Backcountry Bikepacking trail access?

[Bunchberry]

I found this description of mountain biking the " Shelving Rock Falls big loop trail in the Lake George Wild Forest"

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/shelving-rock-falls-big-loop-info.33717/

[Sinite]

Lots of great info here. Thanks! I am getting excited for some ADK bikepacking!

[richard1726]

RR tracks, not good. It might seem passable for a while but it becomes no fun, I have to spend al my time looking down. This is when the ties are still in place. And just riding on RR ballast is no fun either, the ballast rock is 2 to 3 inches and very angular. (My tires are 2.8 in wide with the rear tire at its minimum air pressure.)

[Bob K]

Biking along RR tracks

Not good, even with low pressure fat bike, 4.8" tires. Tried it a few places.

Many fun mtb trails in Shelving Rock area. Some very steep and even hike-a-bike, but enough options to entertain. Plus prime swimming.

[montcalm]

Fat bike or not, I wouldn't ride on the tracks. I also wouldn't count on riding next to them - it can be pretty miserable.


I think most of trails, with the exception of the summit trails to Sleeping Beauty would be fairly easy to ride. I know the trail up to Bumps pond from Dacy Clearing would be an easy ride, it's fairly well graded and not rough at all. Most of the stuff down by the lake would be fine too - not too much elevation gain. There's a couple spots where it might be better to descend if coming from up high back down to the lake shore, rather than climb i.e. I'd climb toward Sleeping Beauty or Shelving Rock Mtn as both those trails are old roads.

I'm not sure what the situation might be as you get north toward Black Mountain as I've never been up that far, but I'm sure some may - but I think you'd be able to make a loop somewhere, even if you don't know exactly which trails you're going to take - it will be obvious when you're our there.

I wouldn't recommend going down to Buck or over to the Tongue, both of those would be a lot of pushing, although technically I think you could get up to Fifth Peak LT but I certainly wouldn't do that climb on a fat bike with overnight gear.

I think the area right around Shelving Rock, south of Black Mtn and west of Sleeping Beauty is going to the best area for riding in terms of grades and trail condition.

[DSettahr]

Since I ride a fatbike I am wondering how riding a retired railroad with low pressure in my tires would be? Anyone have experience?

I would be pretty wary about the chance of a puncture unless it's specifically been converted into a bike path with all of the rail infrastructure removed. There's a lot of jaggedy metal pieces lying around on some of those older railroad grades.

And there's also the potential issue of the legality of being on the grade, depending on which railroad grade you're referring to.

[Sinite]

Hmm, any idea how the trail from Pike Brook trailhead is as far as a mountain bike goes? I could paddle down to it from the bay north of there if the weather cooperates.

[Bunchberry]

Lake shore road

https://naturalatlas.com/map/@43.572432,-73.578615,14z

[Sinite]

I used to ride an MTB and I have hiked most of the trails East of Lake George. Few of them would be ride able on a MTB. There are many downed trees, stream crossings, mud pits and rock gardens that would be tough to ride.

There is a dirt road that is right on the east side of the lake. It is real nice but getting to it with a bike would not be easy.

Which road are you speaking of? I see several on the east side. Also looks like they have roads leading to them from the main road.
I have a bike raft so I could paddle to the road if it is a good one.

[Sinite]

Since I ride a fatbike I am wondering how riding a retired railroad with low pressure in my tires would be? Anyone have experience?

[Zach]

I'm going to become a (pseudo)local sometime this year, but now I'm still 120 miles away. I'm hoping to have time to do a little biking by mid-summer or so, but things are going to be a moderately frantic in the meantime.

[montcalm]

Best bet for those snowmobile trails is to have a local (like Zach) burn them in, in the spring. I see they are right in his backyard. Looks like just take off up Co. Rd. 62 and make a loop or two.


No idea when you plan on going, but there might be a magic window in between snow, mud and bugs when this wouldn't be too grassy.

[DSettahr]

I backpacked the Dog Pond Loop years ago, back in 2011. Unfortunately I don't have photos from that trip- I think I was between cameras (my old camera finally bit the dust and my new camera had not yet arrived in the mail). My memory is pretty fuzzy but I do remember that the connector trail between the Burntbridge Pond Trail and the Dog Pond area of the CL50 to the south clearly being a trail that gets relatively little use, although I don't remember it being in horrendous shape. But 11-12 years can also make a trail far different... for better or for worse.

I do remember that the Nat Geo map showed a spur trail up Dog Pond Mountain that I looked for- and never saw any sign of. I just checked and the current edition of the Nat Geo map still shows the trail. I made a post on this forum not long after that trip looking for additional info on that trail (and whether it actually exists or ever existed), but never got a response.

When I was in grad school, I lead a beginner backpacking trip for the Syracuse University Outing Club to Burntbridge Pond. The Burntbridge Pond Trail is pretty wide and wouldn't be too bad on a bicycle. I do vaguely remember the turn off where the snowmobile trail continues onto the Conifer-Emporium easement lands; my vague memory was that that trail didn't look like it would be super obvious all the way through.

If you look through the linked album from that Burntbridge Pond trip, there is a photo taken at the junction with the Dog Pond Trail that will give you a sense of how infrequently traveled that trail is.

The CL50 in the Dog Pond vicinity, as well as the spur trail that connects the CL50 to the road west of Horseshoe Lake, is mostly on old logging roads and should be pretty good on a bike. There's a few photos of these stretches of trail in this album from a backpacking trip that I took from Horseshoe Lake to Grass Pond, also back in 2011.

[Sinite]

right, that's what I'm thinking. Part of the adventure!

[montcalm]

Looks reasonable.

Hard to say what kind of shape those trails are in without snow, and I'd also be curious about the CL50 trail on the east side. I've never hiked that but I'm sure someone who has hiked the CL50 would know something about it.

I'd give it a shot - what's the worst? You might have to turn back and do it out-and-back instead of a loop.