Bog River Flow to Hitchens Pond in New York

Trip Overview

On Saturday we traveled to the lower dam on the Bog River Flow. The drive was about an hour and a half from where we live. When get got to the dirt road leading to the parking area, my partners following me lost their canoe due to the bumps in the road. They did not navigate the holes as well as I did I guess. The parking area, and a long stretch leading to the parking area, was full of cars and trucks. I did not expect to find a camping site when we got to our destination. After the small carry to the put in area we packed our canoes and got on our way.

The paddle was very easy. I have been on this paddle several times, but my wife and partners had not. There was one tree down in the narrow part of the flow, but we squeezed through with no problem. The first 3 sites we came across were all full so I was starting to get more concerned that we would not find a site. When the narrower flow opened up into Hitchens Pond, we paddled around to the right to site 4. That was also taken. We then back tracked to site 5 and thank God, we found a site.

The site was VERY clean and there was plenty of room for 4 adults and 2 three year olds. There was also a newly installed toilet up on the hill. It was very windy when we were there and I was thankful that we chose this spot due to the sheltering from the wind. The site is very fisherman friendly but not kid friendly. There are a lot of lilly pads and sea weed all around the camp. The kids wanted to swim but could not swim there. The fish would jump all over the place in front of the camp site. They were hard to get to bite, but once you figured out what they wanted you could catch them pretty easily. Largemouth bass was the predominate fish, but the kids caught perch and sunfish right off the site.

Fire wood is not a problem at all. There is a lot of dead wood in the area to take branches from. A small saw is all that was required. We did not bring anything to cook on, therefore we had to rely on the fire for all of our cooking. We never rand short on wood.

To take a dip we would paddle up to the canoe portage where the weeds were mostly gone. The kids would play in the water while I picked the wild blue berries and visit with the ranger that patrols the area. She is a very friendly woman and very helpful. There were several seniors and boy scouts at the portage area while we were there. This must have been a popular weekend to go for a paddle up the flow.

We left on a Monday after a good fish fry from our catch. There had been storm clouds blowing by all morning long but the rain held off for us. The wind was still very strong and once we left the shelter of our little bay, paddling straight was a little tricky. There was not much time for site seeing, the current and the wind were to our backs. It was about 45 minutes later we were back at the lower dam and all unpacked. The trip had come to an end and it was time to come back to the real world. We got ice cream in Tupper Lake and went home. My wife is now hooked on the Bog River Flow area and is very excited to go back for another stay.

Accommodations:

The site had room for 2 canoes and 1 kayak on the water. There was a toilet up the hill, two clearings for tents, and a fire pit.

Outfitting:

Old Town Penobscot

Fees:

None under 10 people.

Directions:

Heading north into Tupper Lake, take a right at the light in front of Stewarts. Follow the sign to Long Lake. After the 45 mph zone ends, keep an eye out for a sign for Horseshoe Lake. Turn right there and follow it until it turns into a dirt road. Once on the dirt road take your first left and follow to the parking area.

Resources:

We used the Adirondack Paddlers Map to locate the camp sites easier.