Jessup River Through Indian Lake

Skip & I rendezvoused at the Stewart’s shop on Route 12 in Mapledale at 7am with the intentions of paddling down the Jessup to Indian Lake to the NYS boat launch.  This involves a roughly ten-mile paddle; down 2.5 miles of Jessup River, five miles down the fjord-like arm of Indian Lake, then back south on the lake to the NYS boat launch.  We met at 7:15am, drove to the Route 30 bridge over the Jessup, left our canoe at the put-in, left a car at the launch/take-out and were on the water paddling by 9:15.

We paddled downstream on flatwater for 1.25 miles crossing over a couple of small beaver dams and trees in the stream.  Based on previous trip reports we were looking for a set of rapids.  In our case the water level was just sufficient for us to pick our way through the rocks and avoid portaging the ¼ – ½ mile rapids along the right bank.  Two miles from the start was the scenic Dug Mountain Falls (site of a notorious winter camping prank).

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Reaching Indian Lake we paddled north on a narrow arm of Indian Lake.  We stopped for lunch at one of the designated NYS campsites at the the northern most extent of our fjord.

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After lunch we reversed our direction around Long Island and headed back south to the NYS boat launch to our car.   Our total trip time was 3.5 hours including our ~20 lunch break.

Map of Jessup to Indian Lake

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