The hike around the lake at Great Camp Sagamore seems more like a Sunday afternoon stroll than an actual hike, according to my definition of the term, but is equally enjoyable. The 1.5 mile path around Sagamore Lake is well marked and there is no danger of losing your way, and in fact, walkers could turn back at any time without feeling that they had missed "making it to the peak."
The path is relatively flat, and circles the perimeter of the lake, beginning at historic Camp Sagamore. Before we began the walk, we looked around the woodsmith's barn, where a craftsman was making a wooden boat. He seemed happy to talk to us about the hand boat building business, and said that items were constructed there much the same way they were 100 years ago. The buildings of the camp are preserved in their entirety, and any remodeling needed is done to replicate the authenticity of the original architecture.Our group of ten walked from the barn northward to find the path that would lead us around the lake. With no steep inclines or "Adirondack-sized boulders" in the path, this was an easy hike, and very scenic since it hugs the lake all of the way around, and offers many stopping points for walkers to enjoy a good view of the water. The only difficulty we had was shooing away the pesky mosquitoes that undoubtedly breed in the more quiet areas of the lake there.
Great Camp Sagamore consists of 27 buildings and is now run by a nonprofit organization, the Sagamore Institute of the Adirondacks, Inc., and is listed as a National Historic Landmark. In the late 1800's, wealthy individuals including J.P. Morgan, Alfred G. Vanderbilt and the Rockefellers began building rustic lodges which later became known as the Great Camps of the Adirondacks. Camp Sagamore was originally constructed by Alfred G. Vanderbilt and was owned by that family from 1901-1954. It is one of the few great camps that are open for tours to the public, and weekend programs and lodging are offered to visitors.The camp is located four miles south of Raquette Lake on Sagamore Road.
The mailing address is P.O. Box 40, Raquette Lake, NY 13436-0040, and the phone is 315-354-5311 (http://www.sagamore.org).