A Perfect Day for Paddling at the Schroon Lake PaddleFest

By Scott Ireland, Schroon Lake Association President, Adirondack Lakes Alliance Executive Director

In 2022, the Schroon Lake Association (SLA), working with the Schroon Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Schroon, and ROOST (Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism) established the Schroon Paddle Challenge, a series of three paddles in the Schroon Watershed. The event was created not only to promote the area as an excellent paddling destination, but also to further the Association’s educational mission and work in keeping the lake clean for today’s users and future generations. 

In June 2023, the SLA held an inaugural event to promote the Challenge and nearly 60 paddlers participated. The following year, 2024, the event was expanded to become the Schroon Lake PaddleFest, which would include the paddle as well as a fun reception at take-out point. That day was cool and very wet, but paddlers braved the weather and made the most of the fickle Adirondack weather.

Forward to this year’s event, held on June 21st, 2025. The day started bright and sunny with just enough breeze to keep the bugs away and stayed that way the entire day – an absolutely perfect day to paddle. It was quite warm, and the water refreshing, as more than 60 paddlers launched their boats from the Route 74 DEC Fishing Lot in Severance and paddled down the winding Schroon River. To minimize the number of vehicles left in the small lot at the launch site, SLA asked participants to drive back to town and park their cars at the Town Beach parking and ride the complimentary shuttle back to their boats.

On a map, the distance from the launch site to the Town of Schroon beach is just over four miles “as the crow flies”, but canoes and kayaks aren’t corvids. The meandering nature of the river makes the overall paddle six and half miles, but fortunately much of the paddle is downstream. Just two weeks before, this paddle would not have been passable, but SLA Vice President Roger Friedman worked with the DEC to clear several downed trees along the route. As luck would have it, another tree appeared to have come down in the interim, but by working together the paddlers were able to assist each other to pass the obstruction.

Along the river, paddlers reported seeing a majestic bald eagle, kingfishers flitting back and forth in front of them, and a happy family of common mergansers. As they left the  and entered Schroon Lake, paddlers generally head straight across to the shore and finish the last half mile by hugging the shoreline and paddling around the point to the town docks.

Once landed and boats pulled ashore, the historic Schroon Lake Boathouse Theatre was transformed into a reception center for the paddlers, with sandwiches, cold drinks, and live music by Dave Insul, a local guitarist and singer. As one paddler said, “It was a great opportunity to see old friends, and to make new ones. I had so much fun!”

Adding to the success of the event, Hornbeck Boats was on hand with a selection of their most popular lightweight canoes. Several people still had enough energy to test paddle them in the basin and delighted in the maneuverability and performance of these Adirondack classics. You can expect to see more of these beautiful canoes on our waters in the future as some committed to visit Hornbeck’s Olmstedville location to finalize the addition of a new boat to their livery.

Paddlers who participated in this event were encouraged to keep in mind the importance of lake cleanliness, and many remarked at how clear and clean the waters were. SLA President Scott Ireland spoke to the group at the reception and thanked them for responsible paddling and reminded them of the Clean.Drain.Dry principles that minimize the potential introduction of aquatic invasive plants to the watershed. Each attendee was rewarded with a sticker enlisting them as proud members of the “Schroon Lake Cleanup Crew”, joining the SLA in protecting Schroon Lake for generations to come.

Planning has already begun for the 2026 event, tentatively scheduled for June 20, 2026. Many new and repeat paddlers are expected, and it is planned to expand the number of canoe and kayak vendors in attendance. Ireland added, “It truly takes a village, and this event would not have run as well as it did without the help of the SLA Board, the vendors, performers and of course, the paddlers.” As one paddler told us “…my wife and I very much enjoyed the Paddlefest. It was truly a great day and the weather could not have been better. We appreciated the time and effort put in by you and the other members of SLA.”

All submitted photos by Kate OHair and Nancy Harste of Schroon Lake.

Author’s note: Subjects signed waivers to participate in the event.