Adirondack Sports January 2024

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
JANUARY 2024 15
Skiing in
Canoe Country
AT FISH CREEK
AND LITTLE
SQUARE POND.
THE TRAIL SOUTH
OF MIDDLE POND.
By Rich Macha
A
fair amount has been written about cross-country
skiing within the Saint Regis Canoe Area which
lies north of Floodwood Road, but I have seen
little mention of the skiing potential south of the road.
Cross-country skiing in canoe country? It does make
sense since skiing, like paddling, is just gliding on water.
A few years ago, I was on a September canoe camping
trip and intended to paddle some of the ponds within the
Saranac Lakes Wild Forest located south of Floodwood
Road, while I was base-camped at Polliwog Pond. After
a dark and stormy night, gusty winds were forecasted for
the day, and I decided that paddling would not be a wise
option (I later found out that the third day of the 90-miler
canoe race was canceled that day due to the winds). After
checking the map, I realized that I should still be able to
visit those ponds on foot, and, after hiking an 8.6-mile
loop, the thought occurred to me that this would make a
delightful cross-country ski route.
Late last winter, I joined four friends for four days of
cross-country skiing in the Saranac Lake/Lake Placid
area, and finally got around to skiing the above loop. The
temperature was a little below freezing when we started,
but a little above freezing when we got done four hours
later – the snow was a bit sticky at the end but, for the
most part, conditions were very good with over a foot of
snow. Floodwood Road, despite being a dirt road, was
well-plowed. However, neither of the two parking areas on
either side of Middle Pond was plowed, so we decided to
park on the side of Floodwood Road at a wide spot where
the road is just a few feet from Middle Pond and start our
trip from there.
OUR ROUTE.
After skiing southwest across the pond, we picked up
the canoe carry trail to Floodwood Pond. Canoe carry
trails in the Adirondacks have yellow trail markers and a
white sign at each end to make them easier to find from
the water. A bit of a climb (it felt easier than when I did
this with a canoe over my head) soon led us to the redmarked
hiking/snowmobile trail that would take us past
Floodwood Pond and Fish Creek. The trail showed some
recent snowmobile use but we did not see nor hear any
machines during our outing. An exciting downhill drop
brought us to the east shore of Floodwood Pond. The trail
then travels over rolling terrain to the pond’s outlet, Fish
Creek, and turns south to parallel the creek. The creek
THE GROUP TAKING
A BREAK ON THE
SNOWMOBILE TRAIL.
PHOTOS BY
RICH MACHA
stays mostly out of sight unless you take a right to a bridge
or make a short detour off the trail. The creek had some
open water on the day of our trip, especially wherever the
current was quickest.
The trail comes close to Fish Creek when the creek
meets Little Square Pond at a campsite. The skiing then
becomes easier as the gently rolling trail pulls away from
the creek and passes through mature woods with tall
trees rising skyward. Eventually, after skiing 3.7 miles, we
reached the carry trail that takes paddlers from Fish Creek
to Follensby Clear Pond. The snowmobile tracks headed
out onto the pond. The red and blue trails cross the carry
See CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING 17 ▶