Next Stop Tupper Lake
The third and final phase of the Adirondack Rail Trail extending the recreational corridor all the way from Lake Placid to Tupper Lake!
This is the year we’ve been waiting for--the year when the third and final phase of the Adirondack Rail Trail opens, enabling cyclists to ride from Lake Placid all the way to Tupper Lake (or vice versa) on a spectacular stone-dust path through the wilderness.
Kubricky Construction began work on the nine-mile stretch between Floodwood Road and Tupper Lake in August and is expected to finish this fall, if not earlier. The completed rail trail will be 34 miles long.
As in previous winters, the entire trail is now open to snowmobilers, skiers, fat-tire bikers, and hikers, but the Phase 3 section will again close to the public on March 31 to allow construction to resume.
Given the popularity of the first two phases, Tupper Lake is sure to benefit once the rail trail is completed. It will end at the depot in Faust, a neighborhood in Tupper Lake that once was a separate village. The late historian Bill Frenette says Faust was named after Goethe’s opera. Locals, however, usually refer to this part of town as the Junction, an allusion to its railroading past.
Cyclists arriving at the Junction will find many commercial establishments, including Raquette River Brewing, the Faust Motel, and Larkin’s Deli & Bakery.
But the ride needn’t end at the Junction. There is a bike path leading from the depot to uptown Tupper Lake, where a variety of other businesses can be found. I cycled the path for the first time last fall and found it a worthy extension of the Adirondack Rail Trail.
The village dedicated the Crossroads of the Adirondacks Trail in 2021. Like the rail trail, most of it is surfaced with packed stone dust suitable for all types of bikes. If cycling on the rail trail to Tupper Lake, you can see the start of the Crossroads Trail on the left as you reach the depot. It’s marked by a large sign.
Since the trail lies within the village, don’t expect wilderness. Nevertheless, the scenery is quite pleasant as the trail passes through woods, meadows, and wetlands. There are numerous educational signs along the way, focusing on natural history and Tupper’s industrial past. At one point, the trail skirts the abandoned Oval Wood Dish factory.
At 1.5 miles from the depot, after a few road crossings, the trail reaches a junction. If you turn left, the trail soon ends at McLaughlin Avenue. Go this way if you want to visit the Wild Center. However, if you want to visit the uptown commercial district or the waterfront, you should turn right.
Turning right, you’ll soon reach a McDonald’s, where the trail takes a sharp right before crossing Route 3 and entering a large municipal park bordering Raquette Pond. Ride through the parking area and pick up a paved path that parallels the water. Turn left and take the path to its end at Cliff Avenue, then follow the avenue a few blocks to Park Street.
You are now in the heart of uptown. The businesses here include eateries, a Stewart’s Shop, a movie theater, and (only in Tupper) a combination laundromat/doughnut shop. The distance from the depot is 2.5 miles. Thus, if starting in Lake Placid, you will be able to ride off-road for more than 36 miles to uptown Tupper Lake. Strong cyclists could do the round trip in a day, but I suspect some people will bike from Placid to Tupper, spend the night, and bike back to Placid the following day (or vice versa).
After Phase 3 opens, work on the rail trail will not be done. Plans call for amenities such as rest benches and educational signs. Also, the Open Space Institute will build a parking lot, picnic pavilion, and bathrooms at the Lake Placid terminus. The state has begun refurbishing the old depot in Saranac Lake and has solicited ideas for repurposing the building.
