Spring Cycling in North Creek

On an unseasonably warm mid-April Saturday, Dan Forbush and I loaded our bikes onto my car and headed north from Saratoga with two goals in mind. One was to test the technology we’re developing with the Warren County Planning Department for an audio guided tour of the county’s many points of interest. Stay tuned for more information on that in the near future.

The other goal was a bike ride covering more than 30 miles in Warren and Essex counties. The North Creek-Irishtown Loop was an ideal way to usher in the spring bicycle season on the country and mountain roads of North Creek, Olmstedville, Minerva, and the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest.

*This up-close view of Moxham Mountain is a highlight of the route.*

After parking in the Gore Mountain Ski Bowl lot, we crossed Route 28 onto 28N and headed northeast through the hamlet of North Creek. While the hamlet is best known for its proximity to Gore Mountain, it boasts many other attractions, including art galleries and installations, outdoor sports outfitters, and the Depot Museum.

Crossing the Hudson River on the way out of town, we saw that the river was running high with the spring thaw in full force, evidence of which we would see in other streams along the way.

Soon after a right turn onto Bird Pond Road, we began the first climb of the trip, up four miles of rolling hills, past an old cemetery, the North Creek Church, and Bird Pond. At the five-mile mark, we turned left onto Igerna Road and continued north onto North Gore Road into the Town of Minerva.

Just past the 8.5 mile mark, we arrived at the hamlet of Olmstedville, known as the home of Wesley Barnes, the New York State Assembly member who sponsored the resolution creating the New York State Forest Preserve in 1885.

After a brief water break there, we turned east on Main Street and after less than half a mile turned to the northeast on Trout Brook Road, a beautiful ride through the woods with more elevation and two crossings of Trout Brook, on this day flowing rapidly toward its confluence with the Schroon River.

We continued winding our way through the woods, past Severance Cemetery and, just past the 15.5-mile mark, reached Hoffman Road. Soon after turning to the west, we began the longest climb of the trip, almost a mile and a half with a gain of almost 300 feet, entering the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest. Here we were rewarded with more views of striking scenery, including Muller Pond, Oliver Pond, and Green Mountain.

The Vanderwhacker Forest is a tract of more than 90,000 acres consisting of almost two dozen non-contiguous parcels designated as wild forest by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. While it is known primarily as a destination for hiking, camping, and canoeing, we found it an outstanding place for bicycle road riding as well.

Just beyond Oliver Pond, Hoffman Road becomes Irishtown Road. On this part of the trip, as the road curves to the south, we encountered sections where the pavement was virtually covered with sand and dirt, requiring extra care with pedaling and braking. The road took us past St. Mary’s Church and back toward Olmstedville, where we crossed at the dam and turned southwest on County Route 29. After passing the Minerva Central School, just over a mile later we turned south on Route 28N.

Immediately on our right we enjoyed a pleasant view of Moxham Pond and, just around the bend, the imposing presence of Moxham Mountain dominating the western vista. Three and a half miles later, we crossed the Hudson, turned left on NY-28, and right back into the Ski Bowl parking lot.

Upon our return, we finished our ride at the same time as a couple parked next to us. We learned from them that they had skied Gore in the morning, and gone mountain biking in the afternoon. The joys of outdoor sports in Warren County…

The distance of our trip was 31.3 miles, with an elevation gain of 2035 feet and a ride time of just under two hours.