Northville-Lake Placid Trail: Lake Durant to Long Lake

I walk the trails near our home in Long Lake frequently. You might imagine that this would get boring, but I see different things every time out. In the Adirondacks, the progression of the seasons is swift and relentless; the forests we see in July are different from what we saw in June. Walking the same trails at different times of the year makes it possible to see this.

The section of the Northville-Lake Placid Trail (NLT) from Lake Durant to Rte. 28N near Long Lake covers just under 15 miles. The trail passes Tirrell Pond and crosses a ridge that is the highest point on the NLT. 

NLT: Lake Durant to Long Lake

Coming into August, and the prime hiking season, I needed a good stretch of the legs and the section of the NLT from Lake Durant to Long Lake qualifies. This section of the NLT covers fifteen miles with a good climb in the middle. Starting from the parking area on Rte. 28, east of Blue Mountain Lake, the trail first passes through a fine mature forest before entering conservation easement lands where logging is taking place (2019). This section of trail less attractive, but a brisk pace there will leave more time at scenic Tirrell Pond, and you are more likely to see wildlife in the recently logged areas.

Tirrell Pond. The north end of Tirrell Pond has an extensive beach, and a nice lean-to. That, combined with the nice view across the pond to Tirrell Mountain makes this a popular camping spot.

At about three miles you'll reach the south end of Tirrell pond. A side trail diverges there to the O'Neil Flow Lean-to. This trail crosses the Tirrell Pond outlet and, as of early August of 2019, the bridge over the outlet is out. A pile of materials at the site probably means that a replacement bridge is coming soon and, either way, the stream can be crossed by rock-hopping.

Tirrell Pond, looking from north to south. 

It's a mile along the shore of Tirrell Pond to the beach and lean-to at its' northern end. This is a very scenic spot with views down the pond framed by the cliffs of Tirrell Mountain. Continuing past the pond, the trail soon reaches a junction with a side trail that leads to the Blue Mountain trail-head. The route passes through maturing forests and a second short section of conservation easement lands. A little over two miles north of Tirrell Pond the route intersects the Salmon Pond Road (a private gravel road). The trail follows the road for a short distance using a bridge on the road to cross the Salmon River.  

This meadow is curious. A large beaver pond once filled the meadow, but, using the Google Earth history feature to view satellite imagery from the past, it looks like the water has been out for at least 20 years. This time frame is confirmed of a rickety log bridge crossing the stream that passes through the meadow (visible in the upper right of the photo). And the area is relatively dry, so my question is, where are the trees? Why have trees not refilled the meadow? 

Leaving the Salmon Pond Road the routes starts the climb of the ridge that is the highest point on the NLT. This section, all the way through to Long Lake, has been in state hands since 1900 and the forest can be described as mature. Many trees in this section were downed by the Adirondack Hurricane of 1950 and many of the largest trees are Yellow Birch; a species that seems to survive blow-down events better than some other species. This area was logged as part of the salvage operations that followed the hurricane. Evidence of those salvage operations can be seen today in the form of abandoned logging roads, some of which were very well-built.

The stream flowing out of the grassy meadow described above. This route lies entirely in the Blue Mountain Wild Forest, but from the Salmon Pond road north the area has a distinctly 'wilderness' feel. Other than a few thru-hikers on the NPT, few hikers visit this area.

The enchanted forest on the Fishing Brook Range ridge. A half mile section of the trail follows the crest of the ridge through a Spruce-Yellow Birch forest. Large Yellow Birch dominate the canopy with an under story composed of several species of ferns.

After a moderate climb, the NLP reaches its' high point at around 3000 feet. The trail then follows the ridge line for roughly half a mile. This section of the trail is one my favorite places in all of the Adirondacks and I refer to it as the 'enchanted forest'. Large Yellow Birch, many of which are three feet or more in diameter, dominate the canopy, with Red Spruce and White Birch mixed in.

A large Yellow Birch on the ridge. The forest on this ridge suffered extensive blow-down during the 1950 cyclonic storm and it may be that prevalence of Yellow Birch seen today is because this species holds up better in strong winds. 

The final 3.5 miles, from the ridge line down to Long Lake, is very familiar territory for me and I've written about it in the past. The new Long Lake Spur Trail comes in on the left about 2 miles from the parking area on Rte. 28N. If you are thru-hiking, this trail leads directly to the Post Office in Long Lake with other services nearby. Thru hikers used to walk the road into Long Lake, but the new trail is a much more pleasant walk. If you are going on to the parking area on Route 28N, be sure to leave a few minutes to soak in and enjoy the large spruce bog the trail passes through a half mile before reaching the road. When the light is good I find it to be impossible to pass through this section without pulling out the camera for pictures.

The spruce bog, a half mile from Rte 28N, is a photographers playground.