Paddle Floodwood 1

Paddle Floodwood - Post #1
Clearly Bob

There is a group of beautiful ponds just west of the northern end of Upper Saranac Lake that offer many options for an enjoyable day's paddle.

This area is just south of the St Regis Canoe Area. 

Some of the ponds are rather large and some are small. Some interconnect by a navigable creek but most require portaging. The ability to portage opens up more options including traversing a loop. But if carrying a boat is not your definition of fun don't despair, there are good out and back choices. 

In any case, you really need a map. 

The best one is the Adirondack Paddlers Map available at St Regis Canoe Outfitters in Saranac Lake, at their pond side site on Floodwood Pond or at Macs Canoe Outfitters just 2 miles south of The Lodge. (All the paddling trips I describe will be on this map.)

I'll split trips in this area up into two posts - one describing non-portage out and back trips and the other loops with portages. This is the first one..

     There are a four ponds where you can put in right next to a road but, of those, two of them are big enough that you can spend some time exploring. 

My first choice by far would be Floodwood Pond. You put in adjacent to and just before the St Regis Canoe Outfitters shop (got your map?). To get there drive south on route 30 from the Lodge, pass through the golf course and take the first right onto Floodwood Road. It's about 4 miles off route 30 on the left. 

The last time I drove down this road in September, 2013 it had been recently graded and reinforced with a layer of large stones. The potholes were gone but the stones made it feel like every nut on my tightly sprung little car was going to loosen. Once on Floodwood Pond eventually make you way to the southeastern corner and look for the small opening to Fish Creek. This is a very gently flowing gem which brings you down to Little Square Pond. We once drifted silently past a deer on the bank getting a drink. There are a few campsites (marked on your map) on Little Square for a lunch stop or swim. Continue down the now wider Fish Creek. You can poke into  little Copperas Pond on the right about 10 minutes after leaving Little Square. Fish Creek connects to Fish Creek Ponds where there is a large state campsite. 

Unless you are fond of motorboats and a shoreline chock full of vehicle accessible sites turn around before you get there and retrace your steps (or, more accurately, strokes) back to the put in. I know I advertised this as a no portage trip but if you can handle a short 1/4 mile carry to Follensby Clear Pond you can change this into an "A" to "B" trip and take out at a route 30 access to Follensby Clear (see below).   You would need two vehicles.

     The other pond,  good to explore without any portages, is the aforementioned Follensby Clear Pond. There are motorboats allowed but the only ones I've even seen are of the rowboat and small motor variety and they are fairly rare. Two access points along route 30 are about 2 and 3 miles past Floodwood Road on the right. Look for the brown DEC signs denoting the parking areas amongst the trees. 

The second put in is adjacent to Spider Creek, the small passage that goes under route 30 to Fish Creek Ponds if you want to explore. The pond has a few islands in the large southern basin, some nice beaches for a swim, and a very narrow gap to paddle through to get to the smaller northern part of the pond. We've camped on this pond many times. Once again, if you want to make it a bit more interesting, a short 250 yard portage to Polliwog Pond at the far northern end of Follensby Clear will convert this into an "A" to "B' outing. Floodwood Road goes right next to Polliwog for a few feet - it's the first pond on the left after you leave route 30.

     Two other ponds are accessible off Floodwood Road - Polliwog (obviously) and Middle. 

Polliwog is OK for a short outing - it has some peninsulas  and bays to poke around in and a narrow passage to it's small western appendage. 

Middle, however, has nothing to recommend it. The road parallels most of it's shore and there are fairly long portages to the adjacent ponds. I'd only paddle it as part of a loop (which is covered in post Floodwood Paddle

2)