Rock River

The Rock River emerges from Lake Durant and covers roughly three miles to the point where it enters and exits the northwest corner of Rock Lake. It then flows an additional six miles to its' intersection with the Cedar River. This is uncommonly flat terrain, and the change in elevation over that nine mile distance is less than 200 feet. That flatness, as much as anything, defines the character of the Rock river. This is a slow, meandering, stream and its' most interesting feature is the 100 acre marshland it flows through as it enters Rock Lake.

But there is a trail. Starting at a large parking area on Route 30, (between Indian Lake and Blue Mountain Lake) the trail follows the route of a long abandoned 19th century road now marked as a snowmobile trail. The current path is well marked, but ingrown, and with little to motivate visitors it's safe to say that it does not get a lot of use.

This USGS topographic map from 1903 (1:65250) shows the road (double dashed line) that the modern trail follows. The GPS track of my route is the green line (a couple of short side trips are seen).

In years past a second snowmobile trail intersected the current trail forming a loop with trails that reach Indian Lake Village. That, along with a marked back country campsite at the river, might have brought a few more visitors, but both have now faded back into the forest (the snowmobile trail is abandoned and the campsite has grown in and is now a meadow).

The 1997 USGS topographic map (1:24500) shows an intersecting snowmobile trail and a designated back country campsite near the river. Both have now returned to the forest.

This lack of purpose and use is OK. Indeed, it's what drew me to this route. This trail is a quiet path through a forest that is generally mature second growth with old growth trees present in a few places. At just over six miles for the round trip, and with relatively little elevation change, this pleasant walk is definitely off the beaten path.

Light streaming into a hot, humid, forest. Nearly an inch of rain had fallen the night before, and an early morning fog shrouded the forest. 

A new Beaver dam exists (aug. 2018) near the point where the Rock River Trail reaches the river. After two months of dry and unusually warm weather the river was quite low. The beaver will to do a lot more work if this damn is going to survive next year's spring flood. The top of the dam is several feet below the high water marks seen on the nearby banks.

A Rock River flows through uncommonly flat terrain and is bordered by lovely meadows that are dry for most of the year.

The Central Adirondacks Trail Guide (McMartin and Ingersoll) says that it's possible to rock hop across the river near the point where the trail ends. But I didn't see a place where it would be possible to cross without at least a little wading. That said, the river was only a few inches deep at this point just upstream from the trail end.

The river just at the trail endpoint.