Paddling the Raquette River

By Rich Macha

The Raquette River is New York’s third-longest river, making its way north for 146 miles from Raquette Lake in the heart of the Adirondack Park to the St. Lawrence River. On its way it passes through Forked, Long, and Big Tupper lakes before a series of dams affect its character.  

The route up Long Lake and down the Raquette River to Tupper Lake makes for a nice two- or three-day camping trip but does involve a 1.3-mile carry around Raquette Falls. However, the section of the river below the falls has easy access and the river can be explored by day-trippers, as well as campers, without the need to portage. The river is essentially wild between the falls and “The Crusher” boat launch – motorboats are allowed but are not seen too often and there are many blind curves so wise paddlers will stay out of the middle of the river.

Axton Landing to Raquette Falls – To get to Axton Landing from NY Route 3 between Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, drive south on Coreys Road for 1.9 miles, and then take a right on a dirt road for 0.2 miles. The put-in is on a small cove off the main river.

Once on the river, take a left and paddle upstream against a light current. The Raquette gently winds its way between low shores where silver maples are the dominant tree species. A half-mile from Axton, after passing the mouth of Stony Creek, the left or eastern shore is in the High Peaks Wilderness, and the west shore is private land that’s owned by The Nature Conservancy – part of a large tract that includes Follensby Pond.

There are five lean-tos on this section, but you may only actually see two of them since two of the others are somewhat hidden, and the fifth is on the north end of the carry trail that bypasses the rapids and the falls. There are also several designated campsites near the Lower Falls plus a ranger station is close-by.

After going six miles, the river becomes shallow and rocky, and paddlers can land wherever possible on the east shore. Then, you can walk alongside the river on a trail to the lower falls where the river drops only a dozen feet, but does it in impressive style. Next, you can continue walking another 0.7 miles to the similarly scenic upper falls.

After getting your fill of tumbling water, the paddle back to Axton is aided by the current. On my last trip up this way, I saw what I initially thought was a deer swimming across the river in front of me but when it stepped out of the water, I realized it was actually a coyote – the first and only time I’ve seen a coyote swim.

Axton Landing to The Crusher – The state boat launch at “The Crusher” is found on NY Routes 3/30, a short drive east of the village of Tupper Lake. A gravel crushing operation used to be located here, hence the name, but these days we have a large parking area next to the river. A paddle from Axton Landing to The Crusher is under eight miles but can be longer if you are tempted, as I often am, by the backwaters and inlets found along the way. The north shore, on your right as you paddle downstream, is all on state land but the private Nature Conservancy lands continue along the south shore below Axton for over two miles before state land is reached. The shoreline varies from silver maple floodplain to mixed upland forest.

There are a bunch of campsites on this stretch of river and you seldom have to go more than half-a-mile before seeing another one. There is a lean-to in a backwater at Trombley Landing and there is supposed to be another one nearby but I haven’t spotted it.

The outlet of Follensby Pond comes in about 3.5 miles below Axton and you can paddle up the narrow winding stream through a grassy marsh until you see posted signs – maps show a wide area of open water, but that is not the case in reality. Follensby Pond was the location of the Philosophers’ Camp where Ralph Waldo Emerson and other scholarly men spent some time in the mid-19th century. There has been some hope that Nature Conservancy would sell this tract to the state but there has also been some speculation that they want to hold on to the land and the lake-size pond to better protect their assets.

Trombley Landing is another three miles below Follensby’s outlet and The Crusher is another 1.5 miles past Trombley. As you paddle along, look for teal, black ducks, wood ducks, great blue herons, and bald eagles.

You can also extend this trip by starting out on the Stony Ponds on Coreys Road, and paddle two miles down Stony Ponds Outlet – a beautiful paddle in itself – to Axton Landing, then continue on the Raquette. Figure on about five miles for the shuttle between start and finish which can easily be done by bike if you only have one car.

The Crusher to Big Tupper Lake – It’s over seven miles from The Crusher to the lake, however, you are never far from civilization and road noise, so the river is less wild here than in the previous sections. There is one part that is quite interesting and that is the Oxbow, where if you don’t pay attention, you may end up getting turned around and find yourself paddling back upstream. On a moderately windy day, the quarter-mile paddle on the lake to the state boat launch at Moody can be unwelcome at the end of a long day, so plan appropriately. 

A paddle upstream and back from The Crusher can also be a rewarding trip.  

The Raquette River, offering a variety of options, is a water body that begs to be visited more than once.

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.