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10 Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

12/2/2012

14 Comments

 
PictureA seldom used trail near downtown Saranac Lake.
Introduction
The effort by the Adirondack Recreation Trail Advocates (ARTA) to create “a contiguous recreation trail from Lake Placid to Old Forge” is a laudable one. The concept of a recreation trail between these two communities on its surface sounds appealing.  ARTA however has created the classic novel story line in that every good story has to have a protagonist, in this case ARTA, the good guys, and an antagonist, the bad guys, in this case the Adirondack Scenic Rail Road. Of course if you are the Adirondack Scenic Rail Road you may see it the other way around. History usually determines which is which. The winners end up being the protagonist and the losers the antagonist. 

I prefer to look at it differently. I have an affliction called rationality. As one friend once wrote, “It’s Jack’s most honored virtue.” I like to find win-win solutions to problems. I’ve always preached to my students to use the rational decision-making/problem-solving process. One of the first steps of problem solving is to define the problem.  It appears that the anti-train people define the problem as, we need more recreational trails in the Adirondacks, the railroad is a mode of transportation whose time has passed, so let’s tear up the rails and use the money from salvaging the iron and build a multi-purpose trail from Lake Placid to Old Forge. As a recreation professional with over 40 years of experience I see the problem a little differently. The problem, as I see it, is that most Adirondack communities lack easy access trails that you can reach from your home or motel room. The problem is, how can we remedy this? I’m continually amazed as I travel around the world how much easier it frequently is to find beautiful terrain to walk through in urban areas than it is in my hometown of Saranac Lake. That needs to change here in Saranac Lake as well as other Adirondack towns and villages.

The solution is much simpler than what the anti-train people advocate. The solution is a series of interconnected trails accessible from numerous access points. I’m going to suggest 10 trails for Saranac Lake as an example. I’m calling the list, “10 Trails We Should Build Before We Worry About Converting Rails to Trails.”

I’m going to share 1 trail a day here over the next 10 days with an accompanying map.

Before I begin let me make a few points. 
  • This list was created by me alone after spending less than an hour looking over a map of the region. I have hiked, skied, snowshoed, bicycled and/or snowmobiled almost all of these routes. The recently released Village of Saranac Lake Draft Bicycle + Pedestrian Trail Master Plan includes a number of these trails but unfortunately not all of them.
  • This list is about multi-use trails but not all of these trails will be used by all modes of transportation. Some are possible to be used by all modes of travel but most will be limited to two or three. My effort was not to replicate the proposed multi-purpose recreational trail but to show that there are lots of trail development opportunities that the people of Saranac Lake should consider.
  • These trails would be accessible from at least seven different trailheads but the trails would be interconnected so that users could access any trail from any one trailhead.
  •  This list will surely by criticized because of the many challenges to building some of these trails. Reasons like, there are too many regulatory obstacles. There are too many environmental obstacles. The cost is too high. You could say the same about the rails to trails project. Creative problem solving and good leadership can build all of these trails.
  • My guess is that if you built all of these trails you will gain all the financial tourism benefits cited by ARTA’s studies.
  • All distances are approximate.
  • The order is random

 Below is the map of trail number 1 and its description. Tune in tomorrow for trail number 2.
Jack Drury

Picture

Name

1. Saranac River -Pine Pond Trail

Access/Description

From the Route 3 State Bridge boat  launch parking lot on Route 3 to the Averyville trail at Pine Pond
Difficulty: From state bridge to Pine Pond - easy. From Averyville to state bridge - moderate

Distance

3 miles

Thoughts/Issues

The parking lot already exists.  It would make a fine trailhead.  A bridge across Cold Brook and that fact that it is a Wilderness Area are two issues. This trail  would provide access to the existing trail to Averyville.


2. Moose Pond Trail




From the Route 3 trailhead north of the village to Moose Pond and then around Moose Pond.
Difficulty:
Most activities - Easy 
Mountain Biking  -Moderate

 4 miles
The trail from Route 3 to the pond exists. This trail in the McKenzie Wilderness should be made accessible by all but snowmobiles. (would need regulatory change to get bicycles)

Link

Click here to read more

3.  McKenzie Pond Trail








From the Jack Rabbit trailhead on the McKenzie Pond road to the Waste Water Treatment Plan
Difficulty: For most uses I would consider that a moderate trail.

5 miles
From McKenzie pond to the Water Treatment Plan would be a new trail through a Wilderness Area. It should be made accessible by all but snowmobiles. (would need regulatory change to get bicycles)

Link

Click here to read more
4.  Scarface to Pine Pond










From the Scarface mountain trail head  on the Ray Brook Road following an access road to private property with a new trail over to Pine Pond.
Difficulty:
This is hard to determine. The trip from Ray Brook all the way to route 3 is relatively long but mostly downhill. The terrain is easy but the distance makes it more challenging
. 
5.75 miles
Much of this trail already exists. This trail and #1 would provide access to the existing trail to Averyville. It could be a multi-use year around trail.  It require only 1.6 miles of new trail. The rest already exists

Link

Click here to read more

5. Saranac River/ Moose Pond

From the Waste Water Treatment Plant to Moose Pond.
Difficulty:
Easy - This would be gentle terrain

5 1/2 miles
This would be an all new trail through the McKenzie Wilderness . It should be made accessible by all but snowmobiles. (would need regulatory change to get bicycles)

Link

Click here to read more

6. Saranac Lake to Mt. View
From  the Harrietstown Road north of Saranac Lake to Mountain View via the old railroad bed/Power line right of way
Difficulty: 

Easy
28 miles
It already exists as a snowmobile trail and could readily be turned into a multi-purpose year around trail.

Link

Click here to read more

7. Fowler’s Crossing Trails  (Turtle Pond)


From the parking lot by the railroad tracks on route 86 this is a network of trails between Turtle Pond and Oseetah Lake. There are trails on both sides route 86.
Difficulty:
Easy - perfect for novices of all kinds

~2 miles on the west side of the tracks


~2 miles on the east side of the tracks

~1.75 mile spur to the Scarface Mt trail.
This network exists. It just needs to be formalized. It could be a multi-purposed year around trail although probably would not be of interest to snowmobiles due to its short length. This would include a new spur to intersect with the Scarface Mt. trail.

Link

Click here to read more

8. Scarface Mountain Loop
From the existing trail on the summit of Scarface Mt. around the eastern ridge down to Ray Brook across the tracks out the access road on the NE side of Scarface to Route 86.
Difficulty:
Challenging
~6.5 miles

(2 miles of new trail)
I've bushwacked this route and variations of it numerous times on foot, snowshoes, and skis. This could be used as a year around non-mechanized trail. (i.e., not snowmobile, or bicycle) 

Link

Click here to read more


9. Lower Saranac Lake Trail
From the Route 3 State Bridge boat launch parking lot around the south end of Lower Saranac Lake crossing the river at the upper locks then proceeding around and eventually heading north to the Forest Home Road.Difficulty:
moderate

~ 9 miles
This is Wild Forest so could be multipurpose year around trail although for a number of reasons it might not be practical for snowmobiles.  It follows a number of existing hunting trails and even a portion of an old snowmobile trail. The main  challenge would  be building a bridge across the Saranac River near the upper locks. The State Bridge on Route 3 has great potential as a trailhead since a parking lot already exists.

Link

Click here to read more

10. Black Pond Trial 


From the Forest Home Road to Black Pond and then intersecting with the Lower Saranac Lake Trail.
Difficulty:
Hiking is moderate
Skiing is challenging
Mt. Biking is challenging

>4 miles
This is Wild Forest so could be a multipurpose year around trail although for a number of reasons it wouldn't be practical for snowmobiles. A hunter/fisherman’s trail already exists to Black Pond.

Link

Click here to read more

Summary Posts

Here are links to the three summaries of this series.
Summary #1
Summary #2
Summary #3
14 Comments
Fred Finn
12/3/2012 09:52:44 am

Interesting concept (and perspective) Jack. Like the idea of synergy involved here. Looking forward to the installments to see if it addresses ARTA apparent desire to eliminate rails for their own sake.

Reply
Jack Drury
12/3/2012 10:45:25 am

Thanks Fred. I hope you enjoy the trails I've suggested.

Reply
Brandon DeVito
12/3/2012 11:04:49 am

I'd love to ski that.

Reply
Ken Youngblood
12/3/2012 12:42:28 pm

I'd much prefer that route to a flat railroad bed, but I remember doing the Pine Pond/Averyville trail as a young man and between the mud and the pitches remember the woman with me was in tears. Now I am 67 and resort to a cane when my tendons are overworked. Pretty gnarly for the touristy family outing, which I think the rails to trails venues cater to. If it weren't so exhausting the nature/aesthetic experience would be infinitely better.

Reply
Jack Drury
12/3/2012 10:43:48 pm

Thanks for your comment Ken. You have a valid point although part of the problem with the Avervyille to Pine Pond section is lack of maintenance. I've mountain biked it and found it fun even at my age. If it were well maintained and continued to the state bridge one neat thing would be that it would be nearly all down hill from Averyville to the state bridge. Stay tuned for some flatter alternatives.

Jack Drury
12/3/2012 10:39:12 pm

It is a great ski Brandon. I've done the Averyville to Pine Pond section many times. The section from Pine Pond to the State Bridge would be the easiest section.

Reply
Eric holmlund
12/3/2012 08:08:40 pm

I love it! An alternative to the bridge might be a two-cable traverse of the Cold Brook or a ford. I don't know the stream enough to know whether there is a good ford.

Reply
Mary Hotaling
12/3/2012 09:11:00 pm

Mapping alternative trails is a great idea, Jack! How about adding a "degree of difficulty" as you go along?

Reply
Jack Drury
12/3/2012 10:50:14 pm

Thanks for the idea Mary. Consider it done.

Reply
Philly Jones
12/4/2012 10:25:44 pm

See, I knew there were rational trail people out there, excluding ARTA of course. Here it Macon, GA we have both, and our trails are expanding, the railroad is working fine (funny the whistle is sounding now as a train passes about 400 yards from my house). Both can work well. Thank you.

Reply
Rebecca Bennett
12/4/2012 10:43:14 pm

This is a terrific idea, Jack! I've always valued that practical, "put your money [& time] where your mouth is" quality that you have. Even though I'm a 5-hour drive away, I am looking forward to trying out all of your trails--mt biking and/or x-c skiing depending on the weather. I also like Mary's idea of establishing a level of difficulty for each trail. Thanks for all your work in this new endeavor!

Reply
GreatScott!
12/19/2012 03:58:28 am

Saranac Lake is lucky to have you. Great ideas! However I think you are incorrect about the problem that "anti-train people" are highlighting. Who ever said there needs to more trails. The whole issue is wether a

Reply
GreatScott!
12/19/2012 04:05:51 am

...wether a rail trail connecting the largest communities in the park will be better for those communities than a tourist train. As someone who has lived and visited places with spectacular rail trails, I think a trail would be better. It's not a hiking trail. It's being able to bike on a smooth gentle trail from Lake Placid to Old Firge in one day. The word trail can mean a lot of different things. Your plan is great for

Reply
Nomadding Nina link
11/27/2020 11:41:14 pm

Thankks great post

Reply



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