Residents and visitors alike find Inlet’s abundance of natural resources to be a major attraction and valuable resource for a variety of outdoor recreation activities.
SPRING marks the beginning of fishing season in the Adirondacks. Inlet’s streams, lakes, and ponds hold a variety of fish species including lake trout, brown trout, splake, landlocked salmon, tiger muskies, northern pike, large and small mouth bass, perch, bullhead, and the typical assortment of small panfish, a favorite of the younger angler. The larger lakes offer the trolling or spin casting fisherman ample opportunities for “the big catch”, while the smaller rivers and streams of the Moose River Recreation Area are the fly fisherman’s favored destination.
Spring and SUMMER also bring canoeists, kayakers and boaters out onto Inlet’s many waterways. A popular trip for paddlers is the Historic Adirondack Passage which begins at the Fulton Chain of Lakes and continues north to the Saranac Lakes through a series of lakes, rivers, and carries. Inlet is also the host of Adirondack Paddlefest in mid-May, now the nation’s largest on-water canoe and kayak expo, which is held in Arrowhead Park on Fourth Lake. Inlet’s larger lakes are frequented by motor boaters for a variety of activities, including water skiing, tubing, fishing, and sightseeing. Sailing is also enjoyed along the lakes of the Fulton Chain. New York State maintains free boat launches at Fourth and Seventh Lakes while boat access areas are provided at Limekiln and Eighth Lake Campgrounds for campers. A day use fee may be required during the summer season for admittance into these areas.
A myriad of hiking and biking trails in Inlet allow the outdoor enthusiast to enjoy the scenery and solitude of the surrounding forests. Fern Park’s mountain bike trails, much of the snowmobile trail system, and many trails within the Moose River Recreation Area (MRRA) provide an extensive and varied mountain biking experience. The Black Fly Challenge mountain bike race, the longest National Off-Road Bicycle Association (NORBA) sanctioned destination race in the Eastern United States, rolls through the MRRA between Inlet and Indian Lake every year in mid-June. The race changes direction every year with the start alternating between the two towns. The TOBIE (Thendara, Old Forge, Big Moose, Inlet and Eagle Bay) Project biking trail will connect several towns along the Route 28 corridor.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) manages a large hiking trail system within the town of Inlet. Black Bear Mountain and Rocky Mountain summits offer spectacular views, while Bug Lake/Eagle’s Nest Lake trail and Cascade Lake trail provide great destination hikes. The MRRA contains many trails, including Mitchell Ponds, Rock Dam, Lost Ponds, Icehouse Pond, Helldiver Pond, and Bear Pond. Limekiln Lake and Brown’s Tract State Campgrounds also have trail systems within them. The trails to Shallow Lake and West Mountain emanate from Brown’s Tract. The Old Uncas Road from Eighth Lake Campground makes a nice loop to Mohegan Lake and back to the Seventh Lake Boat Launch. For shorter nature hikes, the Cathedral Pines trail meanders through a stand of old growth white pines. A boardwalk meanders through Ferd’s Bog, off the Uncas Road, where orchids, wildflowers, and a variety of birds and other wildlife can be found. Bird watching opportunities abound in the Inlet area with Ferd’s Bog and the MRRA being the most popular destinations.
Many visitors utilize the New York State (NYS) Campgrounds at Limekiln, Eighth Lake and Brown’s Tract, while those seeking more primitive recreation utilize the Moose River Recreation Area, Cascade, Seventh, and Bug Lakes. Three Lean-tos are located at both Seventh and Eighth Lake.
Swimming is a popular activity during the summer season. A number of swimming areas exist on the shores of Inlet’s many lakes. Beaches with lifeguards are found at Arrowhead Park as well as all the State campgrounds. Inlet offers youth swimming programs at Arrowhead Park during July and August.
Inlet is home to two stables that offer horseback riding ranging from pony and trail rides to overnight and weekend excursions. Seaplane bases on Sixth Lake and Seventh Lake offer charter service and popular sightseeing trips. The Inlet Golf Club is an 18-hole, championship resort golf course adjacent to Sixth Lake. The golf course has a long tradition, and has been totally renovated to provide visitors with a superb layout and well-manicured conditions. Bottle Brook and the surrounding mountains offer many different views and all add to the pleasure of your experience. Expect to see a multitude of wildlife.
FALL is arguably the most beautiful season in the Adirondacks. Many visit the area to enjoy the colorful fall foliage. Those who come to the area for outdoor activities find solitude easier to attain and the absence of bugs to be a pleasant surprise. The crisp, sunny days are perfect for hiking, paddling, or almost any outdoor activity. Fall also brings hunting season. Early bear season begins mid to late September. Primitive hunting season for deer and black bear follows. Regular season for bear and deer begins in late October and continues until the first week in December. The region is well known for its abundance of game and draws hunters from all over the northeast. The Moose River Recreation Area is a popular destination for big game hunters. The fall small game seasons begin in mid-September and runs to as long as March, according to species. Rabbit, ruffed grouse, turkey, fox, coyote, bobcat are all among the many small game seasons permitted in the area.
Autumn also is the stage for some special events in the Inlet area. The Adirondack Canoe Classic or “90 Miler,” as paddlers know it, is held the first weekend after Labor Day. Starting at Old Forge Pond, the various classes of canoe, guide boat and kayak racers follow the Fulton Chain through Inlet along the Adirondack Passage in a three-day paddling marathon to end at Lake Flower in the Saranac Lake Region. It is a spectacular scene to witness the throng of watercraft as they make their way through the lakes, rivers, and various carries along the route.
Inlet’s Fall Festival is held the third weekend of September at Fern Park. The two-day event offers art, crafts, and antiques as well as music, pony rides, food, demonstrations and activities.
The following weekend is the Adirondack Mountain Bike Festival and Races, the oldest NORBA sanctioned race in the Adirondacks. Events include kids’ mountain bike races and rodeo, adult beginner, sport, and expert races, live music, food, and raffles.
WINTER is the second largest tourist season in the Inlet area. Snow brings the snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, snowshoers, ice skaters, ice fishermen, and those who just enjoy the beauty of the winter vista. Downhill skiers can enjoy the slopes at nearby McCauley Mountain, Big Tupper Ski Area, and Gore Mountain.
The Central Adirondack region, along with the Tug Hill Plateau, is widely recognized as one of the premier snowmobiling destinations in the United States. Thousands of miles of interconnecting trails comprise one of the most extensive snowmobiling networks in the Eastern U.S. The groomed and patrolled trails of the Inlet/Old Forge area are consistently ranked among the best in the country by top snowmobiling magazines.
The Town of Inlet grooms forty-four miles of trails, of which approximately half are on private property with the remainder on Town and State land. To the north, trails lead to Eagle Bay, Big Moose, Stillwater and beyond. Old Forge and Tug Hill trails lie to the west. Trails heading north from Raquette Lake flow past Tupper Lake all the way to the St. Lawrence. All these places are accessible from Inlet but certainly the most popular destination is a local one – the Moose River Recreation Area. Grooming of the trail between the Limekiln and Cedar River gates is shared by the Towns of Inlet and Indian Lake.
The Inlet-based Barnstormer’s Snowmobile Club promotes safety and family snowmobiling by sponsoring safety programs, charitable fund-raisers, family picnics in the Moose River Recreation Area, and other social events. A vintage snowmobile race was introduced in 2000 and the Barnstormers continue their efforts to recover New York State fuel tax revenues and re-distribute these monies to local rescue organizations toward the purchase of snow rescue equipment.
The Town of Inlet grooms an extensive cross-country ski trail system at Fern Park, Inlet Golf Club, and Limekiln Lake State Campground. The Inlet Golf Club offers 3.5 miles of set track for classical skiing of all levels, as well as a wide lane for skate skiing. For those seeking a more varied and wooded skiing experience, the Fern Park network contains beginner to expert trails with scenic views atop Fern Mountain. From classical to backcountry skiing, the Fern Park Trails have something for everyone. The Limekiln Lake trail system traverses the State campground along the lakeshore. These trails also connect with a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) trail system off of Limekiln Road and can be reached via the Fern Park system.
DEC designated trails can be found at Black Bear Mountain, Cascade Lake and Moss Lake (in the adjacent town of Webb). The Black Bear Mountain ski trail, accessed from a trailhead behind the phone company building, stops short of the summit as it converges with a hiking trail. Cascade Lake, a 5.8-mile loop, and Moss Lake, a 3-mile loop, are accessed from Big Moose Road, just north of Eagle Bay. Both are very popular cross-country ski destinations for the intermediate skier.
The Black Bear Mountain hiking trails, from both Rocky Point and Uncas Road, make a perfect snowshoeing network to the summit, which affords a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Fern Park also offers ideal terrain for the snowshoer, particularly the back trails which are generally not groomed and seldom are utilized by anyone but the true backcountry skier. Snowshoers can find ample opportunities as well in Limekiln State Campground, Brown’s Tract Ponds area on Uncas Road, nearby Windfall Pond and Queer Lake (Town of Webb), which are located just north of Cascade Lake on Big Moose Road, or upon virtually any state lands within the Town of Inlet.
Ice skating and sledding are available at Fern Park. Fern Park Pavilion offers enclosed skating, restrooms and a warming room and is open to the public daily from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM, weather permitting.
Inlet is active throughout the winter months with a variety of community events produced by a host of local organizations, clubs and businesses. One community event is Inlet’s Frozen Fire & Lights, which replaced Winterfest. Activities during Inlet’s Frozen Fire & Ice include ice-skating, cross-country skiing & sledding during the day with evening entertainment featuring fireworks and a community bonfire.