Fish Creek and Rollins Pond

When I start waking up to crisp, cool mornings, and the red leaves on the trees start to appear I start to get an itch to get outside and explore. During the peak summer months, I tend to take a break from my normal hiking and biking outdoor activities. Partially to stay away from the bugs, but also to spend as much time as I can on the water! 

I wanted to check out the start of the foliage, so I threw my bike on top of my car and took a drive out to Fish Creek and Rollins Pond. Fish Creek is still open with campers, but Rollins Pond was closed to campers, so I knew it would be nice and quiet back there. 

I took off into Fish Creek Campground heading toward the Rollins Pond turn. The Fish Creek loop is a great family friendly bike loop. It is a mostly flat, almost five mile bike around the campground. There were campers mingling and campfires going throughout the campground. I prefer to bike through the campgrounds during this time of year because it is far more quiet. You don’t have to worry about a lot of car or camper traffic, and there are more open sites to pull into and take a rest or have a snack. 

I biked about halfway around the Fish Creek loop until I came to the turn for Rollins Pond. I took the turn knowing my bike ride was going to get a little bit harder from here on out. Rollins Pond is not a loop, so when you get to the last campsite, you have to turn around and bike back out. The road throughout the campground is very hilly, making for a great workout. 

Once I made it past the Rollins Pond gate I continued on to the boat launch. I stopped here and sat on the dock for a bit, taking in the peacefulness. The leaves were just starting to change, making for beautiful reflections off the water. I took a minute to rest before I continued on to what I knew was a difficult portion of the bike ride. The rest of the Rollins Pond Campground road is pretty hilly. The speed coming down the hills makes climbing them totally worth it! 

The Rollins Pond Campground's road is fairly narrow, which is why I like to bike it when there is not any camper and car traffic. I prefer not having to slow down to make sure anyone isn’t coming around the corner. 

I stopped along the way to take pictures of the beautiful changing leaves, take a breather, and check out some campsites. It’s a great time to pick out the best campsite for next summer! When I got to the end of the campground I made the turn around and headed back toward the gate. The hills make it some really fun riding and it never gets boring. On my way out back to Fish Creek, I passed almost ten different bike riders doing the same trip that I had done.

I made it back out to the Fish Creek loop and continued around that one to finish out the almost five-mile loop. Once back to the car I loaded up the bike, and headed home thinking about when I could get out there to bike this loop again.

The next time you are in the Tupper Lake area, bring your bike and discover Fish Creek and Rollins Pond Campground on two wheels. Then, find a place to refuel and rest your head for the night. 

This week in ADK news:

Scenic leaf peeping

A historic hike

Night at the (handle) bars

Biking power couple

The amazing apple

Flavors of fall

Riding Norman Ridge