by Bill Ingersoll
In the winter months, Big Moose Road near Eagle Bay is a busy place, relatively speaking. The handful of parking areas found along the road are frequently used by both snowshoers and cross-country skiers looking for a quick escape into the deep woods – an escape that will take them into a fine backcountry environment, but that will only require a few hours at most. And, of course, they come to take advantage of that one resource that all winter enthusiasts crave: deep snow.
Of the options available, Cascade Lake is one of my favorites. During the first decades of the 20th century, a girls’ camp operated here. Several quality horses were kept at the facility, and the camp became noted for its equestrian exhibitions. The complex of buildings was imposing, and roads encircled the lake. The buildings were eventually removed and the land was sold to the state, and now the road is an excellent trail loop that seems custom-made for winter recreation.
With such easy access, the area is heavily used by a variety of people. The trails are wide enough here to accommodate both skiers and snowshoers with room to spare.
Getting There
The trailhead for Cascade Lake is located on Big Moose Road, about 1.3 miles from NY Route 28 in Eagle Bay. After leaving the hamlet, Big Moose Road winds uphill past the old trailhead (located on the inside of a hairpin turn) to reach the preferred parking area, which is prominently marked by a DEC sign. It is plowed throughout the winter; though don’t count on this to always occur in the immediate aftermath of a lake-effect snowstorm.
The Trail
From the parking area, the marked trail begins essentially as a connector that follows an old wagon road for 0.3-mile to intersect the much more substantial roadway that served as the primary access to the camp complex at Cascade Lake. This connector winds gently upward but descends sharply to the junction, where you turn hard left at the bottom of the slope. Snowshoers will wonder what all the fuss is about, but novice skiers may be intimidated by the hill-turn combination. (The way right leads to the old trailhead, which was closed due to traffic safety concerns.)
As you walk along the initial level stretch, you will notice the flank of Cascade Mountain rising to your right. The road soon makes a steady, gradual descent that will delight skiers, and after 15 minutes it passes an iron post on the right that marks the Herkimer-Hamilton county line. Just beyond, at mile one, you come to a junction where the loop trail around the lake comes in on the right. The main road curves down to the left, passing a spring on the right whose overflow drains down the road. Spruce and balsam become more common, and after passing two clearings on the right – site of the old camp headquarters – you come to the lake’s outlet, which you cross on a bridge made of boards and iron rails. Upstream, on your right, are the remains of a wooden fish barrier dam.
At a junction just past the outlet, a red-marked trail comes in on the left, 1.3 miles from the trailhead. This is the link trail that leads to Chain Ponds and Queer Lake, so continue on the main trail to the right. The lake soon appears to the right. At 1.8 miles you reach a clearing on the right that is a favorite stopping place, and one of the best places to view Cascade Lake. This is a campsite sheltered by tall pines and hemlocks. The area has seen a lot of use, but it remains attractive.
The trail narrows beyond this point and continues through an open area where the remains of an old wall stand off to the left. Stonework occasionally lines the old roadway or appears in the nearby woods. There is a second side trail to another shoreline campsite, as well as more remains of the girls’ camp. One of the more unusual sites, the overgrown surface of the old tennis court, lies off to the right of the trail, but it will probably be unremarkable in the winter. You pass through another large clearing, and then a smaller one with more stonework on the left. A short bushwhack north, into the woods, will take you to the base of a sheer cliff, rising over 100 feet. The woods along the top are extremely dense, and there are no safe views there. However, interesting rock formations and crevices can be found along the bottom – if you are inclined to seek them out.
The trail narrows considerably as it descends from the clearing and passes through a muddy stretch before coming to a swampy area at the head of the lake. In the summer this section is extremely wet, and the trail is difficult to discern, but in the winter this is beside the point. As long as the ground is sufficiently covered by snow, who cares what lies underneath?
The trail now follows passes through fragrant balsam fir trees. At three miles, you reach an open area with a bridge across another inlet. Just out of sight up the inlet, to the left, is the pretty, 25-foot waterfall from which the lake gets its name. Few people pass this spot by without stopping to look. Often it is a frozen column of water, depending on the weather. The water drops cleanly over a vertical rock face.
The trail is at its remotest point at the waterfall. Beyond, it promptly begins to turn back toward the south shore of Cascade Lake. This section is windier and hillier – and not to mention further from the shore as well. There are no campsites, and no opportunities to view the lake without taking a brief off-trail detour. Nevertheless, it continues to follow an obvious roadway. At 4.8 miles you return to the junction near the county line where the trail splits. Continuing left will return you in one-mile (5.8 overall) back to the trailhead. Of course, a significant portion of this route will be gently uphill.
Bill Ingersoll of Barneveld is publisher of the Discover the Adirondacks guidebook series (hiketheadirondacks.com) and author of Snowshoe Routes: Adirondacks & Catskills (Mountaineers). For more on this region, consult Discover the Central Adirondacks.
