Early Spring Ride

Sitting at my desk a couple of weeks ago looking at the never ending pile of paperwork in front of me I decided to take a quick break. I walked outside and was hit in the face with a warm spring breeze and bright sunshine. The smell of warming pavement and thawing mud filled the air. Spring has begun. I walked around the back of the building where I could see the Grasse river. The river was flowing fast and high with large chunks of ice floating by. Thoughts of mountain trails and pictures from mountain peaks raced through my mind. I took a quick mental inventory of my outdoor equipment. I once again became stuck on the fact that I need a new mountain bike. Three years now I’ve been saying this. So back to my computer I go to see what's out there. Placid Planet Bicycles have quite the selection. Scrolling through their inventory, I found it. The updated model of the bike I saved every penny I had in high school to purchase. The next morning I was up early and on my way to Lake Placid in hopes that they had one in stock. Walking in the shop I’m surrounded by all sorts of makes and models ranging in price from the mid hundreds to over ten thousand. Within minutes I found the one I was looking for. The last one in stock. It is mine.

Early spring weather in the North Country is full of ups and downs. It’s an emotional roller coaster. One day it’s sunny and 50, the next it’s 22 and snowing. I finally got the weather window I was looking for the other day and couldn't wait to get home from work and take my new bike for a ride. Since it’s mud season I didn’t want to ruin any single track trails, so I wanted to find a trail that was dry and not too far from home. This was the perfect evening to ride the S-curve trail along the St. Lawrence river. I threw my bike in the back of the truck and off I went.

Pulling into the gravel parking lot I had no problem finding a place to park since I’m the only one there. I gave my new ride one last look over, walked it around the big yellow gate and off I went. With a light river breeze at my back and amazing views of the St. Lawrence to my left I ride along.

The gravel on this road is packed down tight so there is very little loose stone to worry about. Over the bumps and small ditches I go, barely even noticing them with the front suspension on the new bike. I stopped to take in the sun shining over the river as ducks flew in for a landing in the bay.

Off in the distance, the west end of Eisenhower Lock appears. With a full view of the shipping channel I began to look up and down bound in hope of seeing my first ship of the year. Around the mile and a half mark the road gets a little rougher but still very user friendly. It turns into almost two wide ruts instead of flat all the way across. There is still a little ice in the bay but the channel is wide open and ready for business. The red and green buoys sit along the edges of the channel waiting to help guide the massive ships safely through the St. Lawrence Seaway. As I hit the two mile mark the locks are in clear sight and I see some movement.

I pause to see if it could possibly be a ship coming in from the east. Yes, yes it is a ship. I quickly turned around to head back to one of the bays that is closer to the channel to get some pictures. Heading back the light breeze that was at my back coming off the river now felt like gale force winds in my face. Very slow going but I kept looking over my shoulder hoping to make it to my destination before the ship passed me. Twenty minutes later I reached my destination with just enough time to pull out my camera and get ready. Martha Black, the Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker, is on her way back up-bound.

A true sign that spring is here and the mighty St. Lawrence is waking up from her long winter's nap. A few pictures and a quick wave to the crew and I’m heading back to my truck. What a great early spring ride. I can’t wait for the mud to dry up so I can hit the other trails that are spread out all over St. Lawrence and Franklin County.

About this area:

The S-Curve Trail, Hopson’s Bay Trail, or the official name Long Sault Dike #1 Road is located on State Route 131 in Massena. The parking area sits about one mile east of the Pontoon Bridge Rd. The parking area has no official signage but it’s easy to find due to its large bright yellow gate with the blue NYPA signs on it.

The gravel parking area sits on the river side of the road and has a spectacular view of the river. During the summer months this parking lot can fill up with people wishing to enjoy the river views along with the sandy beach area. This gravel road is gated off and motorized vehicles are not permitted. It runs along the river until you reach a large fence where the NYPA property meets the US Government property. In total the road is about 2.5 miles long from the gate to the fence. It is a very popular road to walk, run, or bike on. Many people bring their dogs there to stretch their legs. The little beach area is popular for kids to play in the water, kayak around the bay, paddle board, or, as I’ve used it before, for distance swimming for triathlon training. During the warm summer months there is always a nice river breeze so the bugs aren’t usually too bad. During the winter the parking lot is usually snowed in so it can make access a bit more challenging. I highly recommend taking an evening stroll or bike ride on this road. The sun setting over the river here is absolutely breathtaking. It is truly a bucket list item.

I would love to see NYPA and the Town of Massena invest some money into this location. Some signage with a map of the road and some historical information about the Seaway would be great. Maybe some mile markers and some minor road extension at the Locks fence to bring the road back to 131 to make it a loop. I also would love to see a way for this trail to have some signage and direction to guide people over to the new intake boat launch. From there you can access the next dike trail over to the beach. From the beach you can access the Richards bike trail that takes you all the way over to the country club that puts you on to the Whalen park trail. With an investment into this they could connect all 4 trails and turn it into an almost 9 mile trail system along the St. Lawrence River. Better access and signage could create a great deal of outdoor recreation opportunities for many people. The infrastructure is already there, it just needs a little tweaking. This would give the thousands of people that visit the Robert Moses State Park every year a chance to enjoy the St. Lawrence Seaway. I can envision the campers checking out everything Barnhart Island has to offer, then hitting this trail system for the day with their families. Between the boat launch, beach, and Whalen Park there are bathrooms, places to sit and take a break or eat a picnic lunch. Along the way they could take the two mile trip down the Pontoon Bridge Rd and check out downtown Massena. This could help boost the local economy and give people a chance to see everything this small town has to offer all while getting some great exercise and enjoying some family time. I would highly recommend this trail to anyone. It’s easy to access and very user friendly. It makes a great addition to anyone's Northern NY Adventure.

Aaron Hardy

Northern NY Adventures