Round Lake Ski Trail

It's always rewarding to take time to explore the Adirondack Park. Over the past twenty years Merry and I have traveled, hiked and paddled extensively in the Adirondacks but we have largely overlooked the Tupper Lake area. A few years ago we visited the then new Natural History Museum there affectionately called “The Wild Center.” http://www.wildcenter.org/ It's definitely worth a visit with its interactive displays, a tank of graceful river otters and a beautiful setting along the Raquette River. When we realized we would be in nearby Canton, NY last Friday afternoon, 4/9/10, we decided to make a return trip. Oops. We forgot that nobody goes to the Adirondacks in the early spring. The Wild Center is closed until May 1.

But as I was saying, it's always worth exploring. By the time we realized the Wild Center would be closed we had booked a cabin for the weekend on the south shore of the lake. Moody Cabin is a gem. http://www.tupperlakeinfo.com/moody_cabin.htm It's set back from the main road with a nice view. It has it's own little beach across the road with a lean-to that holds chairs and paddling accessories. The owner's house is next door, but the cabin feels very private. It's small, so it fit us well. It's nicely furnished, is tastefully decorated and has a fully functional kitchen. Perfect.

One of the reasons few visitors come to the Adirondacks in April is the unpredictable weather. Friday afternoon was fairly warm. When we arrived in Tupper Lake it was partly cloudy and in the 50s. When Joli and I stepped outdoors before sunrise on Saturday there was a quarter of an inch of snow on the ground with more coming down hard. It was still just below freezing at ten o'clock but the sky was completely clear with a stiff breeze. By noon the snow was completely gone.

We often rely on Barbara McMartin's wonderful guidebooks called the “Discover the Adirondacks” series. Outdoor opportunities throughout the whole giant park are described in detail in eleven volumes. One nice thing about these guides is that they cover both hiking and canoeing. They also include nice introductory sections on each geographic area. The maps in the book are not great, but that's made up for by the fact that the books are clearly written and updated pretty frequently. Even though McMartin died back in 2003 the work she started continues thanks to a corp of dedicated outdoor enthusiasts.

We were looking for a fairly short hike. We settled on #105, the Bog-Round Confluence. McMartin describes this as an unmarked path on old logging roads. We knew it headed into an area that the state had only recently acquired, so it was inviting and untraveled. There is no marked trailhead. There is a place to pull off the highway by a culvert that you can easily spot if you know exactly where to look. We have driven right by the spot dozens of times without notice. Once you're off Rt. 30, it's fairly easy to see where the old dirt road enters the woods.

A short way up this old logging road we came to an intersecting trail and a surprise. High on a tree someone has nailed metal circles, made from the lids of a #10 can, nicely painted and marking the trail ahead as the “Round Lake Ski Trail” and the side trail as a connector to another trailhead. From here on we found these homemade signs about every quarter mile.

The trail narrows after first climbing to the shoulder of a ridge. The open hardwoods are full of big glacial erratics covered with moss, ferns and lichen. Frequent small streams cut across the path as it passes through a glade of old yellow birch. A little further along the rushing Bog River comes into view downhill on the right. Merry and Joli scrambled down to the river to take a look at the rapids. A bit further along we came to the confluence of the Bog River and the stream that flows from Round Lake. We continued up the Round Lake Outlet until we emerged at a disused gravel road that used to lead to some hunting camps. Here more homemade signs mark the trails to Round Lake Dam to the left and Winding Falls to the right. On the immediate right is “Halfass Bridge”, a substantial old bridge directly over the lip of a beautiful waterfall.

We rested in the warm sun here for a bit. The sound of falling water and a few birds were all we could hear. Then we turned back the way we came. Along the trail we saw abundant witch hopple (Viburnum lantanoides) just opening and starting to push up its flower heads. Trout lilies and trillium were up everywhere but not yet flowering. Since there were no leaves on the trees the woods were nicely sunlit. There were no other hikers. The temperature was perfect and there were no bugs.

The next morning I described this hike to Mary, our host at Moody Cabin, and told her of my surprise at finding the trail markings. “Oh, that's Scott, my husband. He likes to poke around in the woods.” We then spent about half an hour talking with Scott about the other “unmarked” trails he has worked on throughout the nearby woods. In his view you can grow old waiting for the DEC to do trail work. His deep love for the woods is evident. We plan to come back to check out more of his handiwork soon.