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Kayaking Hitchens Pond & Lows Lake, Aug 13

The Bog River Flow, also known as Lows Lake is a spectacular wilderness/primitive area located in South-East Saint Lawerence County. It consists of two dams, Lows Upper and Lows Lower, that create to massive man-made lakes. It is home to over 100 paddle in campsites along with some amazing views and wildlife.

Here is a downloadable map.

 

Above Lower Lows Dam. Paddling up the “flooded” Bog River, in the lower portion of Bog River flow, right above the Lower Lows Dam. If this area was not flooded by dams, it would be rapids, unaccessible by canoe or kayak.

Above Lower Lows Dam

Chimpmunk Swims. This was taken about a mile above the Lower Lows Dam.

Chimpmunk Swims

Bog River Flow Narrows. The Lower portion of the Bog River, is pretty narrow in part, due to the rocky terrain that it covers. You can easily bottom out a canoe or kayak in these parts, and other parts appear quite deep. There are a couple of paddle-in campsites along here.

 Bog River Flow Narrows

Bog River Open Up A Little Bit. The first mile or so of the Bog River Flow is mostly flooded stream. But as you get closer to Hitchens Pond, it starts to widen a bit.

Bog River Open Up A Little Bit

Entering Hitchens Pond. Just past here, is a hairpin turn, as the flooded River, winds a bit, and becomes a much larger lake, in the form of a series of bays and marshes.

Entering Hitchens Pond

Hitchens Pond. Here things open up quite bit.

Hitchens Pond

Lows Ledge. Here is Lows Ledge reflecting into Hitchins Pond. It’s much larger in person then it appears in this picture, unless you have a very big computer monitor.

Lows Ledge

Railroad Bridge. About two miles into Bog River Flow, you cross under a relatively low railroad bridge. It’s actually about 5 or 6 feet above the flow, and doesn’t feel at all cramped in a canoe or kayak.

Railroad Bridge

Under the Railroad Bridge. This shouldn’t be too bad to clear.

Under the Railroad Bridge

Trees Along Hitchens Pond. This picture can’t even reflect the beauty of this portion of Bog River Flow.

Trees Along Hitchens Pond

Break Time. Drinking all that beer, meant I had to find a place along the Flow to get out, stretch, and take a piss. Things being so boggy and soft in parts, meant there wasn’t a lot of open area to take a break.

Spokey Nights at Camp

Lows Ledge. I’m now about halfway between Lows Lower Dam and Lows Upper Dam, as the ledge reflects beautifully into the lake. It’s a very spiritual thing for sure, paddling along through this lake.

Lows Ledge

Clouds Rolling Out. To the south, it looked still quite cloudy. But there was something quiet spiritual about the area, and quiet vast. Something also spoke to me as being Saint Lawrence County, and as vast as one would expect the biggest county in the state to be.

Clouds Rolling Out

The Channel. The lake turns once again, with beautiful marsh lands along the edge of the lake.

The Channel

Marshy. Portions of Hitchens Pond are quite marshy, and can be tough going, especially if one gets out of the channel.

Marshy

Trees. These trees line the last big turn at Hitchens Pond, where you finally get into the main bay, as you head towards the Upper Lows Dam.

Trees Along Hitchens Pond

Marshland. Along Hitchens Pond as we get closer to Lows Upper Dam.

Marshland

Lows Ledge. Now we are almost up to the portage for Lows Upper Dam. Quite purty I must say.

Lows Ledge

Kayakers Pull Out. You have to pull your boat out of the water, and carry it over the Lows Lake Upper Dam, about a 10 feet elevation, and maybe a 50 foot portage.

2020 US Census Urban Areas in New York State

Bog River Area Pull Off. A lot of people pull out here, for lunch. Or they can be fools, and not use the channel to bottom of the dam, and carry their canoes, an additional 1/4 mile for no real purpose, to get it over the Lows Upper Dam. Not like I would be that stupid, now right? Of course, I just covered my camera with beer, so I shouldn’t be opening my mouth.

These days won\'t last long

Lows Upper Dam. This is the last picture I got for the day, because I dropped the camera in a pool of beer in kayak, and things go wet. Eventually the camera dried out and started to work fine, but for now, we have to go pictureless. From here, the bottom portion of Lows Lake proper, above the Upper Lows dam, is much like the bottom part of Hitchens Pond, narrow, deep channel, that widens up.

Debar Pond

Above Upper Lows Dam. This is the channel above the Upper Lows Dam, which technically is Lows Lake now. About a mile up from here, the lake gets shallow, and you must portage up into the more open Lows Lake main section. Yes, the camera lens has beer in it, that now has to dry out before I can take any more pictures. Nothing until tomorrow. It’s my Friday the 13th luck and stupidity of leaving the camera in the kayak, not in it’s protective case, as I pull out, and spilled beer soaks everything.

Above Upper Lows Dam

Kayaking Horseshoe Lake, Aug 12

Horseshoe Lake is located on South Eastern Saint Lawrence County, on a dead end state highway, NY 421, a spur from NY 30 South of Tupper Lake. It offers 6 campsites scattered along the lake, with 6 others on nearby roads. It is also near the Bog River Flow Canoe/Kayak Area.

Six Miles to Horseshoe Lake. This is the turn off for NY 421, one of the strangest state highways in the state. It is a dead ended highway, that leads to gravel roads around Horseshoe Lake and Bog River Flow. It is very twisty and narrow, and portions have not been resurfaced in over 50 years.

Six Miles to Horseshoe Lake

Towards Mt Morris. Paddling across Horseshoe Lake. As you can see, the land around here is very flat, former timber country. In the distance is Mount Morris, near Tupper Lake.

Towards Mt Morris

Choppy Waters. The water was somewhat choppy on Horsehoe Lake as there was a steady breeze as the weather was clearing out.

Choppy Waters

Northeast Tip. This is the upper tip of the Horseshoe Lake, in the most North-Eastern portion.

Northeast Tip

Heading Around The U. Horseshoe Lake is fairly large, all things considered. The open bays can be a bit rough, especially when you get into the wider portion of the U in the horseshoe.

Heading Around The U

Blinding Sun. Heading West across the Lake, I was going directly in the path of sun at 7 PM. Even with sunglasses on, the sun was bright and painful, leading to a temporary sunblindness. I ended up tacking North-West then South-West to avoid the sun, and the choppiness of the water.

Blinding Sun

Glare. In the background rises Silver Lake Mountain, that beautiful ridge one sees most clearly from paddling around Hitchins Pond/Lows Lake in the Bog River Canoe Area.

Glare

Other End of Lake. This is where NY 421 first hits the lake, heading west on NY 421 from Mountain Camp. You could say that it’s other tip of the Horseshoe. About 3 campsites, spaced 1/2 mile apart, are located on the lake.

Other End of Lake