LOCALadk Magazine

Summer 2015 LOCALadk Magazine 29 LOCALadk Essex Chain Lakes, First Lake through Seventh Lake and Deer Pond, Newcomb, NY "The lakes are a recent addi- tion to the Forest Preserve and were opened to the pub- lic in October 2013. The allure of new territory to explore is hard to resist. Previous uses of the area were limited to timber harvesting, logging road development and hunt- ing camp leases, thus the lakes and ponds maintain a wild feeling. The scenery of forests, waters and mountains is beautiful and worth the trip. This area offers flat water canoeing and kayaking with carries. Portage wheels may be helpful, but there are short sections of the carries that are difficult for wheeling. From the Deer Pond Parking Area, carry 0.25 miles to Deer Pond. Cross Deer Pond and carry 0.5 miles to Third Lake. From here paddlers can access Second Lake by water then carry a short distance to First Lake. In the other direction, paddlers can travel by water to Seventh Lake, a one-way distance of approximately 3.25 miles. A carry to Eight Lake and other trails in the Essex Chain Lakes Unit have not been developed yet." Getting there: Deer Pond Parking Area – This parking area is 10.2 miles from NYS Route 28N in Newcomb. Note that over 4 miles of this access route is not paved. Travel on these roads is slow and rough. Turn south onto Pine Tree Road a short loop off of Route 28N, then take the Goodnow Flow Road south for approximately 4.3 miles.Turn right on Woody's Road and travel for approximately 1.5 miles. Note that the signage on this road can be con- fusing. There is no public parking on this portion of the route.Bare left on the Cornell/Deer Pond Road as it turns to gravel and progressively gets rougher. From here it is 4.4 miles to the parking area. As you get closer to the parking area signage improves and gates block adjacent roads. Carl Heilman II is a well know photographer in the Adirondacks. He clearly has a passion for capturing the beauty that is everywhere in the park. He does much of his work in the Lake George area and one of his favorite spots to paddle is the Northwest Bay of Lake George. For infor- mation on Carl's photography and his workshops and tours, www.carlheilman.com Look for his book 'Photographing the Adirondacks' for other great locations. Northwest Bay, Lake George, NY "There are few other locations in the Adirondacks that pro- vide paddling opportunities through a dramatic landscape with such easy access. From the launch site, paddle down- stream on the calm waters of Northwest Bay Brook as it flows through various wet- lands on its way to the main part of the lake. I've often seen a variety of wildlife and waterfowl on my different tours of the bay. I've watched a family of otters play along the stream banks, and seen mergansers, mallards, and herons, and also caught a glimpse of a bittern before it disappeared in the reeds. The main section of wetlands is hemmed in on either side by a dramat- ic ridgeline. Tongue Mountain Range on the east and mountains of the Lake George Wild Forest on the west. A paddling tour can be limited to exploring the stream and wetlands, or can be extended to the main part of Lake George. If conditions are calm enough, paddle around Montcalm Point and head up to explore the beauty of the Narrows. While this area can see a lot of boat traffic in the summer, it's really pretty quiet during the off season. It's a big lake, so consider the issues of weather changes when out on the main lake. A calm lake in the morning can turn into 3-4 waves with whitecaps very quickly!" Getting there: The Northwest Bay NY State boat launch is along Route 9N, just a few Doug Fitzgerald Between 5th and 6th Lakes, Essex Chain Anne Brewer South Inlet, Raquette Lake

• Cover