The Seven Carries is an historic canoe route from

Paul Smith's Hotel Paul Smith's Hotel, formally known as the Saint Regis House, was founded in 1859 by Apollos (Paul) Smith in the town of Brighton, Franklin County, New York, in what would become the village of Paul Smiths; it was one of the first wilderness r ...

to the

Saranac Inn The Saranac Inn was a large, luxurious hotel located on a peninsula at the northern end of the Upper Saranac Lake in the town of Santa Clara in the Adirondacks in New York State, United States. It was frequented by US Presidents Grover Cleveland ...

through what is now known as the

Saint Regis Canoe Area The Saint Regis Canoe Area in Adirondack Park is the largest wilderness canoe area in the Northeastern United States and the only designated canoe area in New York state. It is closed to motorized vehicles. Among the 50 ponds (small lakes) and lak ...

in southern

Franklin County, New York Franklin County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. To the north across the Canada–United States border are the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, from east to west. As of the 2020 census, the county popul ...

in the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure”, and for watershed protection. The park ...

. The route was famous with sportsmen and tourists from major east-coast cities from the late 19th century through the 1930s; interest has revived in recent years. Despite the name, the route consists of only six carries, or

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

s. The route is long and crosses seven wilderness ponds and three lakes. It used to connect two popular Adirondack hotels— Paul Smith's Hotel, built in 1859 and burned in 1930, now the site of

Paul Smith's College Paul Smith's College is a private college in Paul Smiths, New York. Paul Smith's College offers associate and bachelor's degrees. Its 14,000-acre campus is one of the largest college campuses in the world. Approximately 1,000 students attend ...

, and the Saranac Inn, built in 1864 and burned in 1978, now the site of a public golf course and a small hamlet. From Saranac Inn, the route traditionally started via a horse-drawn wagon ride to Little Green Pond. Today, after a short drive over the Fish Hatchery Road from NY-30, one can put in on Little Green and then carry to Little Clear Pond, or put in directly on Little Clear. The paddle to the Saint Regis Pond carry is . Little Clear is used by the State Fish Hatchery, and no fishing or camping is allowed. The carry from Little Clear to

Saint Regis Pond Saint Regis Pond is a pond, the largest in the Saint Regis Canoe Area in the Adirondacks in northern New York state. It drains into the west branch of the St. Regis River. It is part of the "Seven Carries" canoe route. The pond is long. The ...

is the longest of the trip, at . At , Saint Regis Pond is the largest pond on the route, and is well worth exploring; the carry to Green Pond can be reached by a paddle of . From Saint Regis Pond, it is a carry to Green Pond, which is only wide. Next is a carry to Little Long Pond. A carry brings one to Bear Pond, which is only wide. Finally, the two less than carries and an equally short paddle across Bog Pond (no longer in the Canoe Area) bring one to

Upper Saint Regis Lake Upper St. Regis Lake is a part of the St. Regis River in the Adirondacks in northern New York State. Along with Lower St. Regis Lake and Spitfire Lake, it became famous in the late 19th century as a summer playground of America's power elite, ...

, home of many Adirondack

Great Camps __NOTOC__ The Great Camps of the Adirondack Mountains refers to the grandiose family compounds of cabins that were built in the latter half of the nineteenth century on lakes in the Adirondacks such as Spitfire Lake and Rainbow Lake. The ca ...

, including

Camp Topridge __NOTOC__ Camp Topridge is an Adirondack Park Great Camp bought in 1920 and substantially expanded and renovated in 1923 by Marjorie Merriweather Post, founder of General Foods and the daughter of C. W. Post. The "camp", near Keese Mill, in the ...

. Upper Saint Regis Lake connects to

Spitfire Lake Spitfire Lake is a part of the St. Regis River in the Adirondacks in northern New York State and is in area. Along with Upper and Lower St. Regis Lake, it became famous in the late 19th century as a summer playground of America's power elite ...

and Lower Saint Regis Lake, the site of Paul Smith's Hotel, from the end of the last carry. Alternatively, one can take out at the Saint Regis Carry in the southeast corner of Lower Saint Regis, from the end of the last carry There are campsites on Saint Regis, Green, Little Long, and Bear Ponds.

External links

''Adirondack Sports and Fitness'' - Wilderness Paddling in the St. Regis Canoe Area''New York Times'', "SUNSHINE AND PICNICS.; A Combination Saranac Sojourners Are Playing to the Limit", last paragraph, August 5, 1906''New York Times'', "IT'S IN THE FAMILY.; Roosevelt's Eight-Year-Old Nephew Catches an 11-Pound Pike", fourth paragraph, August 26, 1906
{{coord missing, New York (state) Adirondacks Transportation in Franklin County, New York Tourist attractions in Franklin County, New York Paul Smiths, New York