Pedalling Around Promised Land Lake

 Monday, June 28, 2021

Hi Blog!

After spending Sunday visiting family near Philadelphia, it felt good to be back in camp. It is not often we can start our adventures right from our campsite, but Monday was one of those days. Here we are staring our bike ride around Promised Land Lake right from our campsite.

As you could have guessed, the North Shore Road follows the north shore of Promise Land Lake. There are still a number of private residences around the lake, so the road is well maintained.

We made a quick stop at the Burley Inlet Boat Launch, where we caught a fisherman casting about.  He had an unique, side-saddle style that we both admired and giggled at:

As we made our way around the lake, we passed a number of feeder streams.

The Big Inlet opened a glimpse into the lake.

As we pedaled around, we noticed a side trail that led back to the lake. We decided to investigate and found a beaver lodge.

We also discovered a number of low-bush blueberries. Kathy wasted no time mining for blue gold.

Luckily for Dave, she is willing to share her new-found treasure.

We soon reach the cut-off for the Whittaker Cabin. Build by the CCC, this cabin is on the list of National Historic Sites. For a small rental fee, you too can stay overnight in this piece of history.

Ridgefield Point is a small peninsula that juts into Promised Land Lake. It has a number of private cabins on property leased to them by the the state park. They have their own boat launch at the end of the point.

We finished our pedal along North Shore Road by cutting through the Pines Campground to reach the public Day Use Area.

We were curious about the dam and spillway that leads to Lower Lake. Here Dave left his bike on the dam as we explored the spillway.

We soon left the crowed Day Use Area behind and made our way along Park Avenue to Conservation Island. A short trail around the island would give us a chance to stretch our legs. As we crossed the bridge over to Conservation Island, we noticed much of the bay toward Pickerel Point is covered in lily pads.

While the hike around Conservation Island was a great stretch of the legs, there really wasn't much to photograph. We continued on our biked along Park Avenue south of Conservation Island. We stopped to look back where we had crossed the bridge to Conservation Island. Conservation Island is to the right and the mainland is to the left.

Here is a close-up look at the bridge. 

Tomorrow is our last full day in Promised Land State Park. They are calling for thunderstorms in the afternoon. We are hoping to paddle around the lake in the morning before the storms. Stay tuned.