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PADDLING
Wilderness Paddling in the St. Regis Canoe Area
By Rich MacDonald
The St. Regis Canoe Area, located north of both Saranac and Tupper lakes and southwest of Paul Smiths, is unique in both its size — 18,000 acres — and its emphasis on travel by canoe. As the only such New York state-designated wilderness canoe area, it is free of all motorized traffic.
The 58 ponded waters of the St. Regis Canoe Area form the headwaters of three rivers: the Middle Branch and West Branch of the St. Regis River, and the Saranac River. It is an area in which a paddler can escape the trappings of civilization and find an Adirondacks not much different than pre-settlement times.
With such a vast array of ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, all for the exclusive use of paddlers, the St. Regis Canoe Area offers some of the best paddling in New York state. The numerous portages are both one of its best features and one of its more infamous. Try carrying a canoe over your head the short distance between Bog Pond and Bear Pond during spring and you will be hard-pressed to ever again hear the buzz of a black fly without some anxiety.
On the other hand, camp on Long Pond and find nirvana in the form of the nighttime chorus of dueling Common Loon. This is one of the most pristine areas in all of New York state, so enjoy the beauty and appreciate the serenity.
The St. Regis Canoe Area is open to most any self-propelled boat, but it beckons the canoe. Whether paddling a day-trip on the Seven Carries or a more-extensive overnight to Fish Pond, the numerous portages are easier with a canoe than kayak — which is not to suggest a kayak cannot be used. Part of the joy of the St. Regis Canoe Area is the process of discovery.
Take a map, the Adirondack Canoe Map (Adirondack Maps) is available at most any outfitter, and a guidebook, Paul Jamieson's and Donald Morris' Adirondack Canoe Waters: North Flow (Adirondack Mountain Club) is an excellent guide. Follow a suggested route or piece together your own tour. However you tackle the Canoe Area, be sure to be adequately provisioned.
Seven
Carries Route
For the day-tripper, a wonderful route is the well-known Seven Carries.
This is a 9-mile route with, as the name implies, seven carries —
all are short; the longest is just over a half-mile in length. The Seven
Carries route requires two cars in order to set up a shuttle: One at the
south end of the paddle near the Lake Clear Fish Hatchery, the other either
at the public access at the south end of Upper St. Regis Lake or at the
public launch at Paul Smith's College on Lower St. Regis Lake. The trip
can be done in either direction.
Traditionally, the Seven Carries started on Little Green Pond; where there was a wagon that long ago ran from Saranac Inn. Alternatively, you may start on Little Clear Pond, although, the portage between the two is short. Little Clear Pond can be windy and wavy, but the towering "king's trees" — historically, pines that were mature enough to serve as masts for his majestyís ships before our rabble-rousing forebears had enough of that foolishness — are majestic; invariably, large salmonids can be observed in the shadowy under banks.
The longest portage of the trip, between Little Clear Pond and St. Regis Pond, includes a boardwalk over a boggy wetland. From St. Regis Pond, two short carries on its eastern shore, linked with a short paddle through the green waters of Green Pond take you to serpentine Little Long Pond; serpentine for the way the lake winds like an ìSî from southwest to northeast.
Another modest carry takes you into Bear Pond ñ how it was named is unknown, but this writer has observed neither hide nor hair of this ursine mammal. Paddle north, then east to one of the shortest, and sometimes muddiest, carries to the small and appropriately named Bog Pond. Labrador Tea, Pitcher Plant and Sundew, readily visible throughout the Seven Carries, are abundant here.
The other
shortest carry takes you into Upper St. Regis Lake, home of the
Idem, a beautiful sailboat designed around the turn of the century exclusively
for racing on this lake. On Upper St. Regis Lake, you can either work
your way into the southernmost bay to conclude the trip or paddle north
and east toward Spitfire Lake, Lower St. Regis Lake, and eventually, Paul
Smith's College. St. Regis Mountain is prominently visible from much of
this route (and offers an interesting hike any time of year).
Nine
Carries Route
The Nine Carries route offers a longer paddling opportunity and takes
you into the northernmost reaches of the St. Regis Canoe Area. Although
the Nine Carries is only slightly longer at about 11.5 miles, it feels
a lot longer. The Nine Carries also is a two-car trip and also has one
of its ends near the Lake Clear Fish Hatchery on Little Clear Pond. The
other end is off the Floodwood Road, south of Hoel Pond.
This trip offers several opportunities for alternatives, taking one portage vs. another, or paddling one pond or another. Not every option will be discussed here, that is part of the process of discovery.
On Little Clear Pond, paddle to the northwest corner and the portage to St. Regis Pond. As you paddle northwest on St. Regis Pond, St. Regis Mountain serves as a guide. Look for the abandoned fire tower on its summit; this is one of those many times when binoculars are appreciated.
In the northwestern-most bay is a portage to Ochre Pond. A fairly small pond, it barely affords time to rest up for one of the longer portages of the trip. Mud Pond, smaller than Ochre, and a short carry bring you to Fish Pond. Between St. Regis and Fish Ponds, expect to carry your boat nearly 2 miles with far less paddling.
From Fish Pond there are many options, depending whether navigating toward Long Pond or Hoel Pond. Both have long portages; however, the Long Pond route extends the trip. Once in the St. Regis Canoe Area, people often are in no hurry to leave — how many places can you travel anymore where you are entirely removed from the sounds of civilization? Fish Pond may be a good place to camp if you are planning an overnight.
Between Fish Pond and Little Fish Pond there is a very short carry. At higher water levels, the Fish Pond outlet may be navigable. From here, the route is all down hill, latitudinally speaking. Another short carry south takes you into Little Long Pond. Next in line is Kit Fox Pond, then Nellie Pond. Bigger than kettle holes, Little Fish, Little Long, Kit Fox, and Nellie Ponds are all small and connected by short carries.
A long portage of well over 1 mile leads south to Long Pond. As implied by its name, Long Pond is, but the Nine Carries canoe route stays to a short bit on the eastern end. A short carry leads to Slang Pond and the longest stretch of paddling for the whole trip. Slang connects to Turtle Pond and then Hoel Pond, all by a water path. The south end of Hoel Pond is the traditional take-out for this trip.
Whether following the guidebook word-for-word or perusing a map and plotting a course at random, the St. Regis Canoe Area is wide open for adventure. And don't limit yourself to just the canoe area. Longer trips can easily be planned if you pick a route in and out of the canoe area. However you explore the St. Regis Canoe Area, enjoy its treasures and practice good stewardship.
Rich MacDonald is a naturalist and a paddler who has
been exploring the Adirondack lakes for 18 years. He lives and works in
Keene Valley and can regularly be found on Adirondack waters, guiding
trips or researching stories.
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