Dam repairs are done and a new parking lot has been added at Bog River put-in
By Mike Lynch
Access to one of the top Adirondack wilderness destinations for paddlers is once again open.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation announced last week that maintenance work on Lows Lower Dam on the Bog River is complete, and the road and parking lot to it were reopened after a nearly two-year closure.
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That put-in for the Bog River, just upstream of the dam, is a popular destination in the western Adirondacks for day-trippers, campers, and people going on multi-day trips into the Five Ponds Wilderness and adjacent Whitney Wilderness.
Because it’s a big draw for visiting paddlers, outfitters in the northern Adirondacks regularly rent canoes to people going there between May and September. Paddling season is considered over by October due to the cold weather.
“The biggest impact is just opening Lows Lake back up to people because the last two years we’ve had a lot of customers who have had to divert their plans just due to that closure,” said Maeghan Farnham, co-owner of St. Regis Canoe Outfitters in Saranac Lake. “They will all be very, very excited to be able to access Lows Lake again.”
Lows Lake is about an 11-mile trip from Lows Lower Dam. The wilderness lake is known for being remote and scenic and offers waterfront camping. From there, paddlers can continue on to do the Oswegatchie Traverse or head toward Lake Lila.
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Day-trippers using the Bog River commonly visit Hitchins Pond, three miles from the dam.
When the access closed due to the $2.8 million project, Rob Frenette, owner of Raquette River Outfitters in Tupper Lake, told the Explorer it was a “huge deal.” His business gets a lot of customers who go there.
“That parking lot has continually been the busiest parking lot in the Adirondacks for canoeing,” Frenette said. “They have 40 to 70 cars there in the peak season just about every day.”
Peak season is July and August.
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Visitors to the Lows Lower Dam and Bog River will also notice some improvements. A new parking lot has been added. Plus, the Student Conservation Association and DEC operations staff have made improvements to 43 primitive campsites on Hitchins Pond and Lows Lake.
During the past two years, the DEC did allow access to the Bog River through the Horseshoe Lake Outlet and also a seasonal road but neither was as convenient as the dam access, so many paddlers avoided the area.
The dam had been overdue for maintenance.
When the structure was inspected in 2014, state dam experts noted concrete deterioration throughout the structure, including on spillway piers. They also observed water seepage from the dam’s downstream toe. The structure was previously considered an intermediate hazard but is currently classified as low hazard, according to the state dam inventory.
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The 239-foot-long dam, owned by DEC, was originally built in the early 1900s by Abbot Augustus Low to generate power. It now helps maintain one of the region’s most popular paddling routes.
State officials have sought to bolster funding to repair and remove aging dam infrastructure across the park, including those owned by the state. A 2023 Adirondack Explorer investigation highlighted the widespread repair needs and looming threat of the deteriorating infrastructure.
Zach Matson contributed to this report.
The dam should have been removed and the river returned to its natural state. A clear violation of the State’s constitution!
Where’s Protect now? Paul Shaffer would have wanted this dam removed! Still worrying about a few tree on a snowmobile trial! LOL
These cars illegally parked along the road in the photo should be ticketed and towed. Where is the enforcement?