see along the way. Saranac Lake & Tupper Lake are beautiful areas. If you want to take the time, you can see the Olympic complexes while in/around Lake Placid. By the time you get to Watertown, the terrain is mostly flat and there is less in terms of scenery. All of it is pretty thinly populated so aside from some tourist traffic while in the Adirondack Park, you shouldn't have to contend with too much.