Second Phase of the Adirondack Rail Trail Opens with a Celebratory Bike Ride

By Emily Russell. NCPR Adirondack Reporter in Santa Clara, NY

On a shaded section of the Adirondack rail trail near Lake Clear, a group of about 60 people gathered on Monday, many with their helmets and bikes.

DEC interim commissioner Sean Maher stepped up to the podium.

"It's amazing to see you all and I can't thank you all enough for coming out as we open phase two of the Adirondack rail trail, officially," said Maher, to cheers and applause from the crowd.

When it's all completed, the Adirondack rail trail will be 34 miles long, connecting Lake Placid to Tupper Lake. With the second phase now open to Floodwood Road, the trail stretches 25 miles through the Adirondacks.

Besides the paved portions in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, most of the trail is topped with stone dust. It's between 5-10 ft. wide and has an average grade of just 2%.

"We want to make sure our outdoors are accessible for everyone," said Maher, "and this trail has been built using ADA-compliant techniques and we really wanted to make sure that anyone and everyone could use this trail and really get in the forest and benefit from being outside."

There's no real data yet on how popular the rail trail has been, but if you go out on a nice day, especially on the weekend, you'll see people walking and running as well as people riding gravel bikes, e-bikes, and mountain bikes.

Doug Haney from Bike ADK has been riding the trail a lot this summer. "Here's my favorite part of the rail trail, by the way," he said at Monday's event, pointing to an old mountain bike.

"You can tell that so many of these bikes are just taken out of sheds and they haven't been used in years and years," said Haney. "Somebody took this one out and fixed it all up and now it's being used here because there's been no use for a bike like this in this area for so long and now there's a surface that's perfect for a bike like that one."

Getting to this point in the project, where people are dusting off their old bikes and getting out on the rail trail is one that took more than a decade. There were protests and lawsuits and a long battle between people who wanted to preserve the old rail line and those who wanted to transform it into a rail trail.

Ultimately, both sides had to compromise. The rail line from Remsen up to Tupper Lake will still serve as a tourism train line and the section from Tupper to Lake Placid will serve all kinds of outdoor recreators.

"We use it for walking, biking, cross-country skiing, and also snowmobiling," said Jess Collins, who lives in Lake Clear with her husband.

The second phase of the trail is unique. It cuts through the small town of Lake Clear, sometimes literally crossing people's driveways or through their backyards. And it skirts the remote St. Regis Canoe area.

While it hasn't been officially open until now, people have been using this section of the trail both in the summer and winter. Collins is happy to see the trail open, but said it's also a little bittersweet.

"We noticed a lot of the wildlife disappearing," said Collins. "Certain birds [like] cedar waxwings, various other species, [and] my favorite- the hermit thrush, but as long as people are respectful and careful and safety-minded, I think it should be a great, positive experience for everyone and I think hopefully for us residents in Lake Clear, I'm hoping."

There is a 30-mile-an-hour speed limit for snowmobiles and nothing faster than a class one e-bike is allowed on the trail. The DEC's Sean Maher said they plan to monitor and enforce safety regulations year-round.

"Our forest rangers, as in other areas of the park, are out and about and you see them. You're going to see them on the trail, same with ECOS," said Maher. "I don't want to give away all of our patrolling and times that we'll be out there, but rest assured DEC will be on the scene making sure that people are riding safe and here to respond when something goes wrong."

After officially opening phase two of the Adirondack rail trail, Maher strapped on his helmet for a quick ride with fellow bikers. According to the DEC, the entire 34-mile trail is expected to be finished by next fall.