Spencerport Firemen’s Parade line-up back on Lyell

A primer: Paddling Adirondack waters

by Christian Woodard

THINKSTOCKWhen I was twelve, my dad rented two yellow kayaks from the DEC campground at Lake Eaton.

Crossing the lake, we heard jetskis, powerboats and their radios. But along the far bay’s narrow margins, where Eastern White Cedar overhung the shallow water, we were suddenly alone. We stroked through swishing water lilies and pickerelweed, chasing up schools of shiners.

In three hours, I was hooked.

Since then, I’ve been all over the lakes and rivers of the North Country — from steep whitewater to marathon courses — and there’s still nothing better than floating a small lake with your family. While the Adirondacks are famous for ambitious canoe loops, like those of the St. Regis Canoe Area or the Whitney Wilderness, there is accessible water everywhere in the park.

You don’t need specialized gear or a month of vacation time. Nearly every Adirondack town has a paddling outfitter that rents boats. And, if you leave Spencerport after breakfast, you can eat lunch at the Lake Eaton boat launch.

The drive north is an ascending pilgrimage from the Ontario floodplain to the piedmont of our state’s largest mountains. Of course, you’ll cross all sorts of pleasant flatwater along the way, but the streams of the Adirondacks are something else entirely.

North Country rivers smell of conifers, moss, and ferny humidity. They are stained the color of strong tea by decomposing hemlocks, and their character is as varied as the park they traverse. They rise high on granitic peaks, seeping from small tarns out through raucous cascades and into the sedate reaches of the foothills.

On a good day of paddling in the Adirondacks, you can feel the weeds and the wilderness yet. It’s a place where the musk of beaver and fox, an osprey’s shrill whistle, and the sip of feeding trout outweigh the urgent press of modernity. And it’s practically in our backyard.

Recently, I met my dad near Little Tupper Lake. We set up on an island campsite and hauled out a few smallmouth for dinner. Less than four hours from home, we’d crossed a lake, slipped up an intimate stream, and camped on a secluded pond. We weren’t paddling the yellow rental kayaks anymore, but we would have loved it even if we were in tractor tires.

At the end of the weekend, we smelled like woodsmoke and sunscreen. Back in the parking lot, I tried to fit a pile of bass into a very small cooler.

“I remember being up here every day at work,” my dad said. “I can’t wait until we’re here again.” I leaned on the lid and struggled to click it closed.

“Next time, let’s remember a bigger cooler.”

When you go:

Bring a few liters of water, some sunscreen, and at this time of year, some bug repellent. Wear a Type III or Type V PFD, and choose a route and boat appropriate to your skill level. All of the sections below are suitable for beginning paddlers, though you’ll want to assess weather conditions for yourself. If it’s a windy day, be cautious on the bigger lakes (Long, Saranac, and Little Tupper), and choose a more sheltered section if necessary.

Christian’s Top Five

in the Central Adirondacks:

Lake Eaton: I took my first paddle strokes here as a kid, and it has a special place in my heart. Good views of Owl’s Head mountain, which you can hike from the far side of the lake. Rent a boat at the campground, or bring your own.

Lower Bog River: Park at the stone arch bridge on Route 421. Put in above the cascade into Tupper Lake. A flatwater paddle 2 miles upstream brings you to the Round Lake Outlet confluence, where there’s a nice campsite. There’s good fishing through this whole stretch, and it’s short enough for an easy afternoon. Keep an eye out for the iron ring in a midstream boulder from an old logging chain-up.

Lower Saranac Lake: From Ampersand Bay, take a short trip down the lake to stop at the cliffs on Bluff Island. Beautiful views of the High Peaks, and easy paddling into Upper Saranac, Kiwassa and Oseetah Lakes. St. Regis Canoe in Saranac Lake offers a shuttle for a daylong loop trip, including passage through historic locks on the Saranac River.

Little Tupper Lake: From the DEC Headquarters, Little Tupper offers 7 miles of flat, non-motorized boat access, with a link to Round Pond and Rock Pond on either end. This is a great area to stay for a few nights and explore the many primitive campsites on the lake and its islands.

Long Lake to Tupper Lake: This is the classic Adirondack paddling trip, and before reliable roads was the fastest and straightest highway in the region. Starting in Long Lake, there are broad views of the Seward Range to the North. The lake narrows at its northern tip to become the Raquette River, swerving through a series of oxbows out to Raquette Pond and Tupper Lake. This trip is often paddled as an overnight, with good camping at the north end of Long Lake and around Raquette Falls (includes a portage of 1.25 miles around the falls).

Bonus track:

The Upper Hudson: This reach of the Hudson is not technically open yet, but it deserves a space on the list. The state purchased the tract surrounding it last year, but the Gooley Club retains exclusive rights to the land until October 1, 2013. It’s 12 miles of class II and flatwater through isolated wilderness. Put in near Newcomb, and take out north of Indian Lake. The nearby Essex Chain of Lakes will open at the same time.

Local opportunities for paddlers include: Oatka Creek, Black Creek, Braddock Bay, Erie Canal, Genesee River.

Note: Christian Woodard, a Spencerport native, will write about hiking opportunities for the Westside News Inc. Autumn Guide to be delivered September 8.