The Adirondack Rail Trail & The Legacy of the Great Connector

Today we're talking about how trails, tradition, and time converge at the Lake Clear Lodge.

An aerial view of the Lake Clear Lodge and Adirondack Rail Trail during the summer.

Editor's note

The final phase of the new Adirondack Rail Trail—the route from the nearby Saranac Inn Golf Course to Tupper Lake—is scheduled to be completed this summer. Saranac Lake through Lake Clear and the Lodge was completed last year, and Phase I between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake was the first leg to open several years ago.

The Great Connector

This trail will further symbolize our Lake Clear and St. Regis Canoe Region as the historically renowned “Great Connector” (as we have previously discussed on the blog). In fact, our family-operated Lake Clear Lodge & Resort is the geographic center of the new Adirondack Rail Trail. We are equidistant from the westerly end of the trail, which ends in Tupper Lake, and Lake Placid, on an easterly and southern trek.

The Destination Adirondacks Universe

The new Rail Trail is only one of several trails that connect the Lodge and our Destination Adirondack universe. 

Adirondack Lakes Cuisine Trail

The Lodge was a founding member of this initiative that connects Saranac Lake, Paul Smiths, Lake Clear, and Tupper Lake as a designated New York State Food Trail. We are also a member of the North Country Cuisine Trail Network, through Adirondack Harvest, which comprises five other trails that extend from the Canadian border to the southern Adirondacks.

Scenic Byway

We are on the Adirondack Trail, State Route 30, that travels from the Canadian border through the southern Adirondacks.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail

From the Great Lakes through to Maine and the Atlantic Ocean, Lake Clear is in the window of the St. Regis Canoe Area, which the trail passes through.

Historic Trails

The Native American pathways were often the founding source of the pioneer travel corridors. These were not only roads, but bodies of water that were connected by portages. Today, the 90-Miler Canoe Classic, from Old Forge in the western Adirondacks to Saranac Lake, is an example of this. The waterway routes led to adjacent road systems, which were located next to the railroad corridors that spanned the Adirondacks. The Lodge was at the center of this, and on our property, you can see firsthand how early generations of our family, in the 1800s, provided a livery service that connected the grand hotels from Paul Smith’s to Upper Saranac by both water and road.

Wellness Trail

Although most would choose tourism or wood products as our early industries, it was actually wellness that set us apart from destinations across the country. Beginning in the 1800s, it was not only adventurers and recreationalists who came to our area, but also those seeking a cure for tuberculosis, to the extent that we became known as the “Healing Woods.”

The New Adirondack Rail Trail

The New Adirondack Rail-Trail is a wonderful new symbol of this “Great Connector legacy,” and today you can interact firsthand with this iconic nature, its rich history, and interactive legacy through a variety of unique outdoor and indoor activities, as well as a rich palette of food experiences.

Be sure to check out our Top 10 Favorite Stops on the New Adirondack Rail Trail!

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