Northeast Wild

  Sep 20, 2015 - LAKE DURANT & ROCK POND. Put-in at end of dirt road past trail-head for Cascade Pond, at W end of LD. Channel W to lift-over at low footbridge. Into RP & its boggy islands. Paddled inlet a short distance going over 2 beaver dams. Back to LD & paddled it counter-clockwise. Blue Mtn to the N, Blue Ridge to the S, mostly wild shores, road noise, 3 loons (1 juvenile), ducks. Fall foliage ~10% color change. No bad bugs. 7.3 miles, 3.5 hours.  Visit us on Facebook Welcome to the Adirondacks NYSDEC Info

  Aug 17 & 18, 2008 - SAND LAKE & INLET canoe camping from Powley-Piseco Rd (a 20 mile dirt road).  0.5 mile rough & muddy carry on unmarked trail to Sand Lake.  Couple of campsites at end of trail & 3 little-used sites out on the lake - took out some beer cans that others had left (slobs drink lousy beer - Bud Lite, etc.; we sipped on some Creme Brulee Stout).  A large sloping rock is a nice place to spend some time.  Paddled up the inlet at the lake's S end.  Soon doing a 100 yard bushwhack carry thru the woods.  Back on the stream, thru a marsh, over 10 beaver dams, a short carry around a rocky area.  Poked up the outlet of Mud Pond.  Snapping turtle crawling over a beaver lodge; loons (1 chick) very vocal in the morning.  Moonrise paddle.  Some biting flies; light mosquito activity.  Bell Northstar, a 16.5' 40lb tandem canoe. Visit us on Facebook Welcome to the Adirondacks NYSDEC Info

  May 5/6, 2002 - W. Br. Sacandaga River, Good Luck, Spectacle & Dexter Lakes canoeing. Put-in on the W. Branch at westernmost (of 2) Rt.10 bridge between Canada Lake & Piseco. Paddled 300yds. upstream against noticeable current & then R into Good Luck Lake Outlet, often there is a beaverdam to go over but not today. Good Luck Lake is a popular camping spot due to its ease of access - did not notice any loons. Start carry at the SW end next to the marsh; a path leads SW gently uphill to a trail junction. Go straight on snowmobile trail which occasionally has some nasty muddy spots. Doubled the carry (i.e. carry the pack over then come back for the canoe) for a total of 1.5 mi. (4.5 mi. of actual hiking) from Good Luck to Spectacle Lake - 2 hrs. including lunch stop. Spectacle is about 1.5 mile long but has many bays, peninsulas, islands & bogs to explore. Headwind, so I place my Sealline ProPack in the bow & have an easy time of paddling into the wind. See 2 loo...

  July 10 & 11, 2016 - NORTH & SOUTH LAKES in the southwestern Adirondacks.  Black River Wild Forest.  Camped at one of the primitive car camping sites on North Lake, elevation 1,823'; paddled most of the perimeter of the lake; interesting inlets incl. Ice Cave Creek, N Branch Black River, E Br Black River, Jocks Brook; high water due to recent rain.  Lean-to on E shore is not a regular DEC type.  Islands.  5 motorboats.  Loons, mergansers.  Lightly developed.  8.6 miles, 4 hours.  Short drive to South Lake, elevation 2,020'.  Paddled most of the perimeter.  South Branch Black River, an outlet, flows below a 350' earthen dam.  Went 0.4 miles up Raymond Brook, an inlet, going over 2 beaver dams & turning around at a 3rd.  2 motorboats; 3 kayakers; 1 SUPper.  Loons, mergansers.  Over 90% of shoreline is state land.  Lots of rock below & above the water's surface.  9.2 miles, 5.3 hours...

  July 15/16, 2000 - Main Branch St. Regis River (see below for directions.) Back for an overnighter; brought the Dagger Reflection 16 for its all-aroundedness - not too heavy (60lbs.), good primary (160lb. son of N. can stand up in the bow) & secondary stability, good combination of tracking & turning ability, durable for some whitewater, reasonably fast boat. Wheeled canoe in to Indian Rocks put-in; spotted cars downstream 4.2 miles west on dirt road. Paddled to campsite & set up tents & tarps. After lunch paddled upstream past put-in & were soon into private land on both shores. Started to rain lightly but didn't really bother us much. Shores varied from grassy marsh to boreal forest (white pine, tamarack, cedar, spruce). After about 2.5 hrs. going at 2.37 mph (thanks to GPS companion), with views of St. Regis Mtn. to the east, river widened & became pond-like; saw 1 loon here, nice hilly tall pine shores. Downstream return only took 1.5 hrs. Some drizzle...

  Sep 27, 2017 - RAQUETTE LAKE afternoon paddle from North Point Rd.  Put-in on W side of bridge, downstream side.  Started paddling in summer, finished in fall!  Mix of private & state land.  1.5 miles to 1st lean-to.  2.5 miles to Boucher Point lean-tos - these have been pushed back back from the water & refurbished - not sure if I missed 1 but only saw 2 - houses right next door.  4 jetskis passed, light moboat traffic.  Passed Beecher Island, around Bluff Pt & into Boulder Bay.  Went up Boulder Brook (grassy mouth, lots of pickerelweed, tamarack swamp to the S) a half mile, lifted over a beaver dam but turned around at the next.  Blue Mtn in the distance.  Wish I had started earlier, would have gone further up the brook.  West Mtn to the W.  Paddled a little S toward Tioga Point & took a break on sandy beach.  Not much wildlife - a gull - then near the end on Outlet Bay some black ducks.  No l...

  May 2, 2004 - UTOWANA LAKE & MARION RIVER canoe camping. Showers & thunderstorms in the forecast so changed original plans to an easy-to-get-to leanto camping destination. As it turned out, we arrived in a shower but day was mostly dry with some afternoon sun - temp in high 60s - shorts weather - some rain after bedtime - leanto leaks in 2 spots on R side (when facing the lake). Utowana has a couple of nice camps but most of shore is undeveloped. Roadnoise intrudes somewhat. Pair of loons, beaver, osprey with fish in claws seen from camp. Purple trillium behind the leanto & leatherleaf flowers on the Marion. Paddled to W end of Utowana - then level 5 minute carry to Marion River. Marion gets wider as one paddles the 3.8 miles to Raquette Lake - we spot an otter. A house to the S is the only development til the lake - cliffs on unnamed mountain to the N. River winds gently thru marsh & bog. Stopped for break at a nice campsite high up on rocks at the lake. Returned...

  Aug 5, 2024 - LOWER BROWNS TRACT POND paddling. 2 hours of rain, then it cleared so we decided to go for a short paddle around the perimeter of the pond and the island that looks like a giant snapping turtle to me. Made an unsuccessful stab at getting to the Upper pond. Smartweed & pickerelweed flowers. 2 loons. 1.2 hours. Spent 5 nights camping here at the state campground. Left 1 day early thanks to the remnants of tropical storm Debby. No motors, no showers, no cell service, no internet (can get wifi & cell service at RL library), quieter than the average campground, most of the waterside sites are choice. Biting bugs were rare all week & I did not need to use bug dope. August 5, 2024 -BROWNS TRACT INLET paddling from the Brown Tract Pond Campground launch. Northern part of Moose River Plains Wild Forest. Wanted to go down & back but rain was predicted in the pm so we set up a shuttle for a one-way paddle. Paddled over to the pond's outlet, 0.7 miles. Short car...

  Siamese Ponds Wilderness. Feb 11, 2008 - HOUR POND. Good base with foot of powder - excellent conditions. Started at the N end of 13th Lake, skied 0.8 miles along the lake (some slush under the snow) with winds over 20mph, temp 7 degrees. Onto the Peaked Mountain Pond trail where we gain 400' in less than a mile - I get good grip & acceptable glide with Swix Polar grip wax on glide zone of Fischer Outtabounds skis, Maxiglide on nowax pattern. Crossed Peaked Mtn Brook on good ice bridge. From vly with view of Slide Mtn headed off-trail to the S (described in latest 2005 edition of Discover the South Central Adirondacks) thru open woods climbing gently to a beaver meadow. Crossed above a beaver dam & broke thru the ice, one foot getting very wet. Changed into a dry sock (because boots will still be wet, I recommend that you carry spare wool socks & plastic bags or waterproof socks like Sealskins) & scraped the ice off skis. Height of land ~2,200', dropped down i...

  Sep 18, 2023 (Mon) - Put in on South Creek off Rt. 3. Short distance N to Middle Saranac & kept heading N (W end of the lake has private shores with a few camps) to the channel that leads into Weller. There was a small group of canoers camping at the lean-to on the E side of Hungry Bay. Paddled around the edge of WP & stopped at the lean-to for lunch - this one is new & on a nice spot with a filtered view of the water, the old one was a bit closer to the water. Headed back to the channel, saw a loon, & soon took a L & into round Little Weller. Back to MSL, saw 2 loons, headed past islands toward where the Saranac River exits the lake, Ampersand & Stony Creek Mtns in view with the Sewards in the distance, a group with kayaks & a moboats was camping nearby. Went quite a ways down the wide river with buoys (motors are allowed) but turned around before reaching the lock. Back to start past more islands. No bad bugs. The forecast was not promising but we en...

  Apr 29&30, 2012 - SHALLOW LAKE & SUCKER BROOK canoe camping.  Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area.  1.3 mile carry from Lower Browns Tract Pond.  Trail rough at first then got worse as it got wet & muddy passing thru swamp on either side of Beaver Brook.  Bridge over the latter has bouncy 3 log stringers at water level.  Paddled down the brook half mile to large boggy area.  Last 0.9 miles of trail better but not without its muddy spots.  Aluminum canoe at the end of the trail.  Very windy with waves over 1'.  Paddled around E end & settled into an excellent campsite amongst white pines with a long rocky point & commanding view of the lake.  4 hours from the start & the partying began.  There are at least 3 other campsites on the lake (did not like 2 of those).  Great wilderness feel, very quiet.  Wind finally died down in the evening - the next day was much calmer - temp dropped into the 20s overnig...

  Aug 24 - Car camped at MASON LAKE for 2 nights - sites 1-4 were occupied so had to take #5 near the outlet which had a picnic table & firepit but no privy - close enough to the lake to hear loon calls. Broke camp Thursday morning then paddled this small lake with an irregular shoreline. 1 loon, gb herons, ducks; road noise from NY 30. The best part was the outlet where I found cranberries, pitcher plants, pickerelweed, & jewelweed & smartweed on a beaver dam at the end of navigation. 1.6 hours. July 18, 2005 - MASON LAKE. Camped at drive-in site on Perkins Clearing Rd (dirt) near the outlet of the lake. Hazy morning paddle - nice setting marred only by the proximity of Rt.30. 2 adult loons dove & rose to feed 2 growing but still fuzzy-looking chicks. Boggy shores along the outlet offered much interest - pitcher plants, sundews, bladderwort's yellow flowers; white fragrant & yellow pond lilies in the shallows. Visit us on Facebook Welcome to the Adirondacks NYS...