best route syracuse to lake placid

365 and 8 are quite pretty roads, and not especially hard to follow, and generally in decent repair. There are some grades and (particularly on the eastern end of 8) some rather twisty bits. I've traveled over them many times by car and a couple of times by motorhome. If you go that way, keep an eye out for the "elephant rock" on the south side of route 8 somewhere around Graphite, and maybe also pull off at the Hague Brook access just outside of downtown Hague (as much as there is a downtown) and walk a short trail up to a pretty little waterfall.

Arguably the hardest route to mess up following and the one with the least twisty bits would be I-90 to I-87, but it's not at all direct. A minor modification would be taking NY29 from Fultonville/Fonda to Saratoga Springs and forming a bit of a hypotenuse around Albany and environs.

From SYR, I-81 to Rt 3 /86 is probably the easiest most direct, it's one of those, "you can't get to there from here" type places. While 8 is a decent road, 365 is no better (if as good) as Rt 3, no matter how you go, you're going to have to go on a twisty- turny road somewhere.

I-81, RT 3 (& 3A) to Rt 86 has worked for us for 20+ years. I take Old Military Rd to bypass Lake Placid itself. If we're going to Wilmington, Rt 86 from Placid to Wilmington is narrow in spots.
If we're in the Old Forge region we'll do Rt 28 / Rt 12. If you take the Northway & Rt 73 to Placid it's a longer route.

Edit - I take I-81 to Rt 342 to avoid downtown Watertown. And Harrisville is a speed trap.