New 50-mile trail now open in Cranberry Lake

CRANBERRY LAKE — Officials snipped a set of well-worn boot laces connected by a blue trail marker Saturday to commemorate the opening of a 50-mile trail system around Cranberry Lake.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony followed a daylong cleanup of the new Cranberry Lake 50 Trail. More than 150 volunteers pitched in for the National Trails Day event, one of the biggest in the Adirondack Park this year.

"This is outside volunteerism at its best," said Allen P. Splete, vice commodore of the Cranberry Lake Boat Club, which helped develop the trail. "We were very happy to support this. A lot of our seasonal residents are extremely interested in trails, and we have the ability to attract people, to expose them to the history and culture of this region."

The boat club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this summer with a host of activities, including helping with Saturday's cleanup by ferrying volunteers to trail heads around the lake. Founded in 1909 as the Cranberry Lake Motor Boat Club, the group is one of the oldest of its kind in the Adirondacks.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Adirondack Mountain Club also were partners in creating the Cranberry Lake 50 Trail.

"When people think of the Adirondacks, they think of the high peaks. This area is underappreciated.

But the park is so large and vast, there's a lot of room to have people come and discover," said Judy Drabicki, DEC Region 6 director. "Without the synergy between all of these groups, this trail couldn't have happened."

Residents and officials hope that the attraction will draw more visitors to the area.

"This area is incredibly beautiful and it's not used to the extent that it could be. Once people experience its geographic beauty doing the Cranberry Lake 50, hopefully they'll come back and do side trips," said Sherman L. Craig, chairman of the Five Ponds Partners subcommittee of the Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corp.

This is the first long-distance trail created in this portion of the park, said Neil F. Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club.

"This is a premiere hiking trail and it will help put Cranberry Lake on the map," he said. "Most people driving down Route 3 miss the incredible beauty, crafts and music here. This gives them that excuse to stop."

The Cranberry Lake 50 Trail circumnavigates the lake, which is the biggest in the Adirondacks. It is made up of nine separate but connected paths and loops.

Christopher L. Westbrook, who is both president of the Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corp. and director of the Wanakena Ranger School for the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, said he's proud of the teamwork that went into creating the trail, which was first conceived of in 1988.

"It's important to look at all the groups working together. That's what makes this project so fun to work on," Mr. Westbrook said.

Mr. Splete said he's just happy to have an opportunity to share his love of the lake with more people.

"There's a set of things that come together particularly in this location that give it extra pizzazz, and not a lot of people know about it. The shoreline here is magnificent," he said.

ON THE NET:

The Cranberry Lake 50 Trail: www.cranberrylake50.org

Cranberry Lake Boat Club: www.cranberrylakeboat

club.org