Hikes and trails off the beaten path can be adventurous

By DENNIS APRILL, Outdoors Columnist

The possibility of finding an Adirondack trail or anything approaching a trail that is never used, be it a goat path or an even a bushwhack, is practically nil. However, if you look carefully, there are trails that are lightly used, and these off-the beaten-paths are spread throughout the mountains.

Usually on a weekday, during a rainy spell or during bug season, there is a real chance of doing one of these less-traveled paths without encountering another hiker. In the past, I’ve done a series about less-traveled Adirondack low peak climbs, each affording great views of the surrounding scenery, and each requiring a short trail to get to the summit. My new series that will appear this summer will focus on some more of these off-the-beaten-paths, not necessarily climbs; each will have some unique feature making the trip worthwhile. I start with the trail to Hudson Gorge.

The Blue Ledges are massive 350-foot cliffs near the Hamilton-Essex County border where the Hudson River pours through a gorge; the mountain, however, didn’t give up easily, leaving instead massive boulders strewn in the river. At high water — which can either be after a natural heavy rain or man-made when the town of Indian Lake releases water from Lake Abanakee — these Class V rapids become the playground for a myriad of rafters and kayakers.

That was the first way I viewed the Blue Ledges, as they are called, by raft in September 1991 when I was part of a group that overnighted there on the way to North River. That night I explored the area and found a trail that led out to civilization; at least that’s what I was told.

Someday, I promised myself, I would return to Blue Ledges to hike that seemingly lightly worn path.

Almost a decade later, while on that very trail, as I climbed a knoll, I heard that familiar rumble off to my right as I neared Hudson Gorge. This time I had hiked almost two miles and was within a half-mile of the beach.

I had left my car off the Northwoods Club Road, 6.8 miles from Route 28N north of Minerva. Early on, that trail crossed a brook, and then hugged the shoreline of Huntley Pond. It was spring, and the ground was saturated in this section, making Gore-Tex or some other waterproof boots a necessity.

After Huntley Pond, the ground rose gently; hobblebush flowers lined the path. From here, the trail swung to the south and rose to a knoll where the first sound of the roaring Hudson was heard. The beach lay roughly a half-mile beyond.

The Gorge itself has pools that hold some nice-sized rainbow and brown trout; the key is to be there after the "bubble," the initial surge of released water that comes down the Hudson like lava spewing from a volcano. The rafts usually follow, and then the water begins to recede. Because I made the hike, five miles round-trip, on a weekday in early May, there were no rafters or, for that matter, no other hikers to be seen.

So, for a few short hours, I had this off-the-beaten-path plus the magnificent Blue Ledges all to myself.

Take the Northway to exit 23, then drive north on Route 28. At the intersection, turn on to Route 28N north 9.3 miles to the marked Northwoods Road. Take this road over the Boreas River Bridge, 3.8 miles beyond to the trailhead.