Northeast Wild

We are lucky to have many scenic lakes, ponds and other waterways in the Adirondacks that are available for us to paddle. However, it is not so easy for the tripper to find a true wilderness route in the Adirondacks of over 50 miles – one that is essentially motorless, does not cross any paved roads, and has minimal sights and sounds of civilization. Paddlers have traveled far and wide to places like Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park and Minnesota's Boundary Waters to get that wilderness tripping experience. The Adirondack Park does not have the quantity of routes that those places offer but it does offer areas of superior scenic quality, especially when it comes to mountain views. The trip from Little Tupper Lake to the Oswegatchie River via Lake Lila and Lows Lake qualifies as the Adirondacks' best paddling route. Paddlers with less time or energy can sample parts of this route. For day-trippers and weekenders, Little Tupper Lake, Lake Lila, Lows Lake and the Osw...

A trip from Little Tupper lake thru to Inlet on the Oswegatchie River is arguably the best tripping route in the Adirondacks - I did Little Tupper to Lila soon after the area opened up to the public. Aug 31-Sep 7, 2008 - LAKE LILA>LOWS LAKE>OSWEGATCHIE RIVER. 5 miles of carries. Light fly & mosquito activity; latter more active for an hour after sunset. Misty mornings on the lakes. Seems like late morning each day there was noise from military training flights. Bell Northstar, 16.5' tandem canoe; Swift Kipawa, 16.5' tandem canoe; Bell Bucktail, 12' pack canoe. Aug 31, 2008 - LAKE LILA. 0.3 mile carry to the lake. A group was just leaving campsite on Canada Island & we move in. Box privy (aka "thunderbox"), sandy beach, large smooth rocks. Paddled up Shingle Shanty Brook, 3 beaver dams, new signs at carry & edge of state land warn canoes/kayak to stay out. Bald eagles. 4 barred owls hooted away in the evening. Sep 1 - LAKE LILA t...

On online forums and social media, one often sees requests for suggested combination paddle and hike trips – the combination allows us to expand our experiences and also gets us to exercise a greater variety of muscle groups in the process. Examples I have often seen mentioned online are combinations like Long Pond and Long Pond Mountain in the St. Regis Canoe Area, Putnam Pond and Treadway Mountain in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness, as well as Lake Lila and Mount Frederica in the Whitney Wilderness. A great view, in my opinion, should include at least one water body like a pond or lake, and have minimal sights and sounds of civilization. I have quite a number of favorites in this category and I have picked three of them to tell you about here. GARNET LAKE Garnet Lake is a 2-mile-long lake in the southern Adirondacks. Although there is some development at the north end of the lake, the southern half is fairly wild and most of it is state land. The put-in is at a small sandy bea...