I use that route when driving from Long Lake to our home in Saratoga Springs and I've wondered about a narrow paved road that disappears into the forest on the north side of Route 28N, five miles east of Newcomb. The road is easy to miss, but the railroad track that once connected the mines at Tahawus with North Creek provides a good reference point. The road enters the forest a quarter mile east of the tracks. The road looks like it could be a driveway, but there is little sign of use and no electricity or phone lines reach out this far. Recently, I read about a unique trail that leaves 28N somewhere in that vicinity. Putting two and two together, this intriguing little road had to be the Roosevelt Truck Trail.
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| Good parking is found at the southern end of the RTT. The trail runs for 2.5 miles from Rte. 28N to the Blue Ridge Road. |
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| For much of the way the route follows a well maintained woods road. The northern end, however, is blocked by blowdown and is heavily grown in. |
Ironically, there actually is a house on the access road. A short distance in a gravel driveway leads off of the paved road but, continuing on, you soon reach a small parking area with signs indicating that you are on forest preserve land. A wide woods road with a heavy gate leads north out of the parking area. This is the truck trail.
The RTT runs for two and half miles between Rte. 28n and the Blue Ridge Road. From the south, the first half of the route is well maintained and about a mile in you reach two well manicured camp sites. These sites are designated as handicap accessible. With a permit, and the combination for the locked gate, a four wheel drive vehicle could be driven to these sites. Located in a stand of mature white pines this would be a very nice place to camp. You'd need to bring water however, there does not appear to a nearby source.
Done as an out and back hike the entire route covers five miles over gently rolling hills. The only complication comes at the northern end. There is considerable blowdown north of Vanderwacker Brook and the road is more grown in.
The RTT is popular with bird watchers and it was a write up describing a guided hike taken by a bird watching group that led us there. We saw plenty of birds but nothing uncommon. However, as the day warmed, we saw plenty of the most common forms of flying Adirondack wildlife. It being July the mosquitoes and deer flies kept us moving along at a brisk pace the entire way.
The route is noted for its' passage through boreal forests and that is part of its' appeal. A snowshoe hare in brown summer time garb crossed the path in front of us and it's easy to imagine Bobcats stalking prey in these woods. But, as is the case for many parts of the Adirondacks, past human activity has directly shaped what we see today. The southern end of the trail passes through homogeneous stands of non-native Norway Spruce. This forest was planted with the fast growing European spruce to replace the harvested native trees. Judging by the size this was probably done in the 1920s or 1930s.
Is the RTT a gem? Sure, it's a quiet walk through maturing forests with great bird and wildlife watching opportunities. Like many Adirondack trails it would probably be best walked in the fall, but those who appreciate solitude it's worth a visit at any time of year.
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| Late July along the RTT. The trail is mostly open and easy to walk. The half mile south of the Blue Ridge Road is grown in. |
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| Light passing through the web creates a moire pattern. |
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| Early morning light. We got out early on an unusually cool morning in late July (48 degrees in Long Lake). This was to reduce our encounters with the air wing of the Adirondack Protection Force. |
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| It was a cool morning but Elle was bundled up against the bugs, not the cold. By Adirondack standards they actually weren't bad. The northern part of the route is grown in with lots of blueberries. Also lots of poison ivy so watch out for that. |
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| Two camp sites with good access and new, accessible, privies are available for back country camping with a degree of handicapped access. |
