Saranac River (ADK Park Preserve) and South

[Steelhead73]

Wondering if anyone has any information regarding a the possibility of a kayak run on Saranac River (Starting at the ADK park preserve near Wilson Road) and working one's way down to Mud Pond near Kushaqua. Portage required? Private lands/posted? I'm looking for any fun 1/2 day or day long kayak paddles in the Look Lake, Franklin County areas. The easier the better... total newbie.

[DSettahr]

Are you talking about upstream from Redford? The Saranac River has some pretty steep drops in that area, and an upstream paddle could be difficult. (The stretch from Union Falls to Plattsburgh is one of the reasons there hasn't been a single southbound through paddler of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail yet).

With regards tot he Loon Lake/Kushaqua area, this thread may be of interest to you: http://adkforum.com/showthread.php?t=19675

EDIT: I just realized you started that thread, too...

[tiogaguy]

It would be a "long" half day. You can put in at the Dam at High Falls off of Wilson Rd. and paddle upstream. You would probably be okay until you get to the falls where the Ore Bed Rd crosses the river in Redford. You would most likely have to portage a ways. Upstream of the falls to the branch confluence at Clayburg, the river is fast and shallow, but doable. Once you break off on the N. Branch taking you toward Riverview, the river has a mix of slow water and some drop pools. Past Riverview, the river gradually gets smaller and smaller. It has numerous boulders with ill-defined channels up toward the Goldsmith Rd. Basically, I don't know if I would want to try an upstream paddle. Its a mix of state and private ownership along the route, mostly private. I used to live in Saranac and fished that stretch of river frequently, so have a pretty good idea of the varying topography.