The Northern Adirondacks
If I received a dollar for every time a person mistook us saying "we're from New York" as hailing from New York City we could retire and live out our dream of adventuring full time. Although the "Big Apple" is a spectacular urban environment, bustling with limitless things to do and see, MotoRabbit thinks the true gem of New York State is its 6 million acre Adirondack State Forest. While a destination for downstaters, this rural paradise is a home to many New York residents. We are lucky to live just below its boundaries and grateful to immerse ourselves in it's beauty when we head north into the mountains and trees.
While the park is heavily protected by the DEC and other governmental and local conservancies, there is plenty of exploring that can be done if you put your mind to it. After loading up the Tenere and Noah his Africa Twin, we headed north to the center of the park. We encountered sweeping turns, steep mountains and circumnavigated countless lakes to the proclaimed "Capital of the Adirondacks", Saranac Lake. Saranac lake is usually a bustling town a few miles west of Lake Placid, but with the circumstances it was quieter but still had plenty of energy. After grabbing provisions in town we worked our way west to Lake Clear where our quaint AirBnB on the shore waited for us.
A heavily trafficked area by naturists and fitness enthusiasts, what most people don't know is that there is a large snowmobile and ATV community in this part of the north country. There are countless little inns and restaurants that are scattered along popular snowmobile routes, one being Charlie's Junction. You'll find a restaurant and inn nestled on land with an out of service historic rail station still standing, a testament to the history of this rural area.
As we awoke to the sun rising over lake clear we enjoyed our coffee on the porch as I planned out the days ride. We left Lake Clear and headed north to Paul Smiths and took the stunning Blue Mountain Road far into the forest. What began as pavement, winded through shaded pines and after a few miles turned to dirt. One thing you may want to take notice of is that the fact that the Adirondacks do have quite a bit of sand and what may look like a solid path through a corner may actually be a sand trap patiently waiting to knock you off your line. All forests roads are not created equal and let the Adirondack forest roads serve as that testament. Exploring this area will keep you thinking, "it just can't get any better than this", until you round another corner. You’ll ride in disbelief as the unincorporated beauty of the Adirondack forests drags you further into the dense tree cover littering the road with pine needles and casting shadows on the unpredictable sand that lies underneath.
After Blue Mountain Road, we wiggled our way through paved and dirt tracks just south of Malone NY. Working our way towards Owls Head the rural dirt road we traveled on criss-crossed an ATV path numerous times and the temptation could not be ignored anymore. We ventured off course and had some fun exploring the ATV trail for next 10 miles or so and made time to stage a little photo/video shoot and work on our sand-riding skills in the process. Continuing on, the group tired from the rough and "whooped" out track the quads left behind, we made our way south to "Wolf Pond Road". This is where the sand riding practice from earlier proved to be helpful as we navigated long sections of deep loose sand as we fought to keep our loaded bikes upright. A word of warning, please watch out for ATVs as you traverse this road as there are many blind corners and the sand will keep your bike going every direction but straight.
After the sand challenges, the roads settle for a bit until you hit a Jerusalem Road, a narrow rough two- track with a couple of water holes from recent rain and logging operations. As you ride through the town of Dannemora you may remember the recent prison break, rest assured the escapees have been captured. The final 50 mile ride you will encounter much of the same conditions as earlier in the day with both pavement and dirt as you look forward to some much needed time off the bike. As you cross route 86 I suggest you make your way back into Saranac Lake for bite and a libation. You’ll have earned it after a long day in the Adirondack Wilderness.
As always, we look forward to hearing about your ride report.
Stay safe, rabbit rabbit.
