NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL hiking & skiing north of Upper Benson
Jan 18, 2015 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL thru ski from Upper Benson (Godfrey Rd) to Benson Rd. New parking area on Benson Rd is on the S side 4.7 miles from Rt.30 - despite that I still skied to the old new (of last winter) parking turnout on the N side of the road 4.5 miles from Rt.30 - NPT markers that were there last winter have been removed near this end. From the hunting camp at the end of Godfrey Rd the trail is now marked with yellow markers & is no longer part of the NPT. 1.75 miles to the bridge over the N Branch W Stony Creek & picked up the new section going E. Lunch at Abner Brook then 280' climb over a hill (1,700' el) then fun 150' downhill run. Excellent conditions for the most part with 4"-6" powder on hard icy base. On the harder side of intermediate. Some exposed rocks later in the trip - needs 2' of snow in the Woods Lake area to cover up the rocks in the softwoods. Light rain for last hour, heavier rain & freezing rain on drive home. 9.4 miles, 7 hours (had some slower skiers in the group today). See 2014 edition of Discover the Southern Adirondacks by Ingersoll for description & map of this new section.
Jan 5, 2014 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL - new section from Godfrey Rd in Upper Benson. Took the traditional beginning thru easement land. Where the trail 1st meets the North Branch West Stony Creek we crossed the iced-over stream & picked up the new section of the NPT on the other side. The newly-marked trail heads NE & soon crosses a small stream on a 2-log bridge, I found it best to ski across the mostly frozen stream. After a short climb the trail follows an old woods road & Abner Brook & its vlies are seen to the R. The NPT leaves the old road to the R & is harder to follow from this point on, we stopped often to look for the next marker. Rolling terrain for a while before making a U-turn to the 2-log bridge over Abner Brook. The trail now heads over a hill to the E, switchbacks make for a moderate grade. From the top of the hill there is good thru-the-hardwoods views of the cliffs on Little Cathead Mtn. The drop down on the other side was real fun, the trail zig-zagging thru open woods to our lunch stop on Dec 16. Headed back the same way we came, the downhill on the other side of the hill was fun too. Intermediate skiing on mostly good base with 6" powder, breaking trail was fairly easy. 10 miles, 5.7 hours.
Dec 16, 2013 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL, new section N of Benson Rd. Started from small pull-out on N side of Benson Rd 4.5 miles from Rt.30. The trail goes W for a short distance near the road before heading uphill over a knoll then down within sight of Woods Lake (this part had some hidden rocks, care needed). Same route as return on Nov 20 hike. This time the trail was marked all the way & we got to the hill half mile before Abner Brook before turning around. Attention needed at times to find the trail. Over a foot of snow with some base, actually easier breaking trail than yesterday. One steep section, otherwise mostly intermediate. 10 miles, 5.3 hours.
Nov 25, 2013 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL old & new, hike from Godfrey Rd in Upper Benson. 1.6 miles, much on 4wd road thru private land (hunting club), to bridge over scenic North Branch West Stony Creek which had a fair amount of ice. After the bridge I took a sharp R off-trail, angled uphill a short distance & soon saw the blue NPT markers of the new to-be section to Benson Rd. The trail climbs well above the NBWSC but the stream is generally in view. Trail drops down steeply & narrowly to stream level (this part could be challenging to skiers), jogs L & R then crosses a brook on a high 2-log bridge. The trail then follows an old woods road NE in thru open hardwoods for a couple of miles. A vly on Abner Brook is seen to the R & the trail pulls away uphill & soon takes a R leaving the woods road. The trail winds down to Abner Brook just above the vly & crosses it on a 2-log bridge then goes uphill - I turned back here. Up to 1" of snow. 5.4 hours.
Nov 20, 2013 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL hike, new (still unofficial til 2014?) section N of Benson Rd. Parked on S side of road 4.7 miles W of Rt.30. Walked short distance W & entered the woods at couple of ribbons. A well-used path leads 0.2 miles to Woods Lake passing an outhouse.There are 4 designated campsites in this area. Hiked along shore path to the E & crossed inlet near ribbons. Uphill to the N & soon spot blue NPT markers. The trail heads N generally uphill between Woods Lake & Little Cathead Mtn. The trail drops steeply next to some cliffs then flattens out & crosses some small streams. Turning W the new NPT crosses 2 streams on 2-log bridges then goes SW on a long straightaway (looks like an old woods road - I think this is the trail from Lapland Lake resort to Grant Lake). NPT markers lead R & stop - I went 10 more mins. on fairly obvious trail but no more markers. On way back I followed the blue markers past 3 huge glacial erratics then across the Woods Lake inlet on a 2-log bridge. The trail then pulls away uphill from the lake. Markers stop before height of land but I continue on what I thought was the new NPT (foot-tread somewhat obscured by leaves) & reached Benson Rd at a small turn-out on N side of road 0.2 miles E of where I started the hike (this turn-out is 4.5 miles from Rt.30. Much open hardwoods with beech & maple, some ash, stands of hemlock. 2 deer - another face-off with one of them & it walked pretty close toward me. 0-0.5" of snow. 5.4 hours.
Jan 4, 2009 - ROCK LAKE. Northville-Placid Trail from Upper Benson. Deep base with 5"-8" powder - nice skiing. Trail well-used by skiers & snowshoers early but use diminished the further we went & we had to break trail as we got closer to Rock Lake. Mostly uphill on way in; nice ride back out. Very nice peaceful wilderness destination. 700' elevation change, 9.5 miles, 5.5 hours.
Jan 1, 2006 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL from Benson. Good icy base but only 2" of powder - fair skiing, better off-trail. Fair amount of water running thru N Branch W Stony Creek made for some picturesque falls & rapids. Followed it downstream a ways then stayed close to NPT & turned around at Goldmine Brook. Intermediate. Fischer Rebound skis.
Jan 26, 2004 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL in Benson. Off-trail 6"-12" powder on good base; NPT well-packed from weekend skiers (the trip to Rock Lake is a popular run). The wide trail starts out thru private land but soon enters the Silver Lake Wilderness. At N Branch W Stony Creek (quite the mouthfull of a name), the NPT goes L past a gate - here I went R & skied along the creek downstream hoping to get a glimpse of a waterfall but posted land is reached in about 0.7 mi. & I return. At the gate, I crossed the well-frozen creek & bushwhacked NW, zigzagging uphill (& wishing I had brought the climbing skins). After gaining about 350', headed S down a moderate slope thru open woods - didn't last long enough before running into the NPT trail. Followed it W to Goldmine Creek then turned back - mostly downhill with some tricky fast turns (intermediate). Karhu Pyxis skis.
Jan 13, 2003 - NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL/SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS xc ski from S end in Upper Benson. Snow depth averaged 3' - snowing most of day but sun did sneak out a few times. The small parking area on the R of Godfrey Rd was unplowed when I arrived (but did get plowed while I was out), the register is next to the road a bit further on the L & a plowed parking area on private land just past it was plowed ($1 charge). The NPT goes past a hunting camp & enters state land after about half a mile. Most winter day travelers follow the NPT to Rock Lake then return (10 mile roundtrip). Continued on for 2.5 miles to Goldmine Creek then left the trail & bushwhacked SSE thru open woods til running into the North Branch West Stony Creek. Crossing over a beaverdam on a small tributary, my R ski slid off & into open water - after carefully extricating myself from this predicament, had to scrape the ice off the ski (don't forget to have a scraper with you & make sure you Maxiglide your skis before the trip). Much of NBW Stony Creek was open water but I did manage to find a fair crossing without getting wet. Generally followed the creek upstream in a WSW direction thru hardwoods with some hemlocks. Breaking trail in the deep snow was easier than expected. After about a mile, came out onto a large open vly bordered with black spruce & skied part of way down it - snowing pretty hard & I decided not to push things. Returned the same way. Nice, mostly downhill run back on the NPT. 8 miles, 5 hrs. Check nearby Lapland Lake for conditions - altho they do exaggerate their snow totals a bit. Fischer Rebound skis . Will be testing the Karhu Pyxis & Dorado to see how they compare with the Fischer skis. Garmont Excursion plastic boots are more comfortable than they look but still may be a little overkill in intermediate terrain. Super Tele 3-pin bindings are heavy duty 75mm bindings & the ones we normally recommend for moderate backcountry travel. I carry USGS maps, a compass & altimeter to help with route finding - at this point in my life I see no need to carry a GPS or cellphone.
Feb. 8, 2000 - Northville-Placid Trail, Benson to Rock Lake. Excellent snow cover; not a cloud in the sky; trail broken almost to Rock Lake where big blowdown lies across trail but not too much trouble getting around it then I had to break trail to & on the lake (the quiet was intense as I rested along the shoreline). Skied to west end of lake & bushwhacked back to N-P Trail (old tracks seen going to Silver Lake) - snow is 1.5' to 2' deep in the woods, drifts around lake even deeper (a nearby XC ski center claims to have received over 4' of snow in the last 2 weeks). Trail gradually climbs about 700' from trailhead allowing for nice run on the return. Trail has been receiving light use over winter - no more than 2 parties signed in on any one day - group of 20 boy scouts on one day - scouting leaders still could use some wilderness ethics training - pretty soon we will have rules, permits, etc. like is happening in the High Peaks.
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