A fall into Fall Stream

Perfect weekend in the ADKs.

Didn't get much done Saturday - drove around the southern and central portions scoping out road-side campsites and looking for a place to put the boat in and go overnight. We passed up the good stuff because I wasn't feeling that well. We wound up in the Fox Lair on the side of Rte 8. The site we stayed at was pretty nice being a roadside site and all - nice view of the Sacandaga and the edge of Siamese Ponds Wilderness.

Sunday was even better than Saturday. Well for one it was a nicer day; for two, we got a boat into the water.

I had been wanting to paddle up Fall Stream for sometime. Last time I was in the area it was on my radar but I was unsure where the put in was. I recall seeing a truck parked down where I thought it was but the rapids and snowmobile bridge threw me off. Sure enough, that is the spot - private land but legal to park and launch.

Things didn't go so smoothly getting onto the water though...

Mainly it was these roller contraptions and docks that someone (I think the Irondequoit Club - their name was on the signage) put down at the launch. Being curious and expecting chilly water I decided to give them a try. Bad idea!

First off the last set of rollers that actually went in the water was at such a steep angle it wasn't of much use. To us, no use actually! A detriment in fact.  Rolling down the rollers as soon as the center of the boat hit the water and was off we managed to kick sideways and roll over, the stem skidding when it hit the steep angle. My wife jumped out but I was caught off guard and fell right in... haha - I can laugh now, but I was mad then. Good thing is the water was warmish.

So anyway, after that fiasco we decided to take a more traditional approach to our launch and we were off!

What a day. It was windy but it was really warm with blue bird skies. It was totally worth the roll.









And here is my wife's account of the weekend:

"Fall Stream to Vly Lake. Swamped the canoe at the put in. Laughed like a madwoman but Mike was steaming mad. I blame the rollers--death traps that shoot your boat in exactly the wrong direction towards downstream rapids. "Why don't you try paddling!" Mike hollered once we were finally (soaked) upright. Some kayakers were struggling with the same thing on our way out, so I won't beat myself up about it. In all, 10 miles of beautiful winding stream, punctuated by two lakes; first Fall Lake, then three beaver dams to Vly. No bugs, just a perfect blue sky, sun, and strong wind that makes you feel like you really earned it. Awesome day.

Found a campsite off Rt 8. Overlooking the Sacandaga. Beautiful spot, even though it's right next to the road. Region is called "Fox Lair," but the only wildlife we encountered was a house cat that somebody dropped off at the campsite. Tried the hammock for the first time and swung in it for a bit until I got chilly. Beautiful, clear night."

Foxlair is one cool spot with amazing history

You go to JJ's for a cold one??

campgottagopee wrote

Foxlair is one cool spot with amazing history

You go to JJ's for a cold one??

No I didn't - next time maybe.  I'm not all that familiar with that stretch actually - this was actually the first time I've driven on Rt 8 from Speculator to Wevertown in daylight or without snow.  I made a lot of stops to check things out (mostly trailheads and campsites) that I'd never even noticed in the winter months.

That looks like a sweet spot for a Hornbeck. Going to have to remember it.

Thanks for the report Mike!

I recommend keeping the Hornbeck off the rollers   The section from Fall lake to Vly lake was particularly nice.  It reminded me a little bit of the Oswegatchie but shorter and more scenic.

The put-in is at 43.443189, -74.518500

There are a few established, but technically illegal, campsites out there but it is nice enough as a day trip.  It took us ~4hrs.

As far as the sites, Jessup River Wild Forest is notorious for having non-marked campsites on the water.  You will find the same thing on Fawn lake which is a stones throw from Piseco.  I've seen some plans from the DEC to mark out these sites and establish some new ones but nothing has been done yet.  So a ranger may be lenient about camping here - but I doubt you'd see one.

I saw one campsite on Fall Lake - it was right on Rt 4 snowmobile trail.  There was one on the stream right before Vly lake and two on Vly lake on the eastern shore.  The sites on Vly were pretty rocky and steep - not great tent sites.  I'd bring a hammock.

Harvey wrote

That looks like a sweet spot for a Hornbeck.

There's a new lightweight boat company in town, founded by the long time workers from HB who decided it's time to stop working for the man!! Check them out, Adirondack Canoe Company, 518-251-2283.