Cross country skiing in Saranac
Skiing at the New Land Trust in Saranac
By Joanne Kennedy
After reading about the New Land Trust Trail System in Saranac, I decided it was time to check it out for myself. A quick phone call to my friend Tina and in no time we were off on the 20-minute drive from Peru to the trailhead. The 281-acre New Land Trust is located down the Plumadore Road in Saranac at an elevation of 1,400 feet. It was easy to find as we spotted several directional signs starting at the Chazy Lake Road until we pulled into the parking area. There is no cost to use the trails; users need only to park at 236 Plumadore Road and sign in.
There was plenty of snow and the trail system is a delight to use. How could it not be fun as we skied trails named Solstice, Foxhole, Meadow and Zen to name a few? The trails are mostly rolling flats but there are a few steep downhills. One trail led us to Luke’s Lodge, a lean-to built in the summer of 2006 as an eagle project of Luke Jenks of Boy Scout Troop 66. It sports a couple of signs stating, “Pack it in, pack it out” and “Leave it better than you found it.” These are words to live by. We continued exploring more of the 10 miles of marked trails and noticed that there were two sets of tracks, one for skiers and one for snowshoers. A sign posted on a tree indicates that each should stay in their designated tracks.
The trails are open to the public year round with the only restrictions being no hunting and no motorized vehicles. Membership in the trust or a donation is encouraged to help defray the cost of taxes and maintenance.
For directions and a map of the trail system: www.newlandtrust.org
Posted: January 17th, 2009 under General News, Things to do in & near Peru.