Down the "Jackrabbit Trail"

An Adirondack trail with European flair

Story by Jenni McEwen

The Adirondack region is one known for its abundance of winter time activities. Most popular is that of downhill skiing, but with the high prices and crowded slopes there has to be a better alternative. That is where cross-country skiing comes into play. Cross-country skiing provides an experience you can't get on a ski slope, solitude and scenery with some trails venturing deep into wooded terrain. One of the most well known cross-country trails in the Adirondack region is the Jackrabbit Trail.

The Jackrabbit Trail (JRT), which originally spanned approximately 25 miles, came to be in 1986. According to Adirondack Ski Touring Council President, Tony Goodwin, "(it) was formed… at the urging of long-time local cross-country skiers who for years had been talking about reopening traditional ski routes such as the Old Mountain Road from Route 73 to Keene and the then-abandoned trail from McKenzie Pond Road to Whiteface Inn." Goodwin also says in regards to the creation of the JRT, "an additional impetus came from a German, Dieter Heckmann, who had participated in the 1986 World Masters Championship held that year in Lake Placid. 

Mr. Heckmann wrote a letter to the Lake Placid News that was published under the headline  "Mirror Lake Should Be a Base for Trips."  The focus thus became to create trails that lead from Lake Placid to the area cross-country ski centers and adjoining towns. Today, the JRT spans 35 miles and connects Paul Smiths, N.Y. to Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, and Keene (the section connecting Paul Smiths and Lake Clear was added in 1994). It was named to honor a Norwegian native and Lake Placid skiing pioneer (from 1916-1928), Herman "Jackrabbit" Johannsen. He was one of the first people to introduce cross-country skiing to North America and Canada and received the nickname "Jackrabbit" because of his ability to hop around in deep snow. Spokesperson for the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitor's Bureau, Jon Lundin, says of the trail, "it (the JRT) has sections from novice to expert terrain, so it's really got something for everyone."

"The entire trail from Paul Smiths VIC to Keene has been skied in one long (10 hour) day. (However,) most take two to three days."

Since it's inception in 1986, care of the JRT has been taken by the Adirondack Ski Touring Council which is based in Lake Placid. The JRT, which is constructed in a European style (designed with stops along the way) gives skiers an opportunity to do what they love,ski, while also visiting different towns and having the opportunity to stay at one of three ski centers along the way, Whiteface Club, Lake Placid Resort, and Cascade X-C Ski Center. This way, skiers are not  being forced to set up camp in the chilly wilderness, unless of course they want to. 

Each lodge or ski center breaks up a section of trail. The sections are as follows: Keene to Cascade (six miles), Cascade to Mirror Lake/Lake Placid (seven miles), Mirror Lake to Whiteface Club (three-and-half miles), Whiteface Club to MacKenzie Pond Road ( five-and-half miles), MacKenzie Pond Road to Saranac Lake (two miles), Saranac Lake to Lake Clear Junction (seven miles), and Lake Clear Junction to Paul Smiths (nine miles). Of course, the trail can be taken in either direction, and from any starting point.

"The entire trail from Paul Smiths VIC to Keene has been skied in one long (10 hour) day. (However,) most take two to three days," Goodwin says. While there is a fee for groomed sections of the JRT (all centers sell a "Lake Placid Interconnect" ticket for $12 which is honored at all centers for the day of purchase), the non-groomed sections leading into Saranac Lake and Keene, as well as the newly added section from Lake Clear to Paul Smiths can be accessed free of charge. When trying to guess how many people access the trail a year it's hard to determine, but Lundin states that "five or six years ago there were six different registration points, now there is only one...a lot of people don't sign in, but it can be estimated that maybe 6-7,000 people ski the trail every winter."

"It's a great trail, well-suited to running, that traverse some beautiful sections of the Adirondack Park."

Have you skied/ran on the Jackrabbit Trail?