Anyone familiar with the Adirondacks in very late sept? Is this late enough to avoid the masses of people? In particular the St. Regis Canoe area and the areas north of rollins pond? I’m hoping this is late enough in the year to avoid the “summer masses”… I was there earlier this summer but was disappointed at the sheer number of people in the area…
past Labor Day
The Tuesday after Labor Day the crowds are 10% of the summer population. The 90 mile Adirondack Classic Canoe Race was startd by the Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce to get people up there after Labor Day. By October its just hunters and diehard campers.
Its a great time to be there, the crowds and the bugs are gone, the water is warm, the evenings cool, and the fish are very hungry. It does get tough to find an open restaurant or motel, but your camping so that doesn’t matter.
Enjoy it,
Bill
fall in ADK
hi…got to allow for the hordes of fall leaf peepers that descend on that area every year.i tried 2 yrs ago to get a room on the spur of the moment during peak foliage time and couldn’t find a room anywhere’s ,all the way back to watertown, NY. weekends in fall could find almost every room taken. r u camping it or hotel ?
camping…
– Last Updated: Aug-18-08 9:34 PM EST –
definitely camping! object is to lose civilization!!! minimal gear w/ solo canoe. i was thinking of heading into st regis canoe area for a few days.
forgot about hunting seasons... guess its time to dig out orange vests.
fall foliage - that should be great!!!
Try posting this question on
ADK Forum: Paddling in the Adirondacks message board http://adkforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62
If you do not yet have a copy of Dave Cilley’s new Adirondack Paddling Guide Book, suggest you pick up a copy. His Adirondack Paddlers Map (2nd Edition) is designed to be a companion to the guide book. http://www.canoeoutfitters.com/maps.html
Dave has done a great job on this book and it’s very oriented toward trip planning http://adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=9574
Mid/late September and all of October is prime paddling time up here!
Enjoy
great idea
I paddle and camp the St. Regis area every year end of Sept or first half of Oct and love it. The weather is great, water not too cold, and as the earlier poster said, the fish are hungry! Nights get chilly so if using a hammock I bring extra insulation and usually put on a bunch of fleece in the evenings and through breakfast. Can’t think of a better camping experience than paddling there in the autumn. Enjoy.
ADk Late September
Sorry guys but I already resevered the St Regis area for myself in late Sept. Please don’t bother trying to go there to bother me!
forget it
There is a Placid Boatworks weekend at Fish Pond the end of Sept. While thats car camping expect hordes of die hard day trippers with light Rapid and SpitFires to ruin your solitude. We might try for the entire loop in a day trip!
Or come join us for the food!
PS I am planning a Whitney Loop to avoid the crowds for a week before or after the merriment. St Regis Canoe area aint what it was forty years ago.
Placid boat people
If those Placid Boat cult members are going to hog all the water I’m just going to have to go somewhere else.
hey you wont see anything
– Last Updated: Aug-22-08 8:55 PM EST –
but our wakes!
Here one moment, gone the next.
Well save the ribaldry for the campsite and share the water with others.
Wonder why this is under the Wilderness category..at least the St Regis area isnt my idea of wilderness..not quite like it used to be 40 years ago to me.
PB people
I’ve met many nice folks in PB canoes but I have also met several owners who spend an inordinate amount of time bad mouthing all other canoe makers, they often come off as elitist and judgmental. I am a slower paddler and my boat is perhaps not quite as nice, I don’t need to be told about it.
the weekend is about the people
– Last Updated: Aug-27-08 9:43 AM EST –
not the boats and some tips on improving your paddling but only if you want that feedback.
Paddling is more about people and the paddle and less about the boat.
I have (I think 17) and they all get used. I dont expect everyone to like the boats I use. Frankly I dont care. I am having fun and not trying to meet anyone elses expectations.
Yeah I have a Rapid Fire and someone will undoubtedly give me feedback on how used looking its getting. But it spends its time in the water and not on the car. Its given me some miles of fun. It aint just a purty boat.
Back some years ago I had alot of fun in my Keowee. Look where that got me!
A 300 dollar boat grew into how much worth of boats? EEsh maybe I should have gotten a wakeboard boat.
places change, i guess…
i have heard descriptions of this area from people who were there 20 to 30 years ago… It sounds as if the area has drastically changed then… Perhaps I should have posted under a different forum title… The more research I do the more I agree with you - this isn’t wilderness area anymore. It’s a shame… I’m looking elsewhere now, there are plenty of other areas off the beaten path. The Adk’s are big enough to find what I’m looking for anyway…
yep
– Last Updated: Aug-27-08 11:42 AM EST –
there has been some change but its not wholesale..there are plenty of places to get away from it all and there are actually more places set aside and accessible for canoeing than there were when I was an everyday Daks paddler in the mid 60's.
St. Regis area-
If you have not been here you should consider going here. I have looped these ponds a couple of times and it was some of the best canoe camping my wife and I have done. The off season is prime and the colors are breath taking. With so many ponds here the possiblities are widely varied. Another great place we visited this years was the Bog River flow and Low’s Lake - A ten mile paddle into the main lake with campsites on the way, a dam, and more incredible camp sites on the big lake. Low’s has plenty of places to explore but like any big water, paddle early the wild can blow up good in the afternoon. For us we are going back to Cranberry Lake for our third time - a huge lake in the North West corner of the park with few people. It has a state park there for base camp and plenty of camping spots on the lake.
mtpaddler mentioned Cranberry Lake
if you end up going to Cranberry:
http://adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=8262
And are so many other great paddles in the Adirondacks, especially in September and October.
Mike
Get the new Adirondack Paddler’s
Guidebook by Dave Cilley.
Its a companion to the ADK Paddlers Map…
The guidebook has all the ports etc and campsite info and suggestions for loops and day trips.
Need to get the people out of the St Regis Area…its become overloved.
I am doing the Whitney Loop I hope though its hardly a cakewalk… I might have to shorten it some to the LTL-Lila Traverse.
Appreciate any suggestions for stashing bike…but I will ask at ADK Forums.
September Camping
I have been up during the 2nd week of September and it can get cold. Since I like to swim as much as I like to paddle I don’t like it much. I have found that the week before labor day (leave the area Thursday night!) to be great. Schools start that week and so the crowds are minimal. I camp at Rollins and the place is only about 25% occupied. I took a trip up to St Regis Pond and there were only 3 sites taken. That is a good time to get good deals on used equipment from the outfitters however.
And my super favorite time is
the end of October. Sure there are hunters but swimming is possible in a hydroskin.
The paddling is just magical at the end of fall.
Sept can vary
One year I did the Saranac lake chain in late Sept and saw very few people . Last year I went to Lake Lila for a long weekend ; got there mid day on Friday and there was only one campsite open on the whole lake .
Another year I had Fish Pond to myself for three days midweek .
It is a great time of year to go there though .