[3] The town is inside the Adirondack Park and contains the Lake Harris Campground.

The town lies in an area historically claimed by both Iroquois and Algonquian tribes, and was on the frontier between colonial New York and New France.

Most of the early industry was devoted to harvesting lumber until the discovery of large iron ore deposits.

Theodore Roosevelt was informed of the impending death of President William McKinley in September 1901 while hunting and hiking in the town.

The northern part of the western town line is the border of Hamilton County.

The western section of the northern town boundary is the border of Franklin County.

Newcomb has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm summers coupled with cool nights and cold, snowy winters with seasonal snowfall averaging 104.9 inches (266 centimeters).