Photos here: http://ift.tt/2akyRW1
Just a quick write up for a trip that I wanted to share. Ever since I was a little kid and I'd heard of a town in the Adirondacks that had no roads to the outside world, and was accessible only by foot or by boat (or snowmobile in the winter), I'd always wanted to visit it. Earlier this summer, I was able to make that wish a reality when I hiked into Beaver River on the Stillwater Reservoir with a friend.
We hiked in via the old trail from Twitchell Lake to the south. Generally, the trail was in good shape and easy to follow, with some moderate ups and downs but nothing too overly difficult. Sections of the trail were a bit brushy but overall we made good time. The 7 or so miles of hiking into the town took us a bit less than 3 hours.
The town of Beaver River itself had a very interesting atmosphere. Most of the camps were fairly rustic, and electricity (and possibly even running water) aren't ubiquitous. Due to the lack of road connection to the outside world, there are numerous cars that have obviously be brought to to the town with no intention of ever being returned to the outside world. We saw a lot of junkers that were un-registered and un-inspected. Many town residents use ATVs or gas powered scooters and bikes to get around. I imagine that year-round residency is pretty rare. My friend remarked that the town "felt like an Alaskan town" on the frontier.
Our destination for the evening was the Norridgewock Lodge, located on Norridgewock Lake. Definitely a nice place to stay. In addition to motel-style rooms they also have cabins you can rent. There is also a restaurant and a bar. The food at the restaurant was amazing, and everything was, I thought, very reasonably priced. (Although apparently it is pretty expensive to come by ferry if you expect to have your car brought with you.)
During our stay, we took advantage of the opportunity to walk west along the old road that used to connect to the outside world, prior to the construction of the Stillwater Reservoir. We visited Colvin Rock, a rock engraved as part of Verplank Colvin's survey of the Totten and Crossfield Purchase. We also checked out the public docks north of the town, and visited Loon Lake to the west of the town. The Stillwater Reservoir looks nice- I've never visited the reservoir before and I would like to come back to paddle it and check out some of the campsites.
The hike out went pretty quickly as well, although we did miss one re-route around a section flooded by beavers. The old trail wasn't actually that bad, and we were able to make it through with dry feet nonetheless.
I highly recommend visiting Beaver River by foot or by canoe for those who are looking for a trip into a remote area that is also a nice alternative to backcountry camping, with actual amenities (being able to shower at our destination after a 7 mile hike in was particularly nice). I would definitely like to return in winter by ski, either via the trail or across the frozen lake.
Just a quick write up for a trip that I wanted to share. Ever since I was a little kid and I'd heard of a town in the Adirondacks that had no roads to the outside world, and was accessible only by foot or by boat (or snowmobile in the winter), I'd always wanted to visit it. Earlier this summer, I was able to make that wish a reality when I hiked into Beaver River on the Stillwater Reservoir with a friend.
We hiked in via the old trail from Twitchell Lake to the south. Generally, the trail was in good shape and easy to follow, with some moderate ups and downs but nothing too overly difficult. Sections of the trail were a bit brushy but overall we made good time. The 7 or so miles of hiking into the town took us a bit less than 3 hours.
The town of Beaver River itself had a very interesting atmosphere. Most of the camps were fairly rustic, and electricity (and possibly even running water) aren't ubiquitous. Due to the lack of road connection to the outside world, there are numerous cars that have obviously be brought to to the town with no intention of ever being returned to the outside world. We saw a lot of junkers that were un-registered and un-inspected. Many town residents use ATVs or gas powered scooters and bikes to get around. I imagine that year-round residency is pretty rare. My friend remarked that the town "felt like an Alaskan town" on the frontier.
Our destination for the evening was the Norridgewock Lodge, located on Norridgewock Lake. Definitely a nice place to stay. In addition to motel-style rooms they also have cabins you can rent. There is also a restaurant and a bar. The food at the restaurant was amazing, and everything was, I thought, very reasonably priced. (Although apparently it is pretty expensive to come by ferry if you expect to have your car brought with you.)
During our stay, we took advantage of the opportunity to walk west along the old road that used to connect to the outside world, prior to the construction of the Stillwater Reservoir. We visited Colvin Rock, a rock engraved as part of Verplank Colvin's survey of the Totten and Crossfield Purchase. We also checked out the public docks north of the town, and visited Loon Lake to the west of the town. The Stillwater Reservoir looks nice- I've never visited the reservoir before and I would like to come back to paddle it and check out some of the campsites.
The hike out went pretty quickly as well, although we did miss one re-route around a section flooded by beavers. The old trail wasn't actually that bad, and we were able to make it through with dry feet nonetheless.
I highly recommend visiting Beaver River by foot or by canoe for those who are looking for a trip into a remote area that is also a nice alternative to backcountry camping, with actual amenities (being able to shower at our destination after a 7 mile hike in was particularly nice). I would definitely like to return in winter by ski, either via the trail or across the frozen lake.
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