Our Favorite Springtime Adirondack Activities
Posted in Adirondacks, General
Don’t get us wrong, we love skiing, snowshoeing and getting outside during the winter in the Adirondacks but once the snow starts to melt, all sorts activities we forgot about become options again. Spring in the Adirondacks is a great time to head back to our favorite trails, lakes and take part in our favorite annual get togethers again. Keep in mind that Beaver Brook is a full service outfitter who can help you out with rentals, maps and fully guided trips for a couple of these fun outings! (We do a whole lot more too, see www.beaverbrook.net for details.) Read on for a few of our top springtime picks for things to do in the Adirondacks.
Hike Moxham Mountain
Moxham Mountain in the summer
No way around it, trails in the North Country can get pretty muddy in the spring. Make sure you head out with boots that are happy to tromp through mud and water, layers in case the weather changes and make sure you’ve got plenty of bug dope. Black flies. Need we say more? Once you’ve got all your hiking accessories, one of our favorite hikes is Moxham Mountain in Minerva. It’s a pretty easy, short hike that has a great reward. It’s a ridge line hike that gives you views to the west during the uphill but once you get to the top the panorama of our little slice of the ADKs can’t be beat. It’s an easy trail to access and gets a decent amount of traffic, so it’s well-maintained. Great for pups, older kids and anyone looking for an awesome half day hike in the Adirondacks.
Paddle 13th Lake
Fall at 13th Lake
13th Lake is one of our very favorites. It’s not a huge lake that can take weeks to explore like Raquette Lake or Long Lake, but it’s a great place to spend part of the day and it’s an easy spot to get your boat in the water. No large engine motor boats are allowed so there’s no wakes to worry about and there are no houses on the water either. Though it gets a fair amount of paddlers once the summer hits, it’s still pretty quiet in the spring time. It’s doable to go all the way across the lake in an afternoon, stop partway and do a little hiking on the Peaked Mt. Trail or just dip into a little cove and listen to the loons.
Watch the Whitewater Derby
Team Beaver Brook last year!
The Whitewater Derby is an Adirondack staple and it’s the 60th anniversary this year! Bobby Kennedy paddled in it back in the day and it’s a rite of passage for a lot of the locals here. For the biggest whitewater and the highest opportunity for carnage, watch Saturday’s slalom race that takes place in Perry Ehlers rapid, right on the side of Route 28. Sunday is the downriver race, which is an 8 mile not quite sprint, not quite endurance paddle that starts in North Creek and ends in Riparius. It’s an arm burner. We love the Derby because of its history, the crowd it draws and it’s a good opportunity for beer drinking, which leads us to our next favorite…
Hit the Patio!
North Creek’s bar scene is tiny but mighty. The perfect way to cool off after a day of springtime activities is with a cold one at one of our favorite bars. If you’ve got kids, head to Basil & Wicks. They’ve got great food, a huge porch and a kid-friendly atmosphere. Get yourself to BarVino if you’re looking for a huge beer and wine list (seriously huge) and ridiculously good food. Get a seriously stiff cocktail at Laura’s and see what games Julie has going at the bar. Bring your raunchiest friends and leave the kids at home for Cards Against Humanity night. Or mozy into the Barking Spider, grab a $2 PBR and rub elbows with the locals. You’re sure to meet some nice folks and walk out with a new story or two after a night at The Spider.
There you have it! All our ingredients for a perfect spring Adirondack day. Head to www.beaverbrook.net for some of our other favorite Adirondack activities. See you out there!