St Regis Canoe Area cross country skiing - Part 2

The St Regis canoe area is known for 2 historic canoe routes named according to the number of canoe portages they required - 7 and 9 carries. The 7 carries route connected two long gone grand hotels - Paul Smiths and Saranac Inn - and makes for an interesting day's ski. There is a definite cool aspect to skiing an exact route that you paddle in the summer. This is a point to point trip so you will need to spot a car at the end. Also, you will be skiing mostly on ponds which is good if there is not much snow. The portage trails don't need much snow either since they are mostly smooth. On the other hand, if it is windy you won't get the protection afforded by skiing in the woods.  This is the 2^nd post about skiing in the St Regis Canoe area. The first post, Part 1, is titled “St Regis Canoe Area Cross Country Skiing”.

First of all, as I've mentioned many times before (and you are probably sick of reading this), you will need a map. You will have a hard time finding the portage trail to the next pond without one. There are two starting point options both of which have been described in previous skiing posts. You can start on the fish hatchery road or on Conley Road (see "walk or ski off Conley Road"). In either case read the post and follow the directions to Little Clear Pond. The Conley Road option has more woods and a bit less pond skiing. Once you're on Little Clear Pond your goal is the carry to St Regis Pond which is at the far northwestern corner of the pond. Look at your map. As is always the case, the portage trail is identified with a white rectangular sign on a tree indicating its destination. The 1/2 mile trail has a little up at the start and down at the end but is mostly flat. Keep right where you see a trail off to the left. That's the trail mentioned in "part 1" that connects to the truck trail. Once out on the body of St Regis Pond ski down the right hand shore, go around the point (a nice campsite for the warmer months) and find the carry trail to Green Pond behind the large island. (Leave the island to your left.) The trail is short and Green is very small. You can see the sign for the next portage trail as soon as you're out on the ice. This trail, about 2/10th mile long, brings you to Little Long Pond. Ski down it's length, passing through a narrow section, to the next trail at the far northern end. It's a 1/4 mile through the woods to Bear Pond. Ski straight out from Bear's shoreline rounding a point on the right where there is a private leanto and you'll see the sign for the very short carry trail to tiny Bog Pond. Another very short trail from Bog to Upper St Regis Lake is at the end of a short marshy passage on the far end of the pond. Now you are in the land of grand summer camps. If you want to cruise around Upper St Regis and dream of warm summer days sailing your classic Item sailboat you can keep occupied for a long time because it's a large lake. But the quickest route to the spotted car is heading off to the right. Leave a couple of island to your right and head to the deepest point of the bay. You'll see some buildings connected with the water access only camps where your car will be parked. (Road access to this spot is the wide dirt road off route 30 about 3 miles north of the Lodge and the first left after the "Lake Clear Camp" Girl Scout camp road sign. My experience is that the road is plowed in the winter.)

Another loop trip is one I made up after skiing other, more popular, routes and exploring unmarked trails around Lake Clear. There are lots of them. Most of the skiing is on trails that I've already described, but not all. The first part of the loop is not marked on the map so a compass (and the knowledge of how to use it) is a wise precaution although, honestly, I've never come close to needing it. It is a 9 mile loop about 70% in the woods and 30% on ponds and almost all flat. Follow the directions in the “walk or ski off Conley Road” post to the small grassy clearing at the 28 minute mark. But this time continue going straight instead of turning left. Ski about 10 minutes (that's a guess) on the perfectly flat old road to a very obvious but narrower trail that turns off to the left. It will very likely be unbroken. Take that and in about 15 to 20 minutes you'll see Grass Pond (which is on your map) about 200 feet away on the left. (A bit before that there is another smaller pond visible through the woods but further away.) The trail continues past Grass but you want to get down the hill onto the pond. You'll have to pick your way through the trees since there is no definitive trail. Once down on the ice head right, to the far end of the pond and look for a not very distinct carry trail. It's a short way to Little Clear Pond. Follow along the shoreline of Little Clear to the right and look for the start of the carry trail to St Regis Pond. About half way along the ½ mile trail to St Regis turn left on an obvious trail which, in a mile, brings you to the main Fish Pond truck trail where you again turn left. Go about 1/3 mile to another trail on the left which is the loop trail around Little Green Pond described in the “St Regis canoe area skiing – part 1” post. There will be a sign high on a tree to your right indicating that Fish Pond is behind you. Turn left onto the loop. You will be heading in the reverse direction of my description in the part 1 post. Skiing on the level there is a crossing trail (Bone Pond to the left, Little Green Pond to the right), then a very short moderate downhill pitch followed in a couple of minutes by “T” intersection where you turn right (the left at the “T” is not used much and may not be too obvious). After the right turn there is a nice gradual downhill at the bottom of which a bay of Little Green will be visible on the right. Continue on to the gate where there is a very short trail down to the ice of Little Clear Pond on the left. Here's the slightly tricky part. You need to find the campsite like clearing (meaning no underbrush, just tall trees) on the far shore. If you look on the paddler's map there is a little point on the eastern shore right across from the 2 islands that hug the western shore. The clearing is about 1 or 2 tenths mile to the right of the point and a heading of due east on your compass from your starting point on the pond. (If you want to check out the clearing that you are looking for, go down to Little Clear on your way in at the 3 way fork. It's only a 1/10^th mile side trip each way.) Once on land, and feeling very proud of yourself for following these directions so well, head up the hill on the trail and, in a few minutes you'll join the trail you started on at the 3 way fork. Turn right to head back to your car on Conley Road. You are now cleared to eat whatever calorie laden food your heart desires.