Cedarlands Conservation Easement: A gift to Long Lake

Just a short drive from Long Lake Village, the Cedarlands Conservation Easement is a 5000 acre tract open for public use. For residents of Long Lake the opening of this area is a gift. The parcel is owned by the Boy Scouts, but, except for the period when the scouts are present in July and August, you can walk, hike, canoe (starting with a .8 mile carry), camp, fish, or hunt. For specific information visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation page on the tract.

To get there; drive to the end of the pavement on the Kickerville Road and pass through the stone gate. After half a mile a sign points to a parking area off the road on the left. It's then a .3 mile walk along the road to a three-way intersection; take the hard left. Then it's another half mile to the canoe put-in on Mud Pond. Fish Camp Road continues past the pond and provides access to the interior of the tract.

McRorie Lake
If you can manage the .8 mile initial carry to Mud Pond, and a short carry between Mud Pond and the lake, you can put your canoe or kayak on McRorie Lake. The lake covers nearly 400 acres, good sized even by Adirondack Standards. That's Kempshall Mountain on the east shore of Long Lake providing the backdrop. 

McRorie Lake, the light fading fast.

Continuing past Mud Pond it's 2.25 miles (total) to a trail that ascends Mud Pond Mountain (the sign, placed by the Boy Scouts, calls it "OA Mountain"). The scramble to the top is just half a mile. But, be prepared (you know, scouts, oh never mind), it is a steep half mile, gaining 600 feet of elevation.

This limited view to the southeast is from the trail up Mud Pond Mountain. The mountains in the center are part of the Fishing Brook Range. That's Vanderwhacker in the distance.

I had not planned on going up Mud Pond Mountain, and never realized that there is a large open area a short distance from the summit. There are limited views from the actual summit, and when I arrived, with darkness less than an hour away, I didn't take much time to look around. Oh well, that leaves something interesting for the next visit.

A brand new lean-to on McRorie Lake. It's about three miles from the parking area to the lean-to.

For hikers, the real prize is Rock Pond Mountain (McRorie Lake was originally named Rock Pond). Rock Pond Mountain is just under 3000 feet and the map shows a trail to the top. An large --and intriguing-- cliff is visible from the road past the lean-to, so there are almost certainly good views. It would be just under five miles from the parking area to the top. That would make for a fine full day outing.

Mud pond at twilight.

The area is managed for timber production so the forests along the main trail (Fish Camp Road) are not much to look at. It's young second growth with large logging openings every quarter mile or so. On the plus side, that will make for good birding or wildlife spotting.