Story by Dave Cilley

Fifty-eight lakes and Ponds dot the St. Regis Area near Saranac Lake, NY. One glimpse at the new Adirondack Paddler's Map and you quickly get the feeling that here one can travel by water more easily than by land.

The Fish Creek Ponds Area, south of Floodwood Road seems to have been made for families with young children. Here the wilds exist on a miniature scale; small streams with a gentle current, smaller lakes and tranquil ponds beckon the younger nature lover. Here three loop trips make it possible to paddle and portage (an overland traverse carrying your canoe) and return to your car without backtracking. Trips are designated by travel time: Rollins Loop is 4-5 hrs, Follensby Clear Loop is 5-6 hrs and the Floodwood Loop is 10 hours.

We found St. Regis Canoe Outfitters, located on Floodwood Pond to be the perfect starting point for our trip. They have been helping families for over 21 years and their staff is very knowledgeable. They recommended a site on Follensby Clear Pond that was perfect for my young son and daughter to wade and play in the shallow water. Since this was our first time, we chose a trip down a beautiful, gentle stream to a pond where we could set up camp, explore the area and be picked up after a one-hour paddle out to civilization.

We aimed our canoe for the narrow opening between the big island and the point as we paddled across Floodwood Pond. In the narrows we passed a campsite with tent and family. They looked like they were set up for a whole week! We followed the right shoreline passing a heap of sticks that we learned was a beaver home. About an hour out we found Fish Creek, hidden, but wide enough to navigate our canoe and with a gentle current that connects three or four ponds like a string of beads. We followed ducks downstream and saw kingfishers looping from branch to branch as they raced ahead. Hemlock trees hung out over the water and created a dark lagoon-like atmosphere in the quiet pools. The next minute our boat glided over a sunlit sand bank and a smallmouth bass raced upstream past the canoe. Ahead a birch arched out over the water creating a tunnel. "Let's go there", Evelyn shouted. Just beyond we floated out into Little Square Pond, which we decided wasn't square at all, but had a lovely rock where we stopped for lunch. We soon reached the portage to Follensby Clear Pond, our pond for the night. The portage was only 200 yards and went fast. We remembered to keep all of our gear together in a neat pile as we returned for the second load. We didn't want to misplace our food or the pack with our sleeping bags. Garth first spotted the sandy spit of land that would be our home on the pond. Garth and Evelyn raced to help set up camp: tent pegs, guy lines, our small stove and cook pot went in the kitchen area, even firewood was gathered in anticipation of a crispy marshmallow. We'd decided to hang our food out of the way of hungry critters, so hanging a rope up to pull up the food was not only a challenge but a form of entertainment. Garth threw the weighted rope over the branch at the first try. I was impressed. I wondered how I could get that enthusiasm at home.

That night, even before marshmallows, we heard a loud ruckus on the lake, and I remembered the haunting yodel of a loon. We crawled into the tent and as I read a short story to the children, we heard the loud "whomp" of a beaver, slapping his tail on the pond. It sounded just like someone throwing 6" boulder into the lake. I thought about the beaver and wondered what his home looked like. The next sound I heard was a chickadee announcing the new day. The next morning we portaged (i.e. carried the canoe) over a 200 yard portage and followed a 2 hour circuit of four ponds: Polliwog, Little Polliwog, and Horseshoe Ponds and back to our campsite on Follensby. In the afternoon we paddled over to a long sliver of an island for a picnic lunch and Garth and Evelyn played like otters in the water until we all felt waterlogged. Returning to camp we packed our canoe for the short trip to the takeout, where the St. Regis people were waiting to take us back to the base and our car. As we backed out of the parking area, Garth and Evelyn were already talking about the next trip.

The St. Regis Wilderness Area North of Floodwood Road lies the St. Regis Wilderness Area, a no motors area set aside specifically for canoeing and kayaking away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Here the wilderness takes on a more rugged nature - ideal for teenagers with energy to burn or anyone wanting the sense of satisfaction that comes with attaining the goal of a truly remote pond or campsite.

My favorite is an overnight trip to Long Pond with a hike up Long Pond Mountain. This trip is suitable for younger children but it does require a 1/3 mile hike in from the road with all your gear. Within two hours you can be set up in your campsite. The mountain hike is about 900 feet uphill from the shore and is ideal for children 6-10 years old. Everyone enjoys the view from the top, which is about 3 hrs round trip from the pond.

The most remote trip here is the "Route of the Nine Carries", a trip with nine portages of varying length up to 1.5 miles - obviously not for the "faint of heart" but to some it is worth the effort. Here one gets a sense of oneness with the wilds: watch a beaver at work on a lodge, watch a loon caring for it's little fuzzball baby, or catch and release a prized brook trout in the morning mists.

For more information contact:

Dave Cilley
St. Regis Canoe Outfitters
73 Dorsey St. Saranac Lake, NY 12983
518-891-1838
toll free 888-775-2925
e-mail info@canoeoutfitters.com
www.canoeoutfitters.com

The Adirondack Paddler's Map:
This topographic, shaded relief map is printed on waterproof, tearproof plastic stock. It is the first waterproof detailed canoeist's map of the most spectacular part of the Adirondack Park in New York State. It shows state land -- private land boundaries as well as wilderness designations. Campsites, portages and access points are all detailed. It is a requirement for any extensive canoe trip through the Adirondacks.

The map is available by clicking here or from:

Paddlesports Press
A division of St. Regis Canoe Outfitters, Inc
73 Dorsey St. PO Box 797 Saranac Lake, NY 12983
Phone: 888-775-2925 or 518-891-2525
Fax 518-891-6405

WRITER'S BIO