Chasing the gnar isn’t the only way to be challenged on the water.
For whitewater paddlers, the area in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York is known for runs on sections of the Beaver, Moose and others rivers. But the area is also known for sprawling flat bodies of water undisturbed by civilization. A tourism company is offering a paddling challenge in three areas covering lakes, streams and rivers. Completing the “Paddling Triad” gets you a patch along with your name added to a registry commemorating everyone who completed the challenge.
The three challenges are in Saranac Lake, Schroon Lake, and Tupper Lake, and they are all comprised of three routes and offer patches upon completion. All the routes are beginner and family-friendly, and more experienced paddlers can enjoy the routes. For those looking to elevate the challenge, paddlers can complete all three routes in one day as part of the Ultra.
The challenge focuses on the Saranac, Schroon and Tupper Lakes in the Adirondack Mountains. According to the Regional Office Of Sustainable Tourism, the area has 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles of rivers and streams. The three lake challenges offer a variety of challenges, all on flat-water allowing the whole family to join the adventures.
Some sections offer more than a dozen miles, like the Saranac Lake paddle challenge, while others are shorter, like the routes on the Schroon and Tupper Lakes. Each section offers a number of camping options and routes.
This June, the Saranac Lake Paddle Challenge will start to kick off a month-long festival in the area titled Celebrate Paddling ADK. The route covers 19 miles of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, the longest inland waterway in the United States. Along the way are plenty of island camping spots along a combination of lake and river paddling.
The Schroon Paddle Challenge was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act last August. All of the paddles are around 4.5 miles one-way, with options to set up shuttle or paddle back to the start.
The Tupper Lake Paddling Triad was established in 2020. The triad includes three paddling routes and combines creeks and rivers with the lakes of the Tupper Lake area. Two routes are 3.25 miles one-way. And a third route is 7.25 miles on the Raquette River.