There is an official scent for autumn and despite what your local coffee shop tells you, it is not pumpkin spice. I'll tell you what is: the earthy, damply peaty scent of fallen leaves, mixed with pine. You'll find it in the woods as leaves crunch underfoot, and as you drive through the Adirondacks on a sunny day with the windows open. I'm a big fan of road trips of all kinds — cross-country, local, short, exceedingly long — and they are one of my favorite ways to explore and see new places. I recently crafted a loop through the Adirondack Hub, and it was a day full of delightful natural beauty, fun, food, and yes, the magical scent of fall.

Breakfast of champion road trippers

I started in Schroon Lake at Pitkin's Restaurant on Main Street. Pitkin's has been in business since 1907, and the menu and walls of the restaurant are decorated with vintage black and white photos of the restaurant and downtown Schroon Lake. It's a sunny, friendly spot to fuel up before hitting the road.

After breakfast, stroll the shops of Main Street, where you'll find freshly baked bread, unique gifts, apparel, and souvenirs.

Over the hills and far away

My next stop was Minerva, and there are a few ways to get there, including via Interstate 87 and Route 9, but I chose Route 24, which some locals call "the back way" and which I cannot say enough good things about. Route 24 in the fall is stunningly scenic and truly delightful, winding through quiet, fragrant woods. The road has many curves and gentle rises; at each curve I thought, "this is the prettiest spot!" only to be met with another, even prettier view of fall foliage around the next bend. As it was a reasonably warm day, I rolled down the windows and enjoyed the cool breeze and scent of the woods all around.

Minerva is a small but pretty town noted for its history — the American painter Winslow Homer vacationed here; it's also the birthplace of free-born former slave Solomon Northrup — and is full of classic Adirondack hospitality. I stopped in at Betty's Funny Farm, which features a sweet, antique-filled bed and breakfast, farmyard, and a charming shop. Betty herself is welcoming, cheerful, and full of infectious energy. She loves to make people feel at home, whether it is introducing her animals, including Dominic the donkey, doling out jam and jelly, or chatting about the wonderful handcrafted items she sells in her shop.

Betty's specialty is her homemade jams and jellies, in flavors ranging from classic blueberry to sour cherry. She sells to local shops and restaurants, but always has a good supply on hand. She learned by watching her aunt make jam when she was young and when she talks about it, her eyes light up. Giving is in her heart, as she notes, "I love to give hospitality. That's what life is all about."

Betty guided me up the road to Maple Knoll Farm, a maple sugar operation run by her son-in-law. Inside the handsome sugar shack, sample bottles full of syrup gleamed in the windows alongside rows of bottled syrup and Betty's maple jelly. She also helps make maple cream, one of the best things you could ever eat in your lifetime. Trust me.

After leaving Betty's, I stopped at the Minerva Town Beach to take in the view of bright foliage reflected on Minerva Lake. It's a pretty place for a picnic or letting the kids burn off some energy on the playground. It's also a popular spot in summer, with swimming, tennis, and camping.

After all the fun at Betty's Funny Farm — she truly is funny and fun to spend time with — I eagerly set off on Route 28N, bound for the town of Newcomb and the Adirondack Interpretive Center. Formerly run by the state of New York, the AIC is now operated by the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The main building features exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the Adirondacks, and staff naturalists are keen to share their knowledge with visitors. For many, the highlight of the AIC is the trail system and I was quick to set out on foot to explore the 236-acre property and its 3.6 miles of interpretive trails on the shore of Rich and Belden lakes. The woods here are a rich mixture, brimming with birch, cedar, maples, and spruce. The Rich Lake Trail, which leads to the Peninsula Trail, features a wooden boardwalk over a cedar swamp along the lakeshore.

The trails here are wide, even, and easy to walk. Although the longest measures just over one mile in a loop, the trails are so full of life of all shapes and sizes you'll enjoy lingering and taking your time. There is a magnificently huge glacial erratic on the Rich Lake Trail that's covered in moss, ferns, and a small tree growing on the top. The rock was left in this spot about 13,000 years ago, when it was deposited by a moving glacier. Several types of mosses grow here in the cool, damp shade, as well as brightly colored fungi on tree trunks.

From the AIC, it's time to return to Schroon Lake, but there is one more delight on the way. Leaving the AIC, turn left and travel just over 6 miles on Route 28 to the left-hand turn onto Blue Ridge Road. After about 16.2 miles on Blue Ridge, crossing a number of streams, the Boreas River, and passing scenic ponds, start looking for a pull-off on the right. This is the parking and viewing area for Blue Ridge Falls, a lively series of falls on the waterway known simply as The Branch. The view is postcard-perfect and a lovely way to finish up your road trip.

For a quiet, vibrantly-hued Adirondack adventure, enjoy a road trip through the Adirondack Hub, where there are charming inns and bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and colorful events. I hope to see you on the road.

 

If you missed part 1 read it here.

Our Story Continues, Part 2:

Rise and shine; the breakfast bell just went off, offering us up some gluten free French toast, bacon, fresh fruit, and most importantly – coffee. Luckily Elk Lake Lodge had a bag lunch waiting for us because day two was to be a full day as we planned to climb Sunrise, Grandpa Pete, and Clear Pond Mountains. After breakfast we took a few minutes to pack up our belongings, giving ourselves a bit of time to let our larger than expected breakfast reach our hollow leg.

Sunrise Mountain here we come!

Then we were off and hitting the trail to Sunrise Mountain, another of the Adirondack 100-highest peaks located on the property. We started by following the East Shore Trail from near the lodge. This trail was yet another delight under our feet. It wasn’t too long before we crossed the Dix Trail and started up the Sunrise Trail. We passed by a couple other small intersections along the way; one in particular was Cadillac Drive and the Clear Pond Trail. From this major intersection we were truly on the Sunrise Trail, with no other option than to go up. The trail follows an old abandoned woods road, which is a pleasure to walk on, so soft and colorful, we enjoyed every minute of it. Once the trail tightened a bit into more of a foot trail, the tread also became narrow, as it was lined with green moss on either side. The terrain began a gentle climb as it inched ever closer to the summit. We soon reached Little Sally Brook on our left; the waters flowed with a soothing sound only we could hear.

The trail steepened a bit more, as some famous Adirondack mud began to appear in front of us and beneath us. We rock hopped what we could, wallowing in the rest. It’s kind of like jumping in the lake, you know it’s going to be cold but once you’re in it isn’t too bad. With mud, you know it’s going to be messy, but once you’re in, who cares?

Viewing areas complete with wildlife

Soon we found ourselves at the first viewing area. This steeply banked rock surface afforded us outstanding views of the Elk Lake Region. A bit slippery from the night’s rain, we carefully made our way to the trail in the trees. The terrain steepened more and at one point got very steep, as we continued to climb toward the top of the false summit. Just prior to the false summit we stood atop the second viewing area - almost twin to the first but just slightly higher. Just as we were to crest the false summit Corenne noticed something dead in the trail. We looked down and it wasn’t dead at all, it was a baby bunny, warming up in the morning sun. Not moving, we managed to snap a few pictures of the killer fur ball before it did decide to hop off under a tree root.

A short descent would bring us to a high col, just below the summit of Sunrise. The climb was steady, steep in a few spots, but overall very moderate. The top had a nice rocky lip awaiting us with some outstanding views. Below us we had Elk Lake. To our left we had Clear Pond, Boreas Mountain, and the Hoffman Mountain Wilderness. To our right we could look up the long spine of the Dix Range, with Macomb right in front. Behind us we had trees, lovely trees mind you.

Arrival at the Summit

A 15-minute summit stop was all we could do; we were chilled to the bone. The wind was blasting us, our shirts were wet, and the combination of the two was very uncomfortable. Putting on our packs seemed like a block of ice against our wet shirts. It was a bit slippery on the steep slopes, and we managed to survive passing by the bunny for a second time. We passed over the 1^st view and quickly found ourselves back onto moderate ground, except now there were fresh moose tracks. They weren’t there on the way in, and they were heading in the same direction as us. The odds that it passed us while we were taking pictures of the rabbit were slim, but we must have walked pretty close by it on the way up.

We never did see the moose, we did follow the tracks until they must have passed into the forest; they were just no longer there. We opted for a bit of change in scenery so we followed Cadillac Drive back to the Elk Lake Road where we would proceed back to the car, which wasn’t all that far away.

Our trip continues...

Our plan was to now head over and climb Clear Pond Mountain and Grandpa Pete Mountain while looping around Clear Pond. But you will have to come back next week to read about that part of our trip. In the meantime take a gander at what else Schroon Lake has to offer for hiking.

Read part 3 of our Elk Lake adventure.