Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

The Adirondack Rail Trail – Phase 1, officially opened on December 1. The trail is a 9.9-mile stretch between Saranac Lake and Lake Placid and part of a planned 34-mile multi-use trail corridor stretching from Tupper Lake to Lake Placid

Members of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department of Transportation, the Office of General Services, and local municipal leaders were present to cut a long ribbon stretching across the ten-foot-wide crushed rock trail. Behind the invited officials and onlookers, were scenic views of the Adirondack Mountains

The Adirondack Rail Trail will be one of the nation's premier, year-round recreation trails for bicyclists, runners, walkers, birders, and wheelchair users, as well as for snowmobiles in winter. The trail will serve users of all ages and abilities. It will enable residents and visitors to enjoy safe, healthful exercise, commune with nature, and soak up Adirondack history. All this in a peaceful, safe, scenic setting along a path with no more than a 2% grade.

In August 2022, the Adirondack Park Agency issued a permit for the trail to pass through wetlands. The Army Corp of Engineers awarded the final permits in October 2022. Construction on the 9-mile segment of the trail from Lake Placid to Saranac Lake (phase 1) began in November 2022.

Phase 2 and Phase 3 will take the trail from Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake and build out the other 24 miles of the trail between the two towns. Officials say construction will likely begin in 2024 and will be finished in 2025.

The final surface will be multiple layers of gradually smaller crushed stone. This surface will be constructed consistent with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and will accommodate bicycles, wheelchairs, and strollers when snow is not present.

With the Adirondack Rail Trail officially open to year-round to fat-tire bikers, snowmobilers, snowshoers, kick-sledders, and cross-country skiers can all use this trail all winter.