ROTARY GUIDE

Southern Section  (Take Route 30 south from Tupper Lake)

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1. Forked Lake, an upside-down T-shaped body of water, is almost entirely surrounded by the Whitney Estate. At its east end is the State campsite through which access is gained to the lake. This point is about seven miles southwest of Long Lake Village off Route 30. Keep right at Deerland onto the road marked "Buttermilk Falls" Racquette Lake Quad

2. Horseshoe Lake, a large State-owned pond, is at the western end of six-mile long State Route 421, probably the shortest in the State. It is bordered by the Adirondack Railroad, which once ran trains from Utica to Lake Placid and to Montreal. Its shore was once the site of a large day camp and was also part of the American Legion Camp on Tupper Lake. The Bog River and Low’s Lake, described below, are also accessible by this route off Route 30 at the south end of Tupper Lake. Tupper Lake Quad

3. Bog River, at the end of a ½ mile dirt road off Route 421 at Horseshoe Lake, gives access to the huge Oswegatchie Wilderness Area to the west. From a put-in at the new dam (the lower dam), paddle the beautiful Bog River a few miles west to Hitchins Pond. The first part was once a gorge now drowned by the hydroelectric dam built early in the century by Low, an eccentric millionaire. Cross to the southwest corner of the pond where the inlet enters from Low’s Lake, man-made almost a century ago, and walk a 200-yard carry road to the upper dam. A full week could be spent canoeing west, above the dam, the length of Low’s Lake, an enjoyable trip. Camping is banned during July and August on selected shore and island sites owned by the Hiawatha (Syracuse) Boy Scout Council. (See ENCON, Raybrook for an entire map)

4. Trout Pond, a wilderness lake, is a 1½ mile carry south across the new, lower, Bog River Dam where the parking lot is situated. Tupper Lake Quad

5. Lake Lila, with its irregular shoreline and islands, is the headwaters of the Beaver River which flows west into the Stillwater Reservoir. Patrolled by an ENCON Ranger, it has free but supervised campsites. Motors are banned. It was once the property of Webb , who built the Adirondack Railroad,and enjoyed an impressive "great camp", Nehasane, and his own railroad station near the lake. It is accessible from Route 30, 3 miles south of its junction with Route 421, via the Sabattis Road, an unmarked county highway. Follow it eight miles west to a left turn leading to the Lake Lila parking lot. It is a ¼ mile carry to the lake shore. Tupper and Cranberry Quads

6. Tupper Lake, fed by the Racquette River at the north end and by the Bog River at the south, is another lake that can be challenging to canoeists on a windy day. One cross-lake trip leaves from Rock Island Bay, seven miles south of Tupper Lake, due west to Black Bay, two miles distant. (There is a parking turnout on Route 30 on both sides of the road. It is a short walk down to the launching spot.) Black Bay splits and the northern, or right hand, bay is the destination. There is a fine campsite overlooking the water and a 2,000 foot long uphill trail leads to Bridgebrook Pond. It is worth a visit to see the huge beaver lodges found in numbers at its upper end. The other fork of the Bay has the only State-built lean-to on the lake. At the lake's foot, in a heavily-traveled channel to Racquette Pond, is another lean-to. Numbered campsites are found along the road over the Bog River, NYS Route 421, extending west to the shore of Horseshoe Lake. Tupper Lake Quad

7. Racquette River, the longest canoeable waterway in the Adirondack Park, flows out of Racquette Lake into Forked Lake, through the length of Long Lake and loops north, then west and south before entering Tupper Lake at its north end. It flows through Racquette Pond north-westerly to empty into the St. Lawrence River at Massena, and has at least eight hydroelectric dam sites between Tupper Lake and Massena. There is a rather infamous portage below Long Lake, unforgettable to those who have negotiated it. Refer to ENCON's booklet on "Canoe Routes" which describes the river passage and its various launching sites. Encon Booklet Map

8. Blue Mountain Lake, with its interesting history, is almost entirely privately owned. A careful search in the hamlet along Route 28 will reveal a public launch site. From this lake the Marion River outlet to Racquette Lake gives access to the long canoe route southwest along the eight-lake Fulton Chain of Lakes ending at Old Forge. It also gives access via Forked Lake to the Racquette River Route to Long and Tupper Lakes and the Saranac chain of three lakes. Blue Mountain Lake Quad

9. Lake Durant, a three-mile-long shallow body has a beautifully situated State campsite on its shore and at its upper end; a pleasant surprise. There are several rocky points and islets suitable for picnics. It is located on the west side of Route 30 four miles south of Blue Mountain Lake hamlet. Between the hamlet and Lake Durant is the divide between the St. Lawrence and Hudson River watersheds. At Lake Durant's upper end is a low wooden bridge blocking access to a ½ square mile pond, posted against motors and designated a "wilderness" pond. On a 1993 visit, three otters were seen playing just beyond the bridge. Blue Mountain Lake Quad

10. Lakes Rich and Harris provide a chain with two small ponds between them, extending west to east along the north side of Route 28N, which turns east off Route 30 at Long Lake. The Adirondack Park's Visitor Interpretive Center occupies part of Rich Lake's shoreline. Access is through the NYS College of Environmental Forestry on Rich Lake. There are small navigable riffles between most of the four water bodies with a portage around the bridge carrying the road north to the State-owned Santanoni Tract. Takeout is at the Newcomb public launch site and beach. Harris lake provides access to a five mile navigable stretch of the Hudson River south of Route 28N. This is one of Adirondack Park Agency’s canoe trips in their challenge series. Newcomb Quad

11. Lake Eaton, an irregularly-shaped lake of about two square miles, has an interesting shoreline. It has a State campsite on the east side. It is due west of Long Lake Village on the west side of Route 30. Blue Mountain Lake Quad