Great Trip

[Gary]

Hi I wanted to share a photo taken this past week while camping with two of my grandsons in the Adirondacks. We'd just come in from a bit of late evening fishing. The super moon was full and the light caught the two cedar canvas canoes just right. That's my Chestnut on the left and the other is a UFO I restored as a wedding gift for my oldest daughter. Two nice old canoes being used for what they were made for, making memories!

 

[Dan R.]

Great photo. It looks like a perfect evening for fishing.
I haven't paddled the Adirondacks but have heard from many people that it is a great place. Your photo makes me think, even more, that I should!

 

[ALCEDO ATTHIS]

pour votre objet flottant non identifié, il ressemble à un st Louis Meramec avec ses ponts comme vous pouvez le voir ici
[URL se dérouler="true"]https://woodencanoemuseum.org/decks[/URL]

très joli avec ses demi côtes, j'étais pêcheur par le passé la dernière fois en 2017 mais j'espère pour le futur, je suis à la retraite maintenant depuis trois ans et je veux vendre ma maison pour une autre pour ça, pêche en mer jardinage et plus de pêche en canoë

cette photo a été prise depuis la terrasse de Gégène , typiquement guinguette près de Paris après une partie de pêche , comme vous pouvez le voir les poissons sont là à heures fixes ce sont des "chevaisnes , meuniers" , ils n'y vont qu'aux heures de repas , pour garder quelques frites
désolé, c'est mon premier canoë, mon alu, mon précieux....

 

[Gary]

Hi Dan, Yes you really must try a paddle in the Adirondacks. The scenery is impressive with beautiful mountains (at least for the East they are) and New York State has a first come policy for its campsites and they're free. Being from out of state I was able to purchase a fishing permit for only $10 a day online. All in all a great deal and lots of lakes/rivers/streams to pick from.
This site has some useful info.... https://visitadirondacks.com/camping
Gary

 

[pklonowski]

Just come out for Assembly... and extend your visit, before, after, or both...

 

[Dan R.]

Thanks for the site info Gary! The Paddling Guide looks promising. I only did a quick look but will do some deep diving.

I definitely need to get out for the assembly. I have lots to learn and explore.

 

[Gary]

Hey Dan the assembly is amazing, and lots of nice paddling right there. And plenty of beautiful old canoes to see with lots of great people who share a love for these old craft. Hope to see you there.
Gary

 

[Worth Gretter]

Here is some more info on Adirondack camping. First, as Gary mentioned, the sites (except in campgrounds) are first come. But if you are worried that all the sites may be taken (which can happen in popular areas like Lake Lila or the Raquette River) bear in mind that you can camp anywhere, as long as you follow these rules:

• Camping is prohibited within 150 feet of any road, trail, spring, stream, pond or other body of water except at areas designated by a "Camp Here" disk.
• Groups of 10 or more persons OR stays of more than three days in one place require a permit from the New York State Forest Ranger responsible for the area.
• Lean-tos are available in many areas on a first come first served basis. Lean-tos cannot be used exclusively and must be shared with other campers.

So you can ask someone with a lean-to to share, or more likely just pitch your tent nearby, which will at least get you out of the underbrush and also give you access to the privy!

Also, NY has an Adk. paddling guide. You can pick up a paper copy at Northway rest stops, or down load the PDF at
Adk Paddling Guide .

 

[MGC]

There is a good deal of great paddling in the Adirondacks. Some of the campsites are indeed free and do not require a reservation. If you put in at Piercefield on the Racquette, your sites will all be free...but there aren't any. If you venture a bit off from Psmiths and into the Saranac chain, sites require reservations and will cost you $22 fresh water clams per night.
40 years ago, it was all free. Except for Rollins Pond or Forked Lake, you would paddle until you found a spot you liked. Not so now. Long Lake sites and much of the St. Regis Carry routes are still free. If you are planning a paddle in the park, plan well in advance to avoid disappointment or extra miles to make it to a free site.

 

[Rob Stevens]

Another suggestion; check out the Northern Forest Canoe Trail with one end at Old Forge in ADK Park; https://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/
One year after Assembly at Paul Smith's, a friend and I paddled the Saranac River from the town of Saranac Lake to Lake Champlain.

 

[MGC]

A run from Saranac to Champlain is not for everyone...it gets bony, very bony. An alternative is to paddle from town to Upper Saranac and beyond, possibly taking Indian Carry into Stony Creek and then on to Tupper.
I tend to avoid the Lakes connecting Old Forge to Racquette Lake because of the overwhelming number of jetskis and motorboats, but it was a fine paddle 50 plus years ago.
A nice route is Blue Mountain to Racquette to Forked and then Long Lake. Forked to Long is a challenging carry, but once past that you can continue to either Tupper or Saranac. There are a few carries, but these are wonderful routes with minimal boat traffic.....mostly. The locks on the Saranac are memorable.

 

[Worth Gretter]

Here is another suggestion: Put in at Aston Landing (just west of Saranac Lake) or The Crusher (closer to Tupper), and paddle upstream to Raquette Falls, then turn around and come back. Plenty of lean-tos and camp sites along the way, and you avoid the 1+ mile carry around the falls. You can easily hike to the falls. Look up the stream flow (recorded at Piercefield) at the USGS Raquette River flow. Unless we are having a really rainy summer, the trip upstream will only take about 50% longer than downstream. The river has a lot of ox bows so it is very pleasant, meandering, flat water paddle.
As mentioned by Rob above, this is a piece of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

 

[Dan R.]

Thank you for all the great suggestions!

I should have mentioned earlier that I will likely have two little ones. They are canoe ready but our distance is 2-3 miles to camp and we are doing stillwaters or at least flat waters for the next year or two.

Worth, it seems like your suggestion upstream to Racquette Falls might be good for that?

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail, as Rob suggested could be fun. I’ve bumped into parts of it on the Connecticut but not done much. The pack is not yet ready for bony water though!

 

[MGC]

Actually, for two youths and avoiding carries altogether, camping at forked lake is pretty good. You can travel up and down the lake fishing and take a look at the falls at the outlet. You can also "escape" camping to Long lake....or, try to score one of the leantos on Long lake.
If you paddle the stretch of Racquette up to the falls, be aware that the campsites tend to be mudpits after or during rain.
With two youngsters I would think about meacham lake or after summer, massaweepie.

 

[Worth Gretter]

I have been upstream to Raquette Falls several times and never had a problem with muddy campsites.

Here is a good map: Raquette River below the Falls

And therein lies a secret: there is a well hidden, very large, overflow campsite at Raquette Falls, so you don't have to worry about all the spots being taken. To find the overflow site, look for path just before you get to the beach (which is the takeout before the falls). On the map, the overflow site is the one to the right of the other two campsite and the lean-to, near the Falls. There is also a NYS Interior Caretaker (like a forest ranger) stationed there, with a cabin nearby but not shown on the map.

And by the way, all the campsites are on the left if you are going upstream. The right shore belongs to the Nature Conservancy and includes the very famous Follensby Pond (known for the Philosopher's Camp long ago). It is prominent on the map linked above but is not labelled for some reason (i.e. they don't want you going there!). The Nature Conservancy is trying to figure out how to protect the pond while giving the state an easement for the land.

And I forgot the mention: The Crusher is NOT a terrifying series of rapids! It is a pull-off where a rock crusher was located when the road was built, and later re-purposed as a boat launch.

I highly recommend this trip. Just allow enough time to get all the way to the Falls, in case the lean-tos on the way are taken. But if you see a site you like, you can grab it and then make the Falls a day trip the next day. Done that too!

 

[Dan R.]

Thanks for all the options!

Worth, what is a good river flow cfs for paddling up river?

 

[Worth Gretter]

Dan-
I am posting a screen shot for the last year:

You can see the CFS scale is not linear. So anything less that 1000 is easy, 1000 to 2000 is mostly the range summer, and above 2000 you will work much harder to get upstream.
I looked in my diary, and a trip on 8/6/20 took 3 hours from Axton Landing to the Falls. USGS says flow was 800 cfs on that date.
The next year, on 8/5/21, USGS show the flow was 1800, and my dairy says that 3 hours of paddling only got us to site 7, the Palmer Brook lean-to, which is 2/3 of the way.
Also, since it is not state land on both sides of the river, motor boats are allowed but you are unlikely to see more than one or two. It is too long and too slow a trip for them.
It's a great trip, so I hope you do it!

 

[MGC]

I've paddled that section of river off and on for 60 years. Flow varies, but it has never lacked water.
An alternative (my preference) is to run down from Long Lake. The stretch above the falls is very pleasant. This route adds in the carry but it's well worth the added effort.
If you want to string a few more lakes together you may put in at Blue mountain lake.

 

[Dan R.]

Good stuff.
I already have camping trips planned for early July and early August. I’ll have to revisit how much time I can take off in the summer…
Making it to the Assembly is on the list but I may need to make a trip up to that area in June or September. Time will tell.
Thanks again for all the info. It is much appreciated!

 

[MGC]

A word to the wise, June is Black fly month in the park. The bugs will welcome you. Embalm yourself with your preferred repellent.