Cranberry Lake 50, Sept. 5-9

[Bob Moulder]

I recently did this loop (with ~5-mile road walk) in the northwestern Adirondacks with my pooch. Compared to the eastern High Peaks region it is quite flat, although it has a fair amount of 'washboard' ups and downs not fully appreciated when looking at the topos. Most of the trail names feature words like "swamp", "pond", "brook", etc, so obviously this a lowland kind of hike! We did the little side trip up Cat Mountain (which is really just a hill, climbing a measly 450 feet in 0.7 mile). The trailhead for the start is in Cranberry Lake State Campground with the finish at Peavine Swamp trailhead on Rt 3 if one does the clockwise route around the lake. I hate road walks of any kind, but especially at the end of a hike, so I started the hike by parking at the Peavine Swamp trailhead and walking to Cranberry Lake Campground. That sucked, but it gave me great peace of mind knowing it was out of the way. Little did I know at the time, but at least part of the road walk back to Cranberry Lake (town and campground) can be done off Peavine Swamp trail as part of the ski trail labeled "Loop 1" if one goes in about 0.3mi on the trail. After the 4.5 hr drive and road walk, we hiked a short distance into the woods and spent the night at the Bear Mountain shelter, which was unoccupied except for us, as were the other camping areas and shelters for the whole hike. I was happily surprised about this, considering it was Labor Day weekend. From there, our route took us on Day 1 to Dog Pond, Day 2 to Olmstead Pond, Day 3 to High Falls and out on Day 4. However, there are plenty of other options whether using shelters, tent/tarp, etc, to adjust distances up or down as desired. The weather was really too warm for my tastes — abut 5degF warmer than predicted earlier in the week! — and daily mileage had to be limited because my dog, Cyrus, is not a warm-weather animal. So mostly we hiked in the cooler hours of morning and were at our next campsite by 2:30-3p.m. each day. Map of the route… rough track using SPOT Cyrus lapping up some cool water from Cranberry lake Beaver dam at either Curtis or Irish Pond. Some of these dams are so well constructed and so strong that several sections of the official trail actually use them as hiking paths. Sunrise at Dog Pond Chair Rock Flow. The tributaries that feed Cranberry Lake from the surrounding marshes and swamps are called "flows", and there are quite a few of them around this very large lake! We stopped here for a long lunch break in the cool shade. Sunrise at Olmstead Pond Early fall colors… just starting to change. Despite the fact that it has been somewhat dry this year, this area still retains a huge amount of moisture. Cyrus taking in the view atop Cat Mountain. Best campsite of the trip at High Falls. The sound of flowing water induces an incredibly restful sleep for me. "High" is a relative term in this landscape, with the falls actually being about 15-20 feet high at best, lol! A marshy area along the Oswegatchie River. Many sections of the trail are snowmobile and ski trails that offer easy or very easy hiking. And old stone bridge along the Oswegatchie River.

[Peter Rodrigues]

Nice report Bob.

[Mark Cashmere]

Awesome pics, Bob! We are headed up that way next summer with the families and my brother-in-law and I are hoping to do some hiking with the kids (I'm thinking we need to go for Marcy). Always great to see Cyrus :)

[Ryan Tucker]

Thanks so much for sharing.

[george carr]

Thanks for the trip report. The Five Ponds Wilderness is on my short list. Looks like a great spot to camp at High Falls.

[Bob Moulder]

Hey, Guys, thanks for the kudos, and I would definitely recommend this trip about 2-3 weeks from now… much cooler and with deep fall colors peaking. Life events forced my hand, so I had to do the trip when I did, but it's one of those that is without question worth a do-over in the future. @Mark C, I think my boy Cyrus has a special affinity for you… Remember he selected to pose with you for our MST group photo!! He just gets more and more mellow, and he isn't even 4 years old yet! I hope we and all the MST guys can hike together again soon — that was such an incredibly cool trip that Kevin Babione put together. @George C, you're really going to enjoy the 5 ponds… same area and of course some of the same trails on the southern boundary. When you see that High Falls campsite you will recognize it instantly! Just one of those sublime places that you will not forget.

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