Hemlock Hill ski trail parallels Raquette River
By Tom French
Coreys, a dot south of Route 3 on many maps, feels like one of those places that everyone has heard of, but few are truly familiar with. Located about half way between Saranac and Tupper Lakes, a host of recreational opportunities originate in the area including paddling, the Seward Range with its four high peaks, access to parts of the recently opened Follensby Park, and cross-country skiing along several horse trails.
Archeological evidence suggests a Native American presence in the Adirondacks that used the route for centuries prior to the arrival of Europeans.
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Jesse Corey, the first settler on Upper Saranac Lake, built his “Rustic Lodge” in 1850 near Indian Carry, a major portage between Upper Saranac Lake and Stony Creek Ponds (with access to the Raquette River) that still sees thousands of people every year. In addition to lodging, Corey transported equipment and people for a fee.
Getting there
I was invited to join a ski trip on the Raquette Falls Horse Trail beginning along Coreys Road. The horse trail predates the wilderness designation and has a history with the Cold River Ranch. An old sign with falling and missing letters guards the western entrance to Coreys along Route 3.
Related reading: Raquette Falls cross-country ski
A number of homes and camps populate Coreys Road. Keep your eyes peeled to the right for the Hiawatha Live Steamers Railroad as you approach Stony Creek Ponds. Built by Sanford Whittum over the course of several decades, the ridable miniature railroad features over a half mile of fifteen-inch gauge track along with significant cement abutments, trestle bridges, and two reversing loops. Whittum passed in 2014, though his family still owns the property and occasionally runs trains.
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His grandfather purchased the property in 1900 and was the proprietor of the Hiawatha Lodge, a large hotel across the street, until it was destroyed by fire (twice). Guest cottages survive to this day as private camps.
Two miles from Route 3, Coreys Road passes the Axton Landing hand launch. The bridge over Stony Creek, the boundary between Saranac Lake Wild Forest and High Peaks Wilderness, is about a half-mile further.
Winter travel to Hemlock Hill Lean-to
Coreys Road may or may not be plowed beyond the bridge. It depends on the discretion of the caretaker for the Rockefeller property at the end of the road. The day we ventured, the road was passable, but the equestrian parking area with its hitching posts, a quarter mile after the bridge, required four-wheel drive. One of our vehicles with all-wheel drive required pushing to free it from the grips of ruts and powder snow. Someone did mention the tires may also have contributed to the challenge, but be warned and don’t park on the road.
Our destination was the Hemlock Hill Lean-To. The trail parallels the Raquette River for the first 1.5 miles, though any glimpses of the river through the trees is probably a mirage. The floodplain is significant. Even the topo map shows a weave of confusion between the river, oxbows and billabongs.
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We were not the first to pack the snow. A well-developed track kept us afloat above almost two feet of powder. When I stepped off to take pictures, I was quickly swallowed by the snow. At one point, it reached up and grabbed Susan Miller when she simply rested a ski slightly off the track to chat with those behind her.
Related reading: Lean-tos, and the people who love them
The trail gradually climbs through a series of ups and downs before turning from the river and a final ascent over a shoulder of what we presumed was Hemlock Hill. Research into the nomenclature was unsuccessful. USGS maps do not name any of the several 1,800+ hills in the area. And though hemlocks are abundant, the forest is mostly mixed woods with birch, cherry, beech, and maple. We even found some chaga.
Deer tracks abounded, including several where the animal had leaped several feet, imprinting the woods with craters in the snow.
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After reaching the height of land, the trail descends. Be on the lookout for the junction to the Hemlock Hill Lean-to. The only sign is more easily seen from the opposite direction and is several yards to the right. Fortunately, others had tread before us, and though the track was snow covered, full-blown blazing was not required. Indeed, the downhill to the floodplain was a delightful giggle.
The trail curls to the right as it follows an old woods road that we suspect might have been a landing for logging operations along the river. Tony Goodwin, in his “Northern Adirondack Ski Tours” (1981), refers to our entire trip as a “tote road used to haul supplies to several lumber camps along the Raquette and Cold Rivers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.”
The trail skirts the wetlands through a sidehill cut as it curls around the shore. A little confusion ensued where a significant blowdown crossed the woods road. Tracks diverged in different directions. Doug was called from behind for guidance. He’d been here before and knew our path was a fishhook to the right around the large fallen tree.
Signs from the ranching days
A few yards later, we passed the hitching posts for equestrians. According to the DEC’s 1999 High Peaks Wilderness Unit Management Plan, a “horse trail system was inaugurated in the 1960’s that accessed the Cold River country.” With horse barns, corrals, and hitching posts, the Cold River Horse Trail Complex has a 12.7-mile loop and longer 32-mile loop to Shattuck Clearing recommended as a multi-day ride.
The Cold River Ranch offered such rides after it was established by John and Marie Fontana in 1971. In addition to lodging and meals at their 19th-century farmhouse, they guided multi-day wilderness horse pack trips around the western high peaks as well as one-day outings (lunch included) to Raquette Falls.
It’s questionable how much horse traffic the trails receive today, though I recall the trail to the Sewards as a mucky, horse-trodden backwater back in 1992 when I tackled those peaks.
After lunch, we blazed through the deep snow in our boots, down the steep bank, to the shores of the Raquette River – ice covered and overhung with cottonwoods and silver maples. Follensby Park is on the opposite side.
We discussed continuing to Raquette Falls. A significant snow pack is recommended for the sometimes steep and rugged trail. But even this year’s powder could not convince this AARP-crowd to brave the “series of steep switchbacks (that) will severely test your snowplow technique” (according to Goodwin) as the trail drops to a clearing near the DEC Interior Outpost and former site of Mother Johnson’s hostelry with “the best pancakes in the entire North Country” in the 1860s.
Instead of doubling our mileage for the day, we returned to the cars and discovered where our herringbone climbs had perfectly groomed the trail for our downhill runs. The 5.7 mile out and back had taken us under four hours.
This was one of my favorite areas in the early 70s. Mostly winter snowshoe and backpacking back then. Recently(2018) ran the loop thru Blueberry-Ward Brook-Rondeau-Seward-Shattuck-Calkins, just under 30mi. Great training run for a 50k or greater. Highly recommended!! Some of the best trail running in the world.