Logistics involved an Alaska Airlines direct flight from PDX to Boston. The drive North from Boston is actually very scenic and takes about 6 hours. Although we made our return trip all in one long day, starting out we broke things up by staying overnight in Boston.
View of Cranberry Lake looking South from Bear Mountain
Cranberry Lake lies in the Northwestern part of the Adirondack Park. The area is less crowded and less touristy than some other parts of the Park. There are fewer High Peaks and resort amenities here. However, one of the larger blocks of Wilderness in the Northeast is found to the South of Cranberry Lake. For some solitude and beauty this is a great place to explore. Our day hikes were a wonderful way to enjoy the season here.
Historical tangent: As most may already know, Bob Marshall was an early Wilderness activist and one of the founders of the Wilderness Society. He had great passion for the Adirondacks. Surely, his love of Wilderness and passion for its preservation was greatly influenced by his experiences hiking in the Adirondacks. As a young Forestry student, Bob Marshall explored the Cranberry Lake wilds during a series of week-end hikes while attending his summer field forestry training in 1922. He wrote about the hikes and these adventures and other writings can now be found in a 2006 book edited by Phil Brown, “Bob Marshall in the Adirondacks”.
A Young Bob Marshall
The State Forestry School, now known as the “College of Environmental Science & Forestry” (ESF), still owns two properties on Cranberry Lake. One is a boat-in only Biological Field Station used for summer classes. The other is the NY State Ranger School, the College’s Forest Technology program and where Rick and I went to School together many years ago.
My School
Within NY’s 2.6 million acre Adirondack Forest Preserve the State has a hierarchy of land classifications: Wilderness, Primitive, Canoe Areas, and Wild Forest. Each has its own definition. In addition, the State has a variety of Conservation Easements on private lands within the Preserve.
Peavine Swamp Trail into the Cranberry Lake “Wild Forest” is on the North Side of the Lake
A Small Lakeside Bay
A Lakeside Lean-to Camping Site
There is a marked route established as the “Cranberry Lake 50” which creates a loop that circles the entire lake. The website http://www.cranberrylake50.org has a map http://www.cranberrylake50.org/images/CL50.pdf . The loop connects to a number of side trips and opportunities to jump off into the deeper Wilderness on multi-day adventures if you want to backpack or canoe camp. We hiked a few segments of the CL50, including the High Falls Loop in the Five Ponds Wilderness.
The High Falls Loop Trail Starts Out on an Old Railroad Grade
Oswegatchie River at High Rock
The Trail Passes a Number of Beaver Ponds
High Falls
View from Top of the Falls
Beaver Pond Reflection
Often we had to Walk across the Beaver Dam to get Past the Pond
One day we took a canoe out on Cranberry Lake.
The Dock at the Big Pine Trail, which is a 1 mile path that leads to …… guess what?
Big Eastern White Pine (4.5 feet in diameter, 140 feet tall) Estimated to be at least 300 years old
Duck Photo-Bombing my Reflection Picture
Another day we set out on the hike to Cat Mountain. While only 2,260 feet high, this is one of the higher points in the Five Ponds Wilderness and offers some great views to the South. Who comes up with such original names as Cat Mountain and Dog Mountain?
Well Marked Trails. The 50 is for the CL50 Route.
Beautiful Glasby Pond
View from Cat Mountain
Cat Mountain Pond Below
Pano of Cat Mountain from Cat Mountain Pond
We continued on past Cat Mountain to lovely Cowhorn Pond. The trail followed the moraine ridge you see here topped with a line of tall White Pines.
Cowhorn Pond
We also hiked to Curtis Pond on the East side of Cranberry Lake’s East side. Like much of the area, this was mostly level or rolling terrain. With occasional views from the Lake’s shoreline. Then a gentle rise up to remote Curtis Pond.
East Inlet of Cranberry Lake
Trail went below this Beaver Dam on Curtis Pond
Homeowner’s Residence on Peaceful Curtis Pond
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed,
Jim & Debbie
It's been a nice fall in the northeast, but those colors are better and more vibrant than the foliage on the NJ turnpike that I get to see so often.
. Hard to top the NE for fall colors, and you captured some great pictures of it!
I hadn't been back there for a very long time, so it was a fun trip.
