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Since we had some very nice weather on Tuesday the 25th I took four hours in the afternoon to make a hurried exploration of an area that I have been curious about ever since I realized I might be coming to live in Piercefield. I should preface this report by stating that this is a route that no rational person would have any reason to take unless they lived near here, and probably not even then.
I rode my bicycle down Main St., across Route 3, and down Route 162 (I think) to Conifer where there is a gated, well maintained dirt road that leads west. This road is through easement lands and bicycling is permitted. After about 2 miles at the "Four Corners" I came to another gate and then turned south onto Masswepie Rd. This road was much hillier than the first one, and open to public motor vehicle use at that point, but still pretty smooth. After a few miles I came to another gate and continued south between some small mountains. I passed through several intersections, but at all of them the snowmobile trail signs were easy to follow, so the route was not in doubt.
Eventually I came to another gate and was on drivable roads again, but I don't know their names. I only saw one vehicle on this whole trip once I was on the dirt roads, a Dish Network van that was incongruously driving toward the gate on the road that leads to Pine Pond. I guess there must be an inholding back there somewhere. The last gate I had to go around was at the beginning of the road to the upper dam. From there it was very smooth riding all the way to the gate just before the dam itself with the No Bicycles signs.
My planned turnaround time was about 3, and it was 2:48 when I arrived. I wanted to climb the ridge behind the dam and look at the view, but I started off a bit too far to the east, and when I got to the rocky part it was too steep to climb. I had climbed it from below in 2019, but I couldn’t remember the approach in detail. I moved west till I got to a better area and was able to scramble up above the treetops and take some pictures and eat a snack while looking at the views.
Then it was time to hurry back down and ride back along the way I had come. It took me 1:48 on the way out, and 1:40 on the way back, but I imagine the difference was mostly because I didn’t have to stop and look at the map so much. I wanted to have a little time in case of a flat tire or something on the way home. I had my headlamp, but riding on unfamiliar dirt roads at night is not a great plan.
I was pleasantly surprised to see no signs of ATV use on the roads on this trip. It’s not a wilderness-y area, but I like working forests too. There were several log landings that had been in recent use, and some old and some newer gravel pits and such. The roads were very smooth and well maintained throughout, much better than I had expected. I have been on snowmobile trails that were brushy swamps in the summer, but these were all nicely graveled, if not always entirely smooth.
It is 13+ miles to where the upper dam road begins, by this back route, and 23 miles on pavement. I wouldn’t try to bring the canoe trailer this way because of all the gates. I would have to unhitch the trailer and take the canoe off at each one, lift them over and put it all back together, and doing that 5 times would be rather inefficient. It would work if I was taking the inflatable paddle board, as long as I could strap everything down securely on the bike.
One highlight of the trip was a place at a junction where there were larch (or tamarack) needles drifting down whenever the wind gusted, almost like long thin yellow snowflakes. They seemed to fall very slowly, somehow.
I rode my bicycle down Main St., across Route 3, and down Route 162 (I think) to Conifer where there is a gated, well maintained dirt road that leads west. This road is through easement lands and bicycling is permitted. After about 2 miles at the "Four Corners" I came to another gate and then turned south onto Masswepie Rd. This road was much hillier than the first one, and open to public motor vehicle use at that point, but still pretty smooth. After a few miles I came to another gate and continued south between some small mountains. I passed through several intersections, but at all of them the snowmobile trail signs were easy to follow, so the route was not in doubt.
Eventually I came to another gate and was on drivable roads again, but I don't know their names. I only saw one vehicle on this whole trip once I was on the dirt roads, a Dish Network van that was incongruously driving toward the gate on the road that leads to Pine Pond. I guess there must be an inholding back there somewhere. The last gate I had to go around was at the beginning of the road to the upper dam. From there it was very smooth riding all the way to the gate just before the dam itself with the No Bicycles signs.
My planned turnaround time was about 3, and it was 2:48 when I arrived. I wanted to climb the ridge behind the dam and look at the view, but I started off a bit too far to the east, and when I got to the rocky part it was too steep to climb. I had climbed it from below in 2019, but I couldn’t remember the approach in detail. I moved west till I got to a better area and was able to scramble up above the treetops and take some pictures and eat a snack while looking at the views.
Then it was time to hurry back down and ride back along the way I had come. It took me 1:48 on the way out, and 1:40 on the way back, but I imagine the difference was mostly because I didn’t have to stop and look at the map so much. I wanted to have a little time in case of a flat tire or something on the way home. I had my headlamp, but riding on unfamiliar dirt roads at night is not a great plan.
I was pleasantly surprised to see no signs of ATV use on the roads on this trip. It’s not a wilderness-y area, but I like working forests too. There were several log landings that had been in recent use, and some old and some newer gravel pits and such. The roads were very smooth and well maintained throughout, much better than I had expected. I have been on snowmobile trails that were brushy swamps in the summer, but these were all nicely graveled, if not always entirely smooth.
It is 13+ miles to where the upper dam road begins, by this back route, and 23 miles on pavement. I wouldn’t try to bring the canoe trailer this way because of all the gates. I would have to unhitch the trailer and take the canoe off at each one, lift them over and put it all back together, and doing that 5 times would be rather inefficient. It would work if I was taking the inflatable paddle board, as long as I could strap everything down securely on the bike.
One highlight of the trip was a place at a junction where there were larch (or tamarack) needles drifting down whenever the wind gusted, almost like long thin yellow snowflakes. They seemed to fall very slowly, somehow.
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