The Road Less Travelled-Mountain Biking in Speculator, NY
Volume 13-Biking the 14 Mile Speculator Loop in the Adirondacks of NY
Welcome back to my outdoor adventure series. Recently, I spent a week in the Adirondack Park in upstate NY with family near Speculator, NY. Speculator, population 345, is located in the Southern portion of this beautiful 6 million acre park. Literally, there is something for everyone here. Adventures galore!
Among the many adventures during the week was this approximately 14 mile mountain bike loop. Some of the other activities will be the subject of future articles.
This trail begins in town in the “Ballfield” parking lot also where the large pavilion is. There is ample parking here. Across the road is the beautiful Lake Pleasant. From the parking lot, we headed out to NYS Route 30/8 and headed towards the center of the village, then turning right onto Elm Lake Road after about half a mile. This section has quite a bit of traffic, however, there is a nice wide shoulder to ride on.
Elm Lake Road is a nice paved side street with not too much traffic, also fairly level. A good start to the ride. The road continues for about a mile, then turns to dirt. There is also a parking area at this point and a sign indicating access to Siamese Ponds Wilderness. The adventure begins!
After a couple of miles of fairly level biking we came to the intersection of Cave Hill Road. At this point there are 2 choices for the ride. Continue on Elm Lake Road for the entire 14 mile loop, or take Cave Hill Road for a shorter loop, about 8 miles.
We decided to take the long loop, however, we did return a few days later to try the shorter loop. The shorter loop features the popular Kenjamuk Cave, a local mystery to explore.
Continuing on Elm Lake Road, the trail quickly becomes a challenge, with 2 fairly steep hills. We ended up walking a short distance on each hill as the loose gravel makes them hard to navigate. Perhaps a fat tire bike would work better on this . I have 1.95 inch tires, my brother 2.25 inch which worked well overall on the trail. We were, however, rewarded with a few nice views of the surrounding mountains at the top of the second hill. Well worth the effort.
We then came to the intersection with Long Level Road, a right hand turn that heads towards Fly Creek Road. At this point there is about 5.3 miles remaining. We had already biked over 8 miles! There is a nice picnic table at the intersection, so we took the opportunity to rest and re-fuel for a few minutes.
Long Level Road is exactly as the names suggests, mostly level and even a fair amount of downhill. This section (about 2.5 miles) allowed us to make good time and to rest our legs for the final section of the trail.
As we reached Fly Creek Road, I must say it was good to see pavement again. Sometimes it is taken for granted. Although I like to ride on gravel trails, after awhile the jarring does take a toll. Rolling on Fly Creek Road, it was mostly level for about a mile, but then we came to another fairly long hill. With a stop or 2, we made it to the top.
At this point we were nearing NYS 8/30 and could here the traffic. I believe Fly Creek Road was the old NYS 8/30. After crossing an old bridge, were back to the highway.
Ah, the final section! We only had about 2.5 miles to go! Even though this section was mostly up hill back to town and fairly busy with traffic, we rolled along fairly easily on the wide shoulder. With pavement it is possible to keep up a good pace even going up a gradual incline.
Before we knew it we were back to the starting point. This is a fun and challenging trail, and I would recommend it if you’re up to a 8 or 14 mile ride. The Adirondacks are beautiful and peaceful. You can even do a shorter portion of the trail if desired.