Adirondack Sports June 2023

Saint Regis Canoe Area
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Cranberry
Pond
Windfall
Pond
Parking
Hiking
X-Country skiing
Lean-to
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Boat Ramp
Boat Carry
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Saint Regis
Canoe Area
Other Forest
Preserve land
Conservation
Easement
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Dry
Channel
Pond
East
Pond
East Pond Mtn
Long Pond Mtn
2530'
Long
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West Pine
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Ledge
Pd
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Mountain
Pond
Cat Pond
Pond Mountain Trl
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Long to Bessie Carry
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Long
Pond
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Pond
Little !
Long Pond
Nellie
Pond
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PADDLING
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Bessie
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Pond
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l oodwood Rd
Pond
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T urtle
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S AR A NA C
LA K E S W I LD
FO R E S T
Middle
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Fish
Pond
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Fish to
Clamshell
Carry
Clamshell
Pond
lamshell
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Saint Regis River
Fish Pond Truck Trl
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Pond
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S A I N T R E G I S
M O U N TA I N
F I R E T O W E R
H I S TO R I C A R E A
S A I N T
R E G I S
C A N O E A R E A
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Mud
Pond
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Turtle
Pond
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Polliwog
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Mud
Ochre
Grass
Pond
Hoel
Pond
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Carry
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St. Regis
Mtn 2874'
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Ochre Carry
Ochre
Pd !8
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Green
Pond !
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Little
Rainbow
Pond
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Tupper
Lake
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E 14 miles
Keese Mills Rd
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Regis
Pond
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Saint
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Mountain
Regis
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Marvin
Pond
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Long
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Saranac River
Spitfire
Lake
Upper Saint
Regis Lake
ond Trl
Meadow P
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Gabriels 3 miles
Saranac Lake 11 miles
S AR A NA C
LA K E S W I LD
FO R E S T
Roiley
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Pond
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Meadow
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Pond
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Pond
Little
Bone Pond
Truck Clear
Bone Trl Pond
Pd
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Little
Green
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Rat
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Upper
Saranac
Lake
Spectacle
Ponds
Black
Pond
Green
Pond
! Bear
Pd
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Saint
Germain
Pond
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S AR A NA C
LA K E S W I LD
FO R E S T
Lower Saint
Regis Lake
Lake
Clear
0 0.75 1.5 3 Miles
0 0.75 1.5 3 Kilometers
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Saranac Lake
8 miles
E
10/2017
JUNE 2023 23
▲ ON THE CARRY
BETWEEN SLANG
AND LONG PONDS.
Continued from page 1
friendly to the hulls of ultralight composite boats.
You paddle northwest on Turtle for under one-mile and
enter a shallow channel that leads into Slang Pond – you may
have to get out and ‘line your canoe’ especially if it is heavily
laden with camping gear. A short paddle along Slang’s
south shore soon leads to the 0.2-mile carry to Long Pond.
The carry trail is relatively smooth and flat so a portage cart
will work, however, there may be some mud along the way
to slow you down.
A pleasant sandy beach is at the Long Pond end of the
carry and, once again, you could be tempted to go for a swim
at this scenic spot. On a map, Long Pond looks like a backward
“t” and is big enough that you could paddle its shoreline
for hours on end. In its western lobe, there is a 1.6-mile hiking
trail that takes you up Long Pond Mountain where there are
spectacular views of the ponds within the canoe area, and of
the High Peaks in the distance.
Paddling south then southwest on the long arm of the
pond leads past campsites and an island. A little northwest
of the island is the opening to the 0.25-mile lily pad –filled
channel that leads into Pink Pond, a small but attractive pond
with some steep forested shores as well some boggy shoreline.
Another narrower channel leads to Little Pink Pond but
there may be a beaver dam or two to lift over along the way.
Look for rose pogonia, a showy pink/purple orchid, growing
in the boggy areas.
Through-trippers can carry 0.25 miles from Long Pond
to the nearest parking area on Floodwood Road and shuttle
back to the start. Otherwise, you can return to Hoel the way
you came, or do some more exploring off the main route. In
late June of last summer, a small group of us went from Hoel
to Pink and back to Hoel in a little over 6 hours while traveling
over a distance of 11 miles. We saw several loons during
our paddle, and the little pink flowers of sheep laurel were in
bloom and especially abundant on Slang Pond.
The St. Regis Canoe Area has lots to offer the paddler and
adventurer – wilderness camping, swimming, hiking, peace
and tranquility, loons and other wildlife, and nature study.
The best map for the area is the Adirondack Paddler’s Map
– Close-up Series: St Regis Canoe Wilderness. More info and
a map can be found on the NYSDEC website: dec.ny.gov/
lands/70572.html.
◀ LITTLE CLEAR POND.
A lover of wild places, Rich Macha has led many trips for the
Adirondack Mountain Club, and has spent 20 years in the
paddle/snowsport business. More of Rich’s adventures can
be found at northeastwild.blogspot.com.
◀ LONG POND AND
LONG POND MOUNTAIN.
PHOTOS BY RICH MACHA
▲ THE CULVERT
BETWEEN HOEL AND
TURTLE PONDS.