Easy Tupper Lake/Saranac Lake Hikes: Where the Raquette River meets Stony Creek

Raquette River - Stoney Creek loop
Distance = 1 mile loop
Elevation - n/a
Vertical ascent - n/a
Snowshoe = yes
Cross-country ski = yes

The first words to end peace in the family are “Are we there yet?” Gone are the years when we can just tell the kids we are almost there. My son can pinpoint landmarks like he is channeling a GPS. If we end up turning around and detouring, my son lists the waypoints necessary to obtain the final destination and yes, he is usually correct, we are not almost there.

We spend an inordinate amount of time going in circles; to school, pre-school, store, work, back to school, pre-school, store and work. You can either remember those times or you are still so in it that you don’t realize that you are going in circles. Sometimes going in circles is frustrating while other times it is a peaceful journey. My husband piles the kids into the car and asks me to escape my work for a moment. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going. He kept saying, “You’ll enjoy it. Just go with it.” And go I do.

Driving down Corey’s Rd to the Stony Creek parking area is a winding 2.7-mile ride. Just past the bridge is the Stony Creek trailhead. The road is plowed all the way to the parking area so we safely arrive at our destination. We are delighted. The ground is crunchy and the kids glide over the snow while we break through with each step.

Approximately 50 yards from the trailhead we encounter an arrow sign pointing to the left. We choose the path “less traveled” and head to the right. We are not bushwhacking. There are snowshoe tracks all ready there. Trees have fallen from the winter windstorms and litter the woods. My son picks up a stick and pretends it’s a baton. He looks at me and utters the words “Are we there yet?”

Yes, we tell him. This is it. From the minute we stepped out of the car, we have been “there.” We follow the path to a lean-to overlooking the Raquette River. It’s a short path to the river heading east. We continue to follow the shoreline to the edge of the peninsula where Stony Creek meets the Raquette. We hug the shoreline along Stony Creek, ducking under branches.

We circle around to find ourselves on the Corey’s Rd, just south of the bridge. It is a short .2-mile walk back to the trailhead. The whole loop was about one-mile. This time completing the circle was a peaceful and rejuvenating one.