BICYCLING

Schroon Lake Loop

Resort Town and Wilderness Area

by Bill McKibben, Sue Halpern, Mitchell Hay, Barbara Lemmel

Photo by Darryl Caron Riding along Schroon Lake near Adirondack.

Like many of the bodies of water in the Adirondack Park, Schroon Lake is long and narrow, reaching 9 miles from the south-southwestern tip to the north-northeastern end. At its widest, it is only 1.5 miles across, and at the narrowest point (called, appropriately enough, "the Narrows"), less than a 0.25-mile separates the east and west shores.

Schroon Lake is also strikingly beautiful. Viewed from the more-inhabited west side, a series of mountains stretch along the eastern shore, from Phoebe's Knob to Wilson Hill. Sunrise and moonrise are both spectacular, particularly when the lake is still and reflecting the beauty of both hill and sky. During the day, the lake is busy with motorboats and jet skis and sailboats; in the quieter mornings and evenings, canoeists and kayakers ply the water in search of views, exercise, and fish.

During the early part of the last century, some of the first timber cut and shipped out of the Adirondacks was felled near Schroon Lake, run down the Schroon River to the Hudson, and then delivered south to build scaffolding in New York City. The timber and tanning industries played an important role in the development of the hamlet of Schroon Lake and the surrounding towns. The lake's beauty, as well as its usefulness, served the area well; tourists boarded steamboats in Pottersville at the southern tip of the lake and were ferried in grand style to resorts and boardinghouses in the towns of Schroon Lake and Adirondack.

Today, the hamlet of Schroon Lake is the largest town in the area, and tourism remains an important part of the town's livelihood. There are many hotels, bed & breakfasts, and campgrounds in and near the town, and restaurants range from basic dinners to fancy European-style establishments. In addition, you'll find a Tops grocery store, several outdoor outfitters that can supply you with maps, camping supplies, and fishing tackle, a laundromat, and just about anything else you might need—except a bike shop.

This 26.1-mile bike loop follows, almost entirely, the Adirondack Marathon course. The ride begins at the Horicon boat launch at the southern tip of Schroon Lake, just half a mile east of US Route 9 on Glendale/River Road. The launch has ample parking and public washrooms, making it a good place to begin and end your ride. The terrain of the bike loop is moderately hilly, with a couple of steep climbs.

Turn right out of the boat launch parking lot onto River Road. As you cross the bridge, notice the Schroon River flowing to your left. The road becomes Glendale Road. Just 0.2-mile farther, you will see the first of many signs for Word of Life, an evangelical Christian group that has its international headquarters in Schroon Lake.

At 0.6-mile, turn right onto Route 9; the road carries a fair amount of traffic, however a generous, recently repaved shoulder along the road diminishes the effects of the vehicles. The terrain is rolling, with several long but gentle climbs. At 0.8-mile, to the left, note the sign for the Natural Stone Bridge and Caves. This tourist attraction features a variety of interesting rock formations, including five caves.

Eagle Point Campground and Day-Use Area, at 2.5 miles, is on the right. The state-run campground is squeezed tightly between Route 9 and Schroon Lake. The campground facilities are good, if sometimes noisy, and it features what must be the smallest swimming area in the Adirondacks. At 6.4 miles, The Narrows Restaurant, on the right, serves pizza and ice cream, and has a great view of the lake.

At 9.1 miles, enter the hamlet of Schroon Lake, with many shops and restaurants. The public beach is just 0.1-mile into town, on the right. As you leave the town at 9.8 miles, you will begin a 1-mile climb that is the most challenging so far in the ride. At 10.5 miles, the Schroon Lake Campground, is on your left, is not on the shore of the lake, but it's quieter than Eagle Point.

At the bottom of the hill, at 11.1 miles, turn right onto Alder Meadow Road, following the sign to the municipal airport. At 11.7 miles, note the grassy airfield on the right, with its windsocks informing you whether you have a headwind or tailwind. At 12.8 miles, the scenery opens a bit as you pass through a marsh, offering views of the Schroon Valley to the north and south. The road climbs after the march.

At 13.2 miles, still climbing, turn right onto Adirondack Road. As you ride along this road, the number of homes will diminish rapidly. For most of the next 7 miles, the woods to the right of the road are state forest preserve, and to the left the land is designated wilderness area. The road is sparsely traveled and is quite narrow. Even at midday, the pavement is quite well shaded by the trees, and the effect is of riding through the forest itself. If you pay close attention, you will see jack-n-the-pulpits along the road, a rare find in this area.

At last, at 14.2 miles, you reach the top of the hill you began climbing just past the airfield. You can see Wilson Hill to the left, the most northern mountain along Schroon Lake. At 14.9 miles, note the trailhead to the left to Gull Pond, just 0.5-mile from the road. The trailhead at 15.9 miles leads to Spectacle Pond, so named because its shape vaguely resembles a pair of eyeglasses. At 16.7 miles, leaving the state forest preserve, you will note homes on the right, along the lake. The road becomes increasingly hilly, with steeper climbs and descents. At 19.0 miles, a steep uphill ends just 0.3-mile later.

At 20.5 miles, this last hill of the route is also steep, and 0.5-mile long. It ends in the town of Adirondack. This hamlet was originally called Mill Brook, but when the federal postal service began to establish zip codes, it was discovered that another New York town named Mill Brook has already been given a zip code. The residents had to come up with a new name quickly, and Adirondack seemed to fit quite nicely. This town had its heyday in the tanning and logging days. It was also a favorite stop of steamboating tourists. Now the small hamlet is home to many summer residents, as well as a hardy year-round population.

At 21.7 miles, stop at the Adirondack General Store, on your left, for food, bathrooms and conversation. A visit to the Adirondack General Store makes all the hills you've just climbed worthwhile. It's a combination deli/restaurant/grocery store/craft shop that manages to cover all your needs at once. The food is good, inexpensive, and served with a smile. The store has been in this building under a variety of owners, for 150 years. The game "skittles" was popularized here, and was a kind of vertical bowling using 4-foot bowling pins and a heavy wooden bowling ball suspended on a chain. It's since been shrunk to a board game, but must have been impressive in its original scale.

At 21.8 miles, turn right at the intersection just past the general store, heading downhill to Schroon Lake. At the water, bear left. The next 4 miles are nearly flat, and travel right along the shore of lake. Lovely homes line the road, with boats bobbing peacefully at private docks. At 26.0 miles, turn onto River Road at the southern end of Schroon Lake, and at 26.1 miles, return to the parking lot of the Horicon boat launch.


Bill McKibben and Sue Halpern have lived near Gore Mountain for more than 15 years, and Mitchell Hay and Barbara Lemmel live in the town of Johnsburg. They are authors of 25 Bicycle Tours in the Adirondacks (1995, Backcountry Publications).

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