As I continue in my quest to explore Lake Placid and the immediate areas around the village, I stumbled upon a great new trail system and swim location. This is especially timely given the current conditions at the Mirror Lake Beach (more on that later).
The trail system is called Brewster Peninsula Trails and the entrance is just beyond the Quality Inn driveway heading towards Saranac Lake. From the village it takes about 5-10 minutes to run to the trailhead. Once inside, there are a series of loops that vary in condition from fire road to technical. My first time in, I may or may not have abruptly gotten in to pushup position after kicking a stumbler.
The Ridge Trail and the main trail are probably the best for running and give you about 2 miles per lap. But if you turn left at the first junction from the trailhead and follow the Boundary Trail it takes you to a great dam / spillway on Lake Placid. This is alot of fun for the kids and adults. In the middle is a six inch spill way where the water runs down into a river. It is fun to stand in this and just let the current massage your feet. The water is a few feet deep in the lake here, but very clear. I took a bunch of time swimming around just looking at the fallen logs and rock formations under water. Very low vegetation.
It was nice to run to this spot and jump in for a swim. I took a shammy and goggles and there were only a few others in the area, mostly sunning on the wooden bridge and nearby dock. After my swim I toweled off and was able to run back out feeling cooled off from the initial effort.
It was especially calm and quiet vs. my last few trips to Mirror Lake this week. For one, the beach only allows 75 people in. Not a huge problem save for the fact that all AROUND the beach people are setting up camp and going into the water. It seems odd that the roped in sections are strongly regulated, but literally five feet away is not. Another curious thing this year is that the buoy lines are not in. These are probably what make the IMLP and Mirror Lake swimming in general so great. You don’t have to site, and for the most part boaters know where you are. You can also stand on the line or grab a buoy if you get in trouble. With this now missing, and boat / SUP traffic as high as ever, it is a bit congested out there. In fact I was recently t-boned by a swimmer who was swimming without goggles perpendicular to the normal route. To be fair even with the swim lines there are accidents, but it seems more chaotic this year.
So if you have a chance check out Lake Placid proper via the Peninsula Trails. Keep in mind there is powerboat traffic on the lake so try to stay closer to shore or swim with a bright cap and buoy. And afterwards, head to Mountain Mist for some well deserved ice cream!
Float. Spin. Walk. 