Every spring, when the natural world starts greening up again, my husband, Chuck, and I head north on Route 30 to stroll along the peaceful River Walk in the Adirondack Village of Speculator in Hamilton County. This community-built mix of boardwalk, gravel, and hard-packed dirt pathways enables visitors to explore enchanting stretches of forest and wetlands along the Sacandaga River.
For us, it’s a springtime rite of passage to walk the quiet trails, savoring the crisp mountain air, clear skies, and joyful sounds of birds returning home to their northern habitat. While walking, we search for delicate spring flowers like bloodroot, May apple, trout lily, trillium, and the elusive pink moccasin-flower.
The Sacandaga River Community Park, as the trail is official called, attracts nature enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Located just off Route 30 as you enter the village — just behind the recently installed, impossible-to-miss Makomis Fire Tower — this 1.5 mile trail with 850-feet of boardwalk is handicapped-accessible and stroller-friendly.
Signage along the pathways identifies some of the native plants, trees, birds, fish, and mammals. Other educational placards contain historical information, photographs, and illustrations regarding Indigenous people that once inhabited the area, the logging industry, and Adirondack trail guides of yore.
Numerous benches dot the paths, and two viewing stations situated along the Sacandaga River provide picture-perfect spots for reflection and photographs. Waterfowl abound along the shoreline, and if you tread softly you might even spot a doe foraging among the ferns with her spotted fawn.
Additionally, the town park offers visitors a large picnic pavilion and grills, a gazebo, a playground for young children, riverside put-in for kayaks and canoes, abundant parking, and plenty of open fields for kids to romp and play. Restrooms are available at the firehouse, just beyond the baseball field.
ROUTE 66 is another popular park attraction. Located just beyond the playground, this adorable village in miniature, built by John Van-Buiten and Richard Koert, is comprised of quaint buildings from the 1940s, including an authentically-staged church, school, barber shop, general store, post office, gas station, and ice cream shop.
The detailed structures were built to commemorate the eight-State honeymoon trip that New Jersey residents John Van-Buiten and his wife, Hester, took along Route 66 in 1948. The Van-Buiten family had been vacationing in Speculator since the 1920s, often tenting at nearby Camp of the Woods.
As longtime enthusiasts of the area, in 2014 the family donated their unique Route 66 village to the community. Spend a little time window shopping in this charming pint-sized village, and you’ll surely feel nostalgia for simpler times and bygone eras.
The Village of Speculator’s prized Public Park and Town Beach are located just across Route 30 from Pavilion Park. With its sandy beachfront, benches, picnic tables, flower gardens, and spectacular views of Lake Pleasant, it’s the perfect place to relax and unwind. Before you leave town, however, be sure to check out Speculator’s bustling business district!
The village has numerous eateries and ice cream shops, a clothing store, and a truly distinctive grocery called Charlie Johns. Part market, part general store, Charlie Johns carries camping and fishing supplies, dishes, hardware, postcards, souvenirs, craft supplies, an amazing selection of Adirondack books for all ages, and just about anything else you might be needing.
Without a doubt, a day spent in Speculator is a day you will long remember. So, gas up the car, get out your GPS, grab some bug spray, and head north to celebrate the splendor of springtime in the Adirondacks!
For more information, visit www.speculatorchamber.com/speculator
Photos: Sacandaga River in Speculator; the gate to Sacandaga River Community Park; and part of the Route 66 miniature village (photos by Wendy Hobday Haugh).
