Canoe Camping?

[Spiffae]

Hi everyone

A few friends and I are hoping to do a canoe camp somewhere in the NY/NJ area in a month or so, but I've had a tough time finding a good starting point! Most outfitters seem to want to rent you a canoe for a day trip, and I'd like to sleep under the stars.

What I'd like to do is rent a boat or two, load them up with a night's food, tents, gear, etc., paddle between 30 minutes and 3 hours - and camp at something preferably not near civilization. I have no problem with an established campsite, but I don't want to just paddle to a campground full of RVs and kids. I'm starting in the NYC area but am mobile and flexible. Suggestions welcome and greatly appreciated.

 

[Jay H]

May I suggest first obtaining the Adirondack Paddler's Map? It's a big map that covers most of the ADKs which will list primative campsites on many of the lakes and streams up there. Your topic is pretty generic enough to try to narrow down. If you want you can go over on adkforums.com and look at their paddler forum. There is also a little less active (for NY anyway) forum here for Paddlers if you look.

There are a lot of options in the ADKs to stay at leantos and/or campsites outside the DEC ones (the ones with the RVs, etc...), less so in NJ since most of the big lakes in NJ are developed and the nicer ones that are not usually don't allow camping, or at least primative camping. You can check out the rivers in southern NJ pinelands though for something closeish to NYC.

Jay

 

[AOC-1]

Dave Cilley rents canoes in the Adks. and his website includes suggestions for trips. http://www.canoeoutfitters.com/ Here are a few ideas that fit your criteria: Lake Lila, Bog River Flow, Long Pond in the St. Regis canoe area, Oswegathchie River, Long Lake to Raquette River.

 

[Spiffae]

May thanks for the responses! These are exactly what I was looking for, and I'm drooling checking out some of those locations AOC. I'll pick up that paddler's map as well. Thanks for the help!

AOC-1, what is your name? At my job the AOC is the "Administrator on call" who you call during the night shift when things go south.

 

[cushetunk]

http://www.nps.gov/dewa/planyourvisit/canoe-camping.htm

This should get you going. Maps, and a list of places to rent canoes. It's not wilderness, but this section of the Delaware is still very nice.

 

[Spiffae]

Hey everyone - just wanted to report that we ended up doing the Bog River/Lows Lake and it went really well! Great Success! St. Regis Canoe Outfitters were superb. Here are some photos from the weekend.

http://imgur.com/a/SeGoM

Thanks for all the help!

 

[iagreewithjamie]

Lake George. There are 42 islands that have campsites on them. You paddle... sometimes 1mi, sometimes 3 mi... and whatever you bring with you is whatever you're stuck with.

I'm going next month. Can't wait.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Lake George. There are 42 islands that have campsites on them. You paddle... sometimes 1mi, sometimes 3 mi... and whatever you bring with you is whatever you're stuck with.

I'm going next month. Can't wait.

Be very careful paddling on Lake George. I won't go there anymore, since the local so-called sheriff refused to as much as fine a man who accidently drove his power boat over a kayaker a couple years ago and killed him. There are also one or more power boaters that intentionally swamp canoes and kayaks. One of those crazed boaters swamped a canoe about 3 years ago and caused a paddler to drown. No action was taken to find the reckless killer. IMO, Lake George belongs to the power boaters from NYC, and the locals prefer it that way. My tourism dollars go elsewhere in the Adirondacks. I hope your trip goes, or went, well.

 

[Paradox]

Be very careful paddling on Lake George. I won't go there anymore, since the local so-called sheriff refused to as much as fine a man who accidently drove his power boat over a kayaker a couple years ago and killed him. There are also one or more power boaters that intentionally swamp canoes and kayaks. One of those crazed boaters swamped a canoe about 3 years ago and caused a paddler to drown. No action was taken to find the reckless killer. IMO, Lake George belongs to the power boaters from NYC, and the locals prefer it that way. My tourism dollars go elsewhere in the Adirondacks. I hope your trip goes, or went, well.

Sounds similar to lake Winnipesaukee. We went to Lake George in late October last year, after the oligarchs had gone home. It was very pleasant.

 

[sardog1]

Sounds similar to lake Winnipesaukee. We went to Lake George in late October last year, after the oligarchs had gone home. It was very pleasant.

+1. I will only paddle Winni when there's still some ice floating.

 

[Bob]

There is a nice part at the Northern edge of Lake George that is great for paddling. IDRC but it is in the 'Quiet Water' paddling guide.
Comes in on a slow river.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

Thanks for the advice on Lake George. I'll keep an eye out for angry boaters.
I think Google Maps does a decent job demonstrating the prominence of boaters on that Lake.

 

[iagreewithjamie]

OK. I usually think some of you guys overstate dangers on and off the trail... but the Lake George warnings were spot on. While not every motor boat owner on the lake is a self-important d-bag, there are enough out there to make for some real danger to canoes/kayaks.

I saw many a canoe get doused by motor boats, or at least get the wave-pool treatment. When we went to load our canoe in the water, a boat owner fussed at us for using the dock and making him wait to launch his boat, despite the fact that he was a good 15 minutes from being ready to launch. Even the people who work around the lake seem to have disdain for canoers and kayakers. You think motorists who don't share the road with cyclists are bad? You got a lake that's 30 miles long and 2 miles wide, yet motor boats will find you and make your day hell if you're a novice, and interesting-at-best if you are an experienced paddler.

Upon learning (via experience) that all of you were spot-on with your dire warnings of Lake George, my group of 2 canoes turned around, and had to change our camping options to something that didn't involve crossing a lake full of anti-paddlers.

Fortunately, we found this deliciously awesome campground named "Rogers Rock". They had awesome campsites, a fantastic sandy beach, a very large cove that was very welcoming to paddlers of all types, and was near some good hiking (we hiked Cook's Mountain).
Our weekend was on a fast track to disaster with the large swells and obnoxious motor boats... but we wound up having an awesome time once finding Roger's Rock. I definitely recommend this place as your vacation headquarters for human-powered activities near Lake George.

 

[Jay H]

Maybe on your way back to Worcester, you can swing through southern VT and hit up the somerset reservoir... Free car camping nearby and friendly boats since they don't allow big speedy motorboats on the lake.....

Jay