LOCALadk Magazine

Fall 2018 LOCALadk Magazine 23 LOCALadk I peddled to where the TOBIE trail crossed South Shore Road, then glided along Lakeside Road and the lovely Old Forge Pond waterfront park with its grassy, bench-lined shore and two oversized docks. This was where the connect- ing railroad spur, built in 1896, ended. During those early years, as the area became popular with tourists, trains reg- ularly arrived full of passengers who had been loading and unloading luggage and goods from one train to the next and now finally could load onto a steamer ferr y to travel up the Fulton Chain of Lakes. Next, the TOBIE trail passes behind the Visitor Information Center where TOBIE trail maps are available, as well as oth- er biking and hiking trail maps, area information pamphlets, and local newspapers. The trail continues over the Old Forge dam through the iconic covered bridge which has been a per- manent fixture since July 1987. This spot is the beginning of the Fulton Chain of Lakes. The lakes were once a main branch of the Moose River. In 1799, a man named John Brown built a log dam here to make a waterfall to operate his sawmills. This dam caused the water to back up and formed the Old Forge Pond. Later, the dam was improved and raised to create more wa- ter for moving felled logs. The river became a series of eight lakes in addition to the pond. Currently, it is possible to tra- verse from the Pond through Fifth Lake, in the town of Inlet, by boat without interruption. That stretch is the first leg of the annual 90 -Miler classic canoe and kayak race. After crossing Route 28, the trail heads down North Street and after about a mile of residential stretch, past the town's recreation area and pavilion, the paved road ends. The trail continues on a gravel road to a small bridge that spans the north branch of the Moose River and continues on a dirt road, which doubles as snowmobile trail #1. I stopped to take in the eye-catching charm of the Moose River again as it winds its way through trees and brush with mountains in the backdrop. The TOBIE Trail signage points the way through the woods along snowmobile trail #3. Soon, it passes pretty little Wheeler Pond. This leads to the section of the TOBIE trail that runs parallel with the Adirondack Scenic Railroad tracks, so an occasional train may rumble by. The trail even- tually turns right onto trail #8 and goes over a steel bridge spanning the Moose River once again and takes a right turn onto what is known as snowmobile trail #5. Soon I was ped- dling on an embankment with Rondaxe Lake on the left and West Lake on the right, with pleasant views on both sides. The trail continues onto another lovely, quiet back-countr y road that used to be part of the Raquette Lake railroad line. It's been written that some trains had to leave half of their freight cars at Rondaxe Railroad Station on this line to make it up the grade. They would then leave that load to go back and retrieve the first half and reattach the rest at the top before continuing the trip. I slowed to take in the awe-inspiring, classic Adirondack scener y of Carr y Lake. Because of the way the trail divides the lake and how the lake wraps around, it can be easily mis- taken for being two or three different lakes. Then the path passes a pretty little creek that is an outlet from the eastern side of the lake. This is the last stretch of the back-countr y woods, before the TOBIE trail runs parallel to Route 28 the rest of the way to Eagle Bay. As the TOBIE trail runs alongside Route 28, it passes by the site of the Great Pines Resort on 4th Lake. There is a mark- er there commemorating the 1913 train wreck. At that time, a work train traveling on the Raquette Lake Railroad hit a downed tree. Three crew men were killed in this accident. There are enough trees between the trail and the roadway that it feels like being in the woods, except for the sound of highway traffic. After several miles, the trail enters the tiny hamlet of Eagle Bay and the Eagle Bay Information & Rest Area, which I thought would be a convenient place to stop. The trail crosses Route 28 at this point and continues as a quaint paved path running just beside the highway to the town of Inlet. It's a pleasant ride of less than two miles, of- fering some promising glimpses of Fourth Lake, the largest of the Fulton Chain of Lakes, and once the northern terminus of the old steamer boat tours. Finally arriving at Inlet's lovely Arrowhead Park, the expan- sive views of the lake and the mountains beyond were a re- warding conclusion to my ride on the TOBIE trail.

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