Climbing St Regis Mountain, NY

 My name is Bob and  I am a neighbor of  the Lodge on Lake Clear.  

 I'm very enthusiastic about the multitude of outdoor opportunities available in the Lake Clear area.  

 I want to enlighten potential visitors to hiking, climbing, canoeing/kayaking, snowshoeing and cross country skiing day trips that are easily accessed from here.

For my first trip I'll pick the most obvious -  St Regis Mt.   I say most obvious because St Regis is the mountain that dominates the view from The Lodge beach.

I've climbed St Regis more than any other mountain - probably around 60 times including in the winter. ( Actually a favorite little cross country  ski jaunt is skiing up the St Regis trail until the steeper section starts.  But that's for another post.)   

         There is a great view from the top of St Regis Mountain - of the numerous lakes that start right at the mountain's base and extend far off into the distance.   Lake Clear is right there front and center.    The high peaks are visible too but they are pretty far away.   One year we climbed St Regis, pitched a small tent on the one flat grassy spot,  and stayed up there overnight so we could stay up late and watch the Perseid meteor shower.  Then we woke up early and watched the sun rise over the lakes.  Pretty cool !   So far we've gotten 3 of the 7 grand children to the top using their own leg power. 

       To get to the trail head : take a left out of the Lake Clear Lodge main driveway, then take the next left up Route 30 North.  Drive north on route 30 to Paul Smiths College,  about 5-6 miles.  You'll see the main college entrance on your left (you would turn right to go to Saranac Lake from here).   Immediately  past the entrance turn left on Keeses Mills Road.  Go about 2.5 miles and you'll see a small parking lot on the right with a Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) sign.  About another 100 yards down the road is a large gravel parking lot on the left which is where you park.  Walk down  the dirt road by the parking lot about 1/10th mile to where the actual trail begins.  

Distance is 3.4 miles each way with a 1266 foot climb.  It's certainly not easy but not too difficult a climb either.   

Of course all such pronouncements are highly subjective !   Have fun!

Gentle hikes near and around Lake Clear, NY

 

     Sometimes you just want to go for a nice walk in the woods - not  a commando assault on Mt Huge.

There are lots of options in this category.  I'll start by describing a trio of nearby routes we frequent off route 30 heading  north from the Lodge.  (Obviously you can just stroll on the considerable acres of the Lodge property or walk forever on the railroad tracks.   With regard to the latter, watch out for the passing train engine.   It goes by twice a year at the blazing speed of about 3 MPH accompanied by a loud clanging bell !) 

     The most popular place to walk around is the nearby Visitor Interpretive Center run by Paul Smiths   College.   There is good reason for its popularity.   The many trails are well maintained, foot friendly smooth, and offer a variety of ecosystem experiences.  Some of the trails feature long boardwalks across boggy areas.   There is a very large blown down tree at the end of one of these boardwalks where the pulled up root system impressively towers over your head.   It's probably 20 feet tall.    Next to the VIC building  is a small playground for the kids and a butterfly house with a helpful staff person to answer your questions.  The VIC is not exactly a wilderness experience but, if it is the goal, you can hike for a long time on the numerous trails.   And you may learn something.  Plus, it's free.   It is located about a mile past the Paul Smiths entrance, which itself is about 6 miles north on route 30 from the Lodge. 

     Black and Long Ponds offer nice water side walks.  Naturally,  Black Pond is longer than Long Pond.   I haven't yet done an analysis of their relative blackness.  (You have to wonder about the naming of ponds around here.  Within 4 miles there are 3 Green Ponds.  Well, actually one is Little Green Pond which, of course, is larger than one of the Greens and of similar size to the other.)  The trails mostly course along side the water with mild ups and downs.  At the end of Black Pond you can turn right, cross the fish barrier dam and do a circumnavigation of the pond.  There is a bridge over the short connection between Black and it's smaller polyp like bay to the east which is a nice place to sit and enjoy a snack in the sunshine.  If you go straight instead of crossing the dam the trail goes to a leanto near the far end of Long Pond.  Go out on the dock in front of the leanto.  The trail continues past the leanto and connects to the Jenkins Mountain trail, but that's another story.   You have to backtrack along Long  to the junction by the fish barrier dam.  If you walk around Black there is a steep 1 to 2 minute climb near the end.  After this short pitch look for a long sloping rock on the right which looks down on  the smaller channel before it opens up to the pond.  We once saw a loon swimming  rapidly  underwater here from our high up vantage point.  It was quite a memorable experience.  Access  the ponds by turning left on Keese Mills Road immediately past the Paul Smith entrance.  Drive about 2 ½  miles to a small, wood rail enclosed, dirt parking area on the right with a VIC sign.   There is a map at the trail sign in kiosk.   Though this area is part of the VIC it is far away from the main VIC trails. 

     Another Paul Smiths group of trails is called the Red Dot Trails.  It's a bit of a maze so I can't describe any specific routes.  Just bring a sense of adventure and you'll eventually end up someplace familiar since the trails loop around.    In the process of exploration the trails you walk along Church, Little  Church  and Osgood Ponds and cross a couple of man made canals  that connect the  ponds.  These water passages were dug so people could get to church without portaging their guideboats.  Find the Red Dot Trails by turning right into the roadside parking area opposite Keese Mills Road and then continue slightly  further away from the road  though the woods to the white church.  The trail starts on the left side (as you drive in) of the parking area in front of the church.  Park by the church.

Places to Stay Near St. Regis Mountain for Saranac Lake 6ers

So you are climbing St. Regis Mountain?  There she is - from our beach at The Lake Clear Lodge - one of the last original Adirondack Lodges still open to the public.  And hey - I was just thinking - maybe the only place with the sunset view over St. Regis Mountain.

And now there is the Saranac Lake 6er   ( http://saranaclake6er.com )  "Celebrate the outdoors in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondacks by climbing the six peaks that surround Saranac Lake: McKenzie, Ampersand, Scarface, Haystack, St. Regis, and Baker. Hike all six peaks to become a '6er'!"

Stay with us. We are just 7 miles from the trail head of St. Regis Mountain, and you can see St. Regis from our beach. 

Lake Clear - one gateway to dozens of hiking and biking options!

www.lodgeonlakeclear.com

Book online HERE!

more info see dec.ny.gov/lands/70572.html