The road from Tupper Lake to Long Lake, routes 3 and 30, is for the most part nice and wide, smooth and straight. It's a relief to have plenty of room to open up the throttle after tooling through towns a bit. But before long, I get tired of the straight and not-so-narrow, so I usually take one of my favorite bike detours in the world. When you see signs for Sabattis Circle Road and the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area, turn right.
Sabattis
You'll dive into a forest road that will envelope you in trees, where you'll likely be able to hear, see, and smell wildlife and the movements of the various flora and fauna. There are straights where you can let loose and tear through the woods, but you might be more interested in tooling along slowly and letting your senses tune in to the nature around you.
After a bit, you'll come upon Little Tupper Lake. Take a right to check out the DEC headquarters there, which has some nice places for a picnic, if you happened to bring lunch or something to drink.
Besides being a super pretty place to ride through and stop for stretch or picnic, there's also tons of birding, hiking, camping, fishing, and paddling to do in that area, if you can make it work with your bike gear!
On your way back out, don't forget to stop by the shore of Little Tupper Lake and skip some stones or just enjoy the peaceful lapping of the secluded body of water.
Once you're done at the lake, continue on through the circle and enjoy the wooded twisties you'll encounter on your way out.
Turn right when you emerge from Sabattis.
Long Lake
Enjoy the wide open-ness of the rest of the way to Long Lake after your little wildnerness excursion. There are some stellar views as you crest hills on the way into Long Lake; make sure to pay attention to them rather than focus on finding passing zones.
Once you get to Long Lake, there are a few little side roads that are worth a fun little jaunt, like Endion Road and Kickerville Road. Do some exploring, but just be careful about roads turning into dirt and gravel.
Cross the bridge then park in front of the beach. If you're not into chilling on sand in your leathers, there are benches from which you can take in the view. There's also lovely public bathrooms that are open all the time — definitely take advantage of those!
Across the street is the Adirondack Hotel, which has welcomed motorcycle riders for meals, brews, and beds for decades. Stay a while and chat with some of the locals! Or head to Hoss's for shopping and ice cream.
At the Hoss's T, turn right to take a little jaunt to Blue Mountain Lake. On the way there, you should head down North Point Road to check out the beautiful Buttermilk Falls.
And back on the road to Blue. The road is beautiful, with plenty of turns to keep you occupied, and once you arrive, there's a great lake to hang out by.
And there's a gas station that can't be missed.
Then head back to Long Lake, and on to Newcomb and the Schroon Lake Region!
In related ADK motorcycle news:
Riding the 'Dacks
This isn’t a secret to seasoned riders, but our resident experts will tell you that although the roads of the Adirondacks lend themselves nicely to touring by any mode of transport, exploring them by motorcycle provides the rider with an even deeper appreciation of, and connection to this pristine landscape.
Our motorbike-riding tourism marketers share some of their favorite rides (and highlight a few classic twisties) on the well-maintained roads that wind through the charming communities across the region. Follow along as they showcase one big loop in 8 segments - or choose your region du jour for a shorter spin.
Passenger's perfect perspective
