Guaranteed company this weekend
Friday from Old Forge to Blue Mountain Lake, Saturday from Long Lake to Tupper Lake, and Sunday from Fish Creek Campground to Saranace Lake Village you will have 250 boats for company and over 550 paddlers. But it will pass by in a couple of hours.
The camping crowds in any of the popular areas of the Adirondacks are random. Some years you have solitude and the next trip is a big beer blast around the same pond or lake. Thankfully its a big place and some paddling and a couple carries puts the crowds behind.
Bill
thanks for all the input…
i literally just got back about 1/2 hour ago… i ended up going early due to change in job (currently unemployed, looking…)… i was there from fri to to wed… very populated until monday afternoon, then died down… i found a very nice very isolated in the back reaches of long pond… the site even had a “private” pond at the top of a hill… after the holiday crowd died down i stayed at a site on fish creek…
i see what everyone means by its not wilderness anymore… maybe at one time, but not any more - way to many people passing through, even towards the st. regis area… but then again, i picked what was probably one of the busiest weekends… but, i had all the time to due it now due to a change in my work status, so i figured what the hell, why not - its not often i have 5 days to spend anywhere… tomorrow - thurs - i’m off to canada for some white water for a few days, then i guess its time to start a job hunt… ick!!! but for now, life is great - 5 days at the adirondacks, 1 night at home, then 4 days doing white water in canada… life don’t get much better…
Fall paddling
Anytime after Labor Day should be late enough to avoid what Twilight Paddler refers to as the “masses of people”, depending on what your definition of too many other paddlers is. Of course, when Twilight Paddler was dismayed to see so many paddlers out, he or she was among the masses that all the other paddlers didn’t like seeing either. Perspective. I paddled Cranberry Lake last weekend and didn’t see even one other canoe or kayak, but the fishing boats were certainly out there. I later learned that there was a fishing tourney there.
weekends…
Best to avoid weekends if you can. Last week I was off. I went to the Pine Barrens on Sunday-Tuesday and had the entire campsite to myself! Only saw one couple on the river the entire day.
Weekend after I went camping and it was madness. Seems to always be that way on weekends. I’ll never do weekend camping again unless I can get myself an island.
news for you
I got the LAST campsite on Lows on the verge of darkness two weeks ago.
It was a TUESDAY night. The weather was nice and everyone apparantly played hooky.
OTOH, Lila on Monday night was virtually empty (3 parties) and on Thursday ditto (two parties)
As long as…
…If you don’t have a family of Mexicans blasting their Spanish music at 8 am across the way from you then it’s all good. These people brought a TV for crissake!
I really need an island to myself. Lake George sounds good…
St Regis Canoe Area
I work every weekend so All of my paddling is mid-week, makes a big difference. My last trip up to the St Regis last year was the first week of November, solo, 3 days , didn’t see another person. On the way in from Hoel pond it was bright and still, could see my shadow moving across the sandy bottom in 20 feet of water. 3 days later a big storm was blowing in from the east (very odd) messed up my shoulder paddling back to the put in, still bothers me a year later. Didn’t stop me from paddling though, among other things I did the 90 Miler with my 16 year old son again this Sept.
The St Regis is still a nice area if you pick your time, no buildings, no roads no people, lots of loons and trout.
I also XC-ski in to St Regis Pond several times a year. Again mid-week, there is usually new snow over old tracks so I don’t have to break trail all the way, but in at least a dozen trips in, I’ve Never seen another person.
We do have a place in Lake Clear that I sort of use as a basecamp.
Sometimes I paddle in 3 or so portages and fish the Green Drake hatch on some of the ponds in the spring, and paddle back out after dark, I really enjoy that paddle out. It’s odd how few of us do any wilderness travel in the night, it awakens all the sences.
John M. A Connecticut Yankee