Snowshoeing is the great democratic Adirondack winter sport. There is no lift ticket, no technique to learn and no lesson required. Strap them on, walk into a forest that has gone completely silent under snow, and understand why people keep coming back in February.
Close to the cabins
Start on the property and along the shoreline, where the snow-loaded pines and the frozen edge of Lake Flower do most of the work for you. It is a twenty-minute loop that feels like a different planet from the drive in.
Dewey Mountain Recreation Center, minutes away in the village, keeps dedicated snowshoe trails alongside its cross-country network, rents gear and lights a trail section after dark. Night snowshoeing under headlamps is worth doing at least once.
Half-day routes
Bloomingdale Bog, a former rail bed north of the village, is flat, wide, open and outstanding for wildlife. Gray jays and boreal chickadees will land on your hand if you are patient, and the sightlines across the bog in winter light are hard to beat.
The Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretive Center, about half an hour away, maintains kilometres of groomed and marked trails through boreal forest with interpretive signage, warm buildings and rentals. It is the most family-friendly winter walking in the area.
For something steeper, Baker Mountain in winter is a short sharp climb to a snow-plastered summit view, and you will often have it entirely to yourself.
Winter Carnival
Saranac Lake holds the oldest winter carnival in the eastern United States, usually across ten days in early February, complete with a genuine Ice Palace built from blocks cut out of Lake Flower, parades, fireworks and eccentric competitions.
The Ice Palace is built on the shore of the very lake you are staying on. If your dates are flexible, this is the week to choose.
Staying warm and safe
Layer wool and synthetics, never cotton, and carry a headlamp because the light goes early. Snowshoes with heel lifts and a pair of poles make climbs dramatically easier.
Days are short and temperatures can drop fast after sunset, so turn around earlier than feels necessary. The reward is the hot tub, the fire pit and a warm cabin, which is the correct order of operations.
Good to know
- Snowshoe rentals are available in the village and at Dewey Mountain and Paul Smiths.
- Wear microspikes for icy village trails and packed paths, snowshoes for fresh powder.
- Winter Carnival takes place in early February on Lake Flower.
- Sunrise over the frozen lake from the cabin deck costs nothing and beats most of it.
