Massawepie - Paddling into the Mire 

By Rich Macha

In a park full of mundane names – such as Round, Mud and Long – Massawepie stands out, and the words Massawepie Mire introduce connotations that are unique and certainly not mundane. Massawepie is Iroquois for “the beaver’s lake” and a mire can be a bog, fen, marsh or swamp – in this case it is a large 900-acre boreal peatland bog or what is known as a “poor fen.”

I had known about Massawepie Lake, and the nearby South Branch of the Grass River for many years, but did not get to visit for the first time until 2013. Driving NY Route 3 west of Tupper Lake, take a left at the hamlet of Gale onto Massawepie Road, and through the Massawepie Scout Camps. Then after 1.2 miles, the put-in for Massawepie Lake is on the right. The general public is not allowed on the scout camp lands from June 15 through August 31 when the scouts are in residence – an easement allows access the rest of the time.

Massawepie Lake and Outlet – Although the lake is barely 1.5 miles long, a paddle around its perimeter can total up to as much as seven miles. Its shores are mostly red and white pine, but on a late September visit, there were some colorful hardwoods mixed in, especially at the lake’s north end. From the lake, Mount Arab is seen to the southeast and the near perfect dome of Mount Matumbla is visible to the northeast.   

On the 2013 trip, I paddled down the somewhat hidden outlet toward the Grass River, and into the Massawepie Mire. I soon had to lift over a boardwalk bridge, then pushed past some floating logs, and leaving the reservation, slid over two beaver dams and lifted over another. The shores consist of marshy sedge grasses, bordered by tamaracks and spruce. I passed a tree stand on the left and turned back at another beaver dam – the stream was not easily detectable below this one. Back at the lake, I took a short walk on a trail over an esker to small but scenic Pine Pond. I passed two loons, an adult and a juvenile, while paddling back across the lake to the car.

Grass River Flow to Burnt Rock – The next day, after spending the night at the state campground on Cranberry Lake, I headed for the South Branch of the Grass River for an up-and-back trip. I started at a canoe access on Route 3, 9.4 miles west of Massawepie Road junction. I carried the canoe 0.4 miles, passing to the east of diminutive Balsam Pond, then downhill to the South Branch, and started paddling upstream past wooded shores. I soon had to carry around two logjams, limbo under two more logjams, and slide over another. On hindsight, the bed of the old Grass River Railroad, on the south side of the river, could possibly be used to carry around the logjams.

Then there was a steep carry around a dam – this dam creates an impoundment, the Grass River Flow, which stretches over one-mile above the dam. The flow is much smaller than shown on most maps. Further on, the stream winds through open marsh and occasionally comes close to wooded upland on the south shore. I reached 25-foot-high Burnt Rock after passing under a good bridge and the outlet of Massawepie Lake. I saw otters and only had to get out for two beaver dams over a four-mile stretch. This was a good turnaround point. On the way out I paddled across Balsam Pond instead of carrying around it.

Massawepie Lake to South Branch Grass River – More recently, I returned with a couple of companions to continue my explorations. Again, it was in late September. We paddled Massawepie Lake counterclockwise for 3.5 miles passing some Boy Scout buildings and yurts along the way, and arrived at Bayview #10 campsite, where we set up camp for two nights. Bayview is located at the tip of a peninsula at the end of an esker – a trail follows the high land with water views on both sides. We saw loons and a bald eagle, enjoyed a sunset paddle, and had the whole lake to ourselves.

In the morning, we started down the nearby outlet and ducked under a new footbridge. We had to pull over a few beaver dams, and in the last mile, the stream was so narrow and twisty that my 15-foot canoe felt too long. Finally, we reached the Grass River after going over three miles in 2.5 hours.

We paddled downstream for 1.5 miles, passing under a bridge, and pulled over three or four beaver dams, then we stopped for lunch just past Jocks Pond Outlet. After lunch, we turned back upstream on the Grass for seven more miles, passing Burnt Rock and going under two more bridges. All of the beaver dams between the mouth of Massawepie Outlet and the buildings of the Grasse River Club, a stretch of about four miles, were breached and were easy to get past. In the last mile, alders lined the stream and there were more challenging beaver dams to go over, so we made slow progress.

Finally, we arrived at the Yorkshire Road bridge and our shuttle vehicle, which we had driven over to this spot earlier. It was a 4.2-mile drive (0.4 miles to a four-way intersection, then left on Massawepie Road) on dirt roads to the put-in for Massawepie Lake. We paddled straight across the lake to our campsite as the sun was setting behind the pines. On the day, we had paddled about 13 miles over a period of 8.5 hours – a long, tough day but very rewarding.

Final Thoughts – Massawepie Lake and several glacial ponds within the Boy Scout camps area along Massawepie Road can easily be paddled with short carries to access them.

A 10-mile, one-way downriver trip on the South Branch Grass River can be done with a 15-mile car shuttle – put-in on the spur road off Massawepie Road and take out on Route 3 at the Balsam Pond carry. Water levels should be higher in spring – May could be a good time to minimize the beaver dam situation.  

If you have time, nearby Mount Arab is a fairly easy one-mile hike with 740-foot elevation gain to a fire tower with a great view of the area. If you have never been to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, and have a couple of hours to spare, then take the time to stop there. Happy fall paddling!

A lover of wild places, Rich Macha has led many trips for the Adirondack Mountain Club, and has spent 20 years in the paddlesport/snowsport business. More of Rich’s adventures can be found at northeastwild.blogspot.com.