When I taught school in the Adirondacks many years ago, some of the old-timers talked about fishing in the Blue Ledges. To many it was a secret spot where big trout were abundant and could be easily caught.
Of course as soon as I heard big trout, I was ready to go. The trouble is big trout only last until they’re no longer a secret. I never got there until years later and the fish were gone.
The Blue Ledges is a special spot. The tall, towering three hundred foot bluish-gray cliffs reach from the sky to the clear water below. I read somewhere that is was a sacred spot to the early inhabitants of the region. Once seeing it, I definitely understood why.
As years passed I became intrigued with whitewater rafting. A friend of mine went on a rafting trip one spring in the Adirondacks. He raved about the Class 3 and Class 4 waters. He said the huge drops and roaring rapids were the best he’d ever done.
Like the big trout, I never experienced the wild waters of the upper Hudson River either.
A couple of years ago, I decided it was time. A hiking friend of mine and I drove up to Minerva along Route 28N one early summer day. We drove in on the North Woods Club Road and found the parking area.
I had read it was an easy hike and it was. Yes, it’s 2.5 miles one way which makes it a 5 mile round trip hike, but there were no big, steep hills to climb.
It’s actually pretty flat except for the last half mile where we descended a few hundred feet from the gorge rim to the water. That means it’s a moderate climb back out.
By the time we got to the river the big, deep, roaring holes were only minor drop-offs. The raging rapids were just gentle riffs in the tranquil water.
There were actually a couple of kids swimming in the gentle waters near the sandy shore. I wished I had carried my flyrod in so I could have drifted a fly into the deeper pools, but that would have to wait ‘til next time.
The climb back to the rim was relatively easy as was the walk back to my car. On the return trip we stopped at Huntley Pond. Several people were camping there. The unique thing about that spot was the dinosaur-shaped boulders that kids love to climb.
A day trip to the Blue Ledges has to include a stop at Hornbeck Boats. The ultralight Kevlar canoes and kayaks made there were the first of their kind. Some of their one-person canoes weigh as little as 11 pounds.
Hornbeck Boats is located at 131 Trout Brook Road in Olmsteadville just a few miles out of your way. They are normally open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9 to 4, but appointments are required if you want to try out one of their boats on their pond, so check their website.
Trust me: I’ve carried a lot of canoes into the Adirondack backcountry in search of brook trout in small, hidden ponds when I was guiding. A 12-foot Grumman aluminum canoe feels like you’re carrying an anvil after the first quarter mile.
I can only imagine how easy a one-man Kevlar boat hanging on your shoulder would feel. There’s no hidden pond that wouldn’t be easily within your reach if you owned one of those.
So if you are looking for something to do with the kids this summer, give the Upper Hudson Gorge a try. It will be a memory forever.