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November/December 2008: Flaking out in Newcomb |
Flaking Out in Newcomb
Gliding into winter on old roads and woodland trails
by Elizabeth Folwell
Sign marking the way to Santanoni Preserve.
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Finally there comes a day of lapis skies and moonstone clouds, unlocking the leaden clench of November. The snow has arrived in the night, filling the hollows of ground with something malleable and welcoming. It's time to ski. Not yet on big slopes or across barely frozen streams, but in the quiet places where scant tree cover lets the blanket settle on open space and wide old roads.
Newcomb has plenty of options for the cross-country skier or snowshoer eager to get a jump on the season. This town—with a 1,600-foot base elevation—averages 10 feet of snow each year, according to data collected by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry's nearby Adirondack Ecological Center. And its trails, open fields, craggy summits and frozen lakes showcase unsurpassed vistas.
Destinations range from the new High Peaks Golf Course to one of the Adirondacks' best half-day treks, Santanoni Preserve. There are more challenging routes toward Moose Pond and around Newcomb Lake for the real adventurer. Goodnow Mountain, with a well-designed trail and an open summit, has a terrific 360º view, including Algonquin Peak and Mount Colden to the north; the 1.9-mile trail is a good intermediate workout on snowshoes, although it's not recommended for skis.
At the Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) near the ecological center and a few miles west of Newcomb Central School, you can fill your water bottle, have a cup of cocoa, put on your winter woolies and check out maps for the lay of the land. With the amenities of the VIC plus the variety of terrain for skiers and snowshoers of different abilities, it's like having a ski center without the trail fee.
From Backcountry to Bunny Trails
Any winter outing requires thorough preparation. Your pack should carry maps; food; water (liquid, not frozen); spare gloves, socks and hat; matches; flashlight; duct tape; and extra clothing for changing weather. Sturdy touring equipment is appropriate for well-traveled routes, while serious backcountry skis, boots and poles with big baskets are suited to wilderness ventures and deep, untracked powder. Snowshoes should have crampons for any ascents; poles are a must for climbing Goodnow Mountain. Be extremely cautious crossing ponds and lakes that appear frozen early in the season; a few inches of new snow can hide a thin veneer of dangerous ice that may not support your weight, even when skis or snowshoes are distributing it over a broader surface area. Watch dogs at streamsides and rivers, as rescuing your pet can put all in peril.
The Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center, off Route 28N, is open Tuesdays through Saturdays during winter (trails are open seven days a week), with phones, bathrooms and helpful staff who can recommend which routes are in the best condition. The VIC's Web site, www.adkvic.org, gives details on the 3.5 miles of paths, which are well engineered for snowshoeing. Some are gentle routes beneath old-growth trees and others skirt wetlands and Rich Lake. Once the snow is well established there are free snowshoeing workshops for adults and kids eight and older, equipment provided. Call (518) 582-2000 for a schedule of the VIC's many outdoor winter programs. Most trails loop back and connect with each other, but longer adventures are found elsewhere in Newcomb. A .7-mile narrow ski route goes from the VIC to Santanoni Preserve, but this woodland connector requires good cover and intermediate skills, such as sidestepping and herringboning up short, steep spots. Your bag of tricks should include sustained snowplows and quick turns. Round-trip from the interpretive center to the Great Camp is about 12 miles.
A new trail connects the Newcomb VIC
to Santanoni's carriage road.
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Santanoni Great Camp Santanoni Preserve is 12,500 acres just off Route 28N between the VIC and the firehouse. The parking lot is plowed even after a good storm, and the local skiers break trail so it's almost a sure bet there will be at least one packed track into the Great Camp, about five miles from your start. Do sign your party in at the register by the gate so the Department of Environmental Conservation can calculate use—and justify investing in this excellent resource. With rolling terrain, beautiful bridges (no breaking through thin ice on a half-frozen creek) and interesting historical buildings, this ranks as a top cross-country–ski destination in the Adirondacks. Mannerly dogs are allowed off leash on this route, and happily, there is a picnic table on one of the lodge's lovely porches so your lunch can be comfortable, not a snowbank sitdown. The trail is technically easy but calls for moderate stamina to complete a 10-mile round-trip. The hills are conveniently spaced so the worst is halfway in, and your exit, after the old farmstead, sometimes requires just double-poling to glide at a brisk pace back to your car.
Moose Pond Trail About 2.2 miles down the main carriage road to the Great Camp is the well-marked intersection with a horse trail to Moose Pond. This is also an old road, but it is hillier and more challenging, less often with packed track. On this route you can reach the Moose Pond campsite (about 4.5 more miles) or continue to Shattuck Clearing, deep in the High Peaks Wilderness. True experts can ski all the way from Coreys, off Route 3, east of Tupper Lake, through Moose Pond and out at the Santanoni parking lot, 33 miles of epic exertion. For a Moose Pond outing, bring several friends so you can take turns breaking trail. Your reward for this effort will be a great track on the way back.
Newcomb Lake Circle About 3.6 miles from the Santanoni register kiosk, a hiking trail around beautiful Newcomb Lake takes off from the main route. Relatively few people snowshoe or ski this up-down-and-around path, choosing instead to go directly to the 19th-century rustic structures accessible by carriage road. But Newcomb Lake in all its wild glory is worth the sweat and swearing if you are comfortable with the finer points of tree-lined skiing. There are skinny bridges, steep pitches, quick turns and occasional big rocks, as well as pretty lean-tos near shore. This serious backcountry loop adds a couple of hours to your nearly eight miles on the main route. Intrepid—and experienced—skiers can link from the Moose Pond trail east to the Newcomb Lake route. Confidence using your map and compass or GPS will help you navigate spots where trail markers are far apart. This is an all-day affair, good for a group of four or five, outfitted with bushwhacker skis and plenty of food and water. It's amazing how thirsty you can get when you ski 15 miles or more.
Skiing the new High Peaks Golf Course.
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High Peaks Golf Course Near the Route 28N overlook area across from the log church is Santanoni Drive, the road to the nine-hole, 2,575-yard golf course, thoughtfully laid out only a few years ago. There are all kinds of ways to play in this snowfield, following trails left by other skiers, skirting the Hudson River, even targeting a particular hole in deep, fresh powder (we like number three with its tiers of hills) to practice tele turns—or untangling your skis and poles after an unsuccessful carving run. Mileage here varies with your interest level, as you can do a couple of miles around the course or spend several hours creating new tracks, admiring the changing views and searching for moose by the Hudson. You can also follow the snowmobile trail along the river to Lake Harris, where the campsite roads offer gentle family skiing.
Adirondack Mountain Club's Adirondack Trails: High Peaks Region includes descriptions of many of these routes; the guidebook's map is quite helpful. Other useful topo maps are the Santanoni Peak and Newcomb USGS 15-minute quadrangles. For information on snow cover three miles from downtown Newcomb, check
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