Hiking the Hewett Eddy Loop: A journey along the Boreas

By Tim Rowland

Boreas, the Andrew Cuomo of Greek mythology, lends his name to a short but eventful river that hurries, as if it has forgotten something, from its source at Boreas Ponds to its confluence with the Hudson in the central Adirondacks.

There are stretches of flatwater to be sure but also a stretch that the North Creek Rafting Co. calls a “seldom paddled, intense, technical river featuring the longest continuous stretch of Class IV whitewater in the Adirondacks.”

I’ll walk, thank you.

And you can, thanks to the Hewett Eddy Loop, which caught my eye in Barbara McMartin and Bill Ingersoll’s “Discover the Central Adirondacks,” which was a good thing, because this trail might not be noticed otherwise — the sign at one end is largely hidden by the trees, and the other is down altogether.

It’s easy enough to find, though. Drive north on 28N from Minerva or south on 28N from Newcomb to the bridge over the Boreas River and there you will find a pullout (on the right if you’re heading south as Beth and I were) and the tree-obscured sign for the trail. As the name indicates, the trail will follow the river and then the smaller Stony Pond Brook for 2 miles before re-emerging onto the highway, 0.8 miles from where you have parked — you can walk along the road to back to your car or retrace your steps along the river trail. 

We had hoped to fish, but the low clouds were spitting bursts of springtime snow, and Beth said it was her personal policy not to fish when it is snowing. I finally gave in, but at every pool, boulder and riffle I pined for the rod left unemployed in the bed of the pickup.

The Hewett Eddy Loop is largely level — 220 feet of elevation gain total — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easy, at least not until it gets a little maintenance. To begin with, the beavers have had an excitable spring by the looks of it. Right off the bat, going counterclockwise as we did, you dodge some trees the diameter of Frisbees laid low by the industrious creatures.

Everyone is quick to criticize humans for their wasteful practices, but let me tell you something: beavers have to be a close second. They will fell a tree that would give Paul Bunyan pause, take a few bits of bark and then go their merry way. I suppose food or building materials may not be the point — maybe it’s a religious ceremony or something. But, whatever, it’s a real pain for hikers, in my view.

Naturally, this is also mud season, and little rivulets here and there have created some marshy spots in the trail that make for hairy going, especially if you don’t have waterproof boots and maybe some poles for balance.

But being glass-full kind of people, where others see mud season, we see waterfall season, and in this capacity the Boreas does not disappoint. After a stretch of placid water reflecting in perfect detail the balsam and spruce, things begin to get interesting. The river builds like a symphony, as still water turns to gurgling, then to chatter then to a percussive roar as the rapids get more dramatic every tenth of a mile or so. 

Viewed on a map, you will see that the trail never gets too terribly far from the well-traveled (for the Adirondacks) highway, but a ridge between the river and the road, and the river’s own soundtrack make this loop feel like a true wilderness experience.

The river reaches a crescendo in one final rip-roaring blast just before calming down in the broad, slack water of Hewett Eddy itself. These were, needless to say, prime log-driving waters in the days of yore, and the sight of thousands of wooden missiles blasting down this deep and narrow chute must have been quite the spectacle.

At the eddy, the trail turns east and makes something of a bee line back toward the highway. But you’re not done with the pleasant scenery just yet. For a spell, the route follows Stony Pond Brook, as charming an Adirondack stream as you’re likely to find.

Beyond that, the hike tells of less pleasant tales, in the form of the ill-tempered, boreal winds that have leveled stands of evergreens, snapping the trunks at chest height or blowing them out of the ground roots and all.

The remainder of the trail is admittedly a bit of a slog through tight-kit evergreens, blowdown and marshy conditions. From the southern trailhead the hike back to the car on the road is about what you would expect — were it not for the very pretty Stony Pond Brook, an argument could be made to return by retracing your steps along the river.

Either way, Hewett Eddy Loop is a great way to experience a classic wild Adirondack river, without venturing too far into the wilderness itself.

Photo at top: Falls on the Boreas River. Photo by Tim Rowland