Bikerafting Loop Suggestions

[Sinite]

Looking do do an overnighter bike a trail, paddle back, or paddle and then bike back. Hoping for some moving water to assist me in paddling my bike down the river. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Sinite]

Nothing???

[billconner]

No personal experience but the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail and Missisquoi River are an option. Check out the rail trail web site and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail for camp sites. NFCT actually organizes a one day paddle pedal event if you just wanted to "test the waters". https://www.northernforestcanoetrail...-paddle-pedal/

[Sinite]

No personal experience but the Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail and Missisquoi River are an option. Check out the rail trail web site and the Northern Forest Canoe Trail for camp sites. NFCT actually organizes a one day paddle pedal event if you just wanted to "test the waters". https://www.northernforestcanoetrail...-paddle-pedal/

Thanks, but I am looking for Adirondack routes. I live in Vermont and have paddled the Missisquoi several times. It is a good suggestion though. I do plan to bikeraft it one of these days.

[MTVhike]

What about Boreas Ponds? 3+ mile bike to the dam, than as much flatwater paddling as you want.

[Sinite]

What about Boreas Ponds? 3+ mile bike to the dam, than as much flatwater paddling as you want.

I do intend to bike up to Boreas. I haven't been there for a couple of years. I am really looking for moving rivers, preferably with class 4 road, or single track to ride back to the put in the next day.
Most of what I am finding in riding back to the car on paved roads.

[VermontDacker]

I looked into this last year, and found that pretty much all the rivers in Adirondack wilderness areas were too shallow to be navigable, and the navigable rivers run along roads in developed areas. Finding a place to packraft a river without a road nearby is not trivial.

There are exceptions, but I realized that for the most part I'm going to be paddling my packraft on lakes.

[Sinite]

I looked into this last year, and found that pretty much all the rivers in Adirondack wilderness areas were too shallow to be navigable, and the navigable rivers run along roads in developed areas. Finding a place to packraft a river without a road nearby is not trivial.

There are exceptions, but I realized that for the most part I'm going to be paddling my packraft on lakes.

Yeah, I guess that’s probably the deal huh.
there is a nice ride through the Hudson River Recreation Area. You can ride out quite a ways on the trail, camp, and then if you time it right catch the release from the dam and ride it back in your raft.
When we did it we got in the water too late and the “bubble” petered out about half way back to our car.

[VermontDacker]

The fundamental problem is that nearly all of the Eastern US was heavily developed early on, and this includes northern New York.

Any navigable river, even one that could only handle canoes, became a trading route first among the Indians and then the Colonials. Then roads were built along those rivers, then farmers settled there, and then towns were built. So all of the lowlands along Adirondack rivers were thoroughly developed long before the idea of protected wilderness was thought of.

The kinds of trips you want are readily available out West and in Alaska, because they are in more rugged terrain, and Americans didn't develop them before they were protected. They also have harsher climates.

There was a poll on the Reddit for packrafting a few years ago. The posters there were overwhelmingly doing trips in Western North America and Alaska. It's these western guys who have plenty of opportunity to climb a wilderness river in foot or bike and packraft back out.

There was a website dedicated to packrafting in the Eastern US, but it is defunct.

I had exactly the same intention you have when I bought my Klymit LWD. I figured I'd get some experience with it and then upgrade to a better packraft. (I have decades of experience with canoes and inflatable kayaks through Class II water.)

But when I started seriously researching New England and the Adirondacks, I quickly realized that most of my packrafting was going to be exploring wilderness lakes, not following moving water on rivers. And the Klymit is perfect for that, since it is light but tough. My whole packraft setup (LWD, 4-piece paddle , PFD) weighs less than 6 lbs. Serious packrafts like most Alpackas are total overkill for this type of trip. So I won't be upgrading as long as I live in the Northeast.

However, one interesting stretch would be the West Sacandaga through Silver Lake Wilderness.

You could either enter from the east, launch at Whitehouse, run the river to Black Bridge, and return up West River Road; or you launch on the west side of the wilderness at North Vly or on the Piseco Outlet, run through the gorge, take out on the east side at Whitehouse or Black Bridge, and car shuttle back to the start.

[Sinite]

The fundamental problem is that nearly all of the Eastern US was heavily developed early on, and this includes northern New York.

Any navigable river, even one that could only handle canoes, became a trading route first among the Indians and then the Colonials. Then roads were built along those rivers, then farmers settled there, and then towns were built. So all of the lowlands along Adirondack rivers were thoroughly developed long before the idea of protected wilderness was thought of.

The kinds of trips you want are readily available out West and in Alaska, because they are in more rugged terrain, and Americans didn't develop them before they were protected. They also have harsher climates.

There was a poll on the Reddit for packrafting a few years ago. The posters there were overwhelmingly doing trips in Western North America and Alaska. It's these western guys who have plenty of opportunity to climb a wilderness river in foot or bike and packraft back out.

There was a website dedicated to packrafting in the Eastern US, but it is defunct.

I had exactly the same intention you have when I bought my Klymit LWD. I figured I'd get some experience with it and then upgrade to a better packraft. (I have decades of experience with canoes and inflatable kayaks through Class II water.)

But when I started seriously researching New England and the Adirondacks, I quickly realized that most of my packrafting was going to be exploring wilderness lakes, not following moving water on rivers. And the Klymit is perfect for that, since it is light but tough. My whole packraft setup (LWD, 4-piece paddle , PFD) weighs less than 6 lbs. Serious packrafts like most Alpackas are total overkill for this type of trip. So I won't be upgrading as long as I live in the Northeast.

However, one interesting stretch would be the West Sacandaga through Silver Lake Wilderness.

You could either enter from the east, launch at Whitehouse, run the river to Black Bridge, and return up West River Road; or you launch on the west side of the wilderness at North Vly or on the Piseco Outlet, run through the gorge, take out on the east side at Whitehouse or Black Bridge, and car shuttle back to the start.

I’ll have to check this out.