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Showing posts with the label easy Tupper Lake hikes

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Glory on the summit of Coney Mountain (Tupper Lake Triad)

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Summit of Coney Mt, Tupper Lake Our latest family challenge is to complete the Tupper Lake(TL) Triad . We have hiked Coney Mountain, Goodman Mountain and Mt Arab in the past, but in order to receive a climbing number, badge and decal ($5) we need to climb all three mountains after the Triad Challenge December 2015 opening date. Coney Mountain has always been a family favorite, especially when we lived closer to Tupper Lake. It’s been a few years since my daughter has hiked Coney. So many years in fact, there is a different trail leading to the summit. There is a designated parking area, but we choose to join the few roadside cars and park along Rt. 30. We walk up the gravel path to the register and meet a group signing out. They enthusiastically share their experience of walking along the open crest. The trail is a gradual climb with a 548’ vertical ascent and elevation of 2,280’. We easily follow the blue trail markers leading us in a semi-circle from west to north to

Easy Tupper Lakes Hikes: Tupper Lake Triad's Goodman Mountain (Litchfield Hill)

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At the summit of Goodman Mountain, Tupper Lake  Climbing any one of the three mountains (Goodman, Arab, and Coney) that are part of the Tupper Lake Triad is trophy enough, but it is still fun to complete an Adirondack challenge, and add another patch to the collection. Tupper Lake’s Goodman Mountain 1.5-mile summit brings all the elements of an easy, fast Adirondack hike and still allows us time to visit the nearby Wild Center. The mountain, formerly known at Litchfield Hill, with its elevation of 2,178’ and vertical ascent of 567’, is a perfect hike for my visiting family of various hiking abilities. With its easy paved beginning to the clear summit view, we are able to bring the whole family.  A bridge crosses over Cold Brook After parking the car at the Lumberjack Spring parking lot, we walk to the kiosk that delves into the history for the name change. There is always so much history attached to the mountains, lakes and trails around the Adirondacks a

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Frederica Mountain (Lake Lila) Tupper Lake NY

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An easy hike or walk along the access road to Lake Lila Exploring Lake Lila: The William C. Whitney Wilderness Area Everyone that I know who has spent any time at the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area comes back expounding about the beauty of Lake Lila. With all the autumn colors nearing peak, it is our turn to explore the lake named for William Seward Webb’s wife, Lila Vanderbilt Webb. The drive into the Lake Lila is beautiful and a bit isolated. We are fortunate to arrive at a time of year when it’s not the height of camping season. There are a few cars in the parking area, but I’m told that if the Lake Lila parking area hits its 30-car capacity, people must drive back out the 5.6-mile dirt road to park on Sabattis Rd., or come back another time. Lake Lila Rd. is bordered by private land and parking is only available at the parking area. The trail register is located right at the parking area. There is a Canoe Access Trail (0.3-miles) available for an easy walk right to

Easy Adirondack Hikes/ Cross-Country Ski for Kids: A Portion of the Deer Pond Loop (Saranac Lake/Tupper Lake)

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* Please note at the end, comments regarding blow down and conditions on the rest of the Deer Pond Loop! So many sweets have found the way into my home lately that if I didn’t know better I would think it was some evil plan of my dentist to keep himself in business. Plates of homemade treats line the counters and bowls are filled with brightly wrapped candies. I look at the bounty and rub my hands together with glee. I am the willing recipient of homemade goods. Since I have no shut off valve and devour the treats with wild abandon, I also need an outlet to work off my sugar overload. One way to work off those holiday treats is to go for a ski or snowshoe. There are many options and guidebooks available to venture outside and enjoy the snow. One cross-country ski my husband continually informs me I “have to” do is finally complete the 7.3-mile Deer Pond loop. There are two entrances for the Deer Pond area and I have always taken the less popular path near Bull Point on R

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

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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