BICYCLING

Northville: The Sacandaga Finger

An Ideal Early Season Warm-Up

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

Photo by Darryl Caron North view of Sacandaga Lake from South Shore Road.

You are almost never out of site of water on this easy 30-mile ride. The western end of the Sacandaga reservoir is almost entirely girdled by road, and though the area is crammed with summer cottages only a few of them have been built between the road and the water. In most places only trees obstruct your view, and often they are mighty pines, whose bare lower trunks merely frame the panorama. There are also open vistas at several spots, where you can look east and south down the reach of the lake.

Sacandaga, gorgeous as it is, is not a natural lake. It may have been more gorgeous once upon a time–Sac-an-da-ga meant "land of waving grass" to the native peoples of the Adirondacks, who enjoyed this spot long before it was flooded for a power station in 1930. (It also flooded the fishing retreat of Sir William Johnson, a hero of the French and Indian Wars and one of the first manor lords of the Adirondacks.) The water now covers 26,700 acres, making it second in size only to Lake George among Adirondack waters.

The gently rolling lakeshore roads make this ride ideal for beginning cyclists or for an early season warm-up. This loop was the course for two ultra-marathon cycling events, the East Coast Race Across America (RAAM) qualifier in 1988 and the 24-Hour Challenge race from 1987-1989.

Almost all the land along the route is privately owned, and because of the number of cottages the traffic can heavy, at least by Adirondack standards, in the summer. This is especially true on the second half of the ride, when you are using County Road 4, a main thoroughfare. As usual, the shoulders are minimal at best, and the many curves mean you'll need to be very wary if you travel this road at high season. Therefore, we enjoy it most in the spring and in the fall. As an added bonus, the leaves don't block the lake views in those seasons.

Virtually all the land around the lake is private, so only at a few spots can you park your bike and walk down to the water. Luckily, these few oases are set at good distances for lunch and rest—roughly halfway and two-thirds of the way through the trip.

We recommend beginning the ride at The Olde Country Store, just north of the eastern end of the bridge that crosses the lake at Batchellerville, 5 miles east of Northville (or 20 northwest of Saratoga Springs). The friendly proprietors of The Olde Country Store, which opens by 6 AM, are happy to accommodate bikers' cars in their lot across the street, they just ask that you let them know that you are there. They are also happy to fill water bottles and sell homemade baked goods. (It is the only place to buy provisions on this side of the lake.)

Turn right out of The Olde Country Store lot, following County Road 7 with the lake on your left. This appears on some maps as South Shore Road. The road winds gently along the shore, with almost no elevation to fight as you get your legs warmed up. This side of the lake is less traveled than the other, and it is less nerve-racking. At 8.4 miles (mi), the road crosses a brook feeding the lake, and then climbs momentarily before heading into a lovely few miles of undeveloped land with fine views.

At 11.3 mi before the crest of a moderate hill, turn left onto Kathan Road. The steep downhill takes you right to the lake—the pavement is ragged and bumpy, so control your exuberance. At 13.2 mi a small park off to the left offers a nice spot for lunch, right at the head of the lake.

At 13.3 mi turn left off Kathan Road, and ride across the top of the dam. To your right is the power station that taps the power of the reservoir's 33.1 billion cubic feet of water. At times, though, that figure is much smaller. When the publisher rode this route in late-March, a dry fall and winter had left huge stretches of sand around the edges of the lake—docks rested awkwardly on the sand, 20 feet from the water's edge. Many fishermen use the lake, which is rich in bass and pike.

At 13.6 mi turn left, uphill onto County Road 4. At 18.8 mi, at a relatively high spot in the road, a long opening offers a sweeping view down the lake. Cottages line the right side of the road, and it's fun to keep track of their names—Lazy Livin' Lodge is our favorite. In the summer, the clink of horseshoes can usually be heard above the outboards on the lake. At 20.4 mi cross the road and go left down Old Day Center Road, a small detour, and if you miss the road don't worry—it rejoins County Road 4 after just 0.3 mi. In the meantime, though, there is a fine view down the lake.

At 23.8 mi the county operates a boat launch and a small park, which represents the only public access along this side of the route. The sign here says "No Bathing," but the rule seems to be largely ignored. From the boat ramp, without even getting your feet wet, you can look down the lake and finally see the bridge that you will cross to end the tour. The route continues past a seasonal ice cream stand at 25.7 mi and a cocktail parlor and dining room at 27.5 mi.

At 28.0 mi just as the tour is about to end it demands one real climb, a haul that rises 100 feet in 0.5-mi. At 28.5 mi bear left as the hill moderates, crossing a beautiful small brook with a waterfall.

At 28.7 mi turn left at the stop sign next to Edinburg United Methodist Church. Caution: It's a somewhat tricky four-way intersection. The route will now take you steeply down the hill, an exhilarating freefall that leads to the even more exhilarating bridge crossing. For 0.5-mi across the bridge you are gloriously out in the open, with unlimited views in either direction. Your bike seat will be above the level of the modest guardrail, so there is nothing to interrupt the vista, and the bridge is paved with some novel surface smoother than anything you will have encountered all day. The only drawback is that there's no shoulder. So be extremely careful.

At 29.9 mi as soon as you leave the bridge, turn left onto County Road 7. Within 0.1-mi you are back at The Olde Country Store, where you have earned a piece of fresh carrot cake.

Bill McKibben and Sue Halpern have lived near Gore Mountain for more than 15 years, and have cycled extensively in and around the Adirondacks. Mitchell Hay and Barbara Lemmel live in the Town of Johnsburg, and have led bike tours through the Adirondacks and Vermont for many years. They are authors of 25 Bicycle Tours in the Adirondacks (1995, Backcountry Publications).

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