Bobcat Trail
- 0.1 mi
- round trip
- 51 ft
- climb
- 1,666 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Bobcat Trail is a short, easy cross-country ski route in northern New York, about 0.2 miles from the village of Paul Smiths. The out-and-back path is just over a quarter mile long and gains about 50 feet of elevation on the way up, with the high point at 1,666 feet. The trail is back-loaded, meaning the climb comes toward the end of the route, and the steepest section is about 0.05 miles in. Winter is the natural season for this trail. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Saranac show January highs around 25°F with lows near 2°F, and February is similar at about 28°F and 3°F. The station sits at nearly the same elevation as the trail, so those figures are a fair guide to conditions on the snow. Several other cross-country routes lie within a tenth of a mile, including Heron Marsh Trail (Gray) and Logger's Loop (Olive). For a change of pace, the K: Northern Region climbing area is about 3 miles away, and Lower Saranac Lake offers lake fishing roughly 10 miles off.
Best time to go
Best time to visit Bobcat Trail
No month here meets our mild-weather rule. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
25° / 2°
15 wet
Feb
28° / 3°
13 wet
Mar
37° / 12°
14 wet
Apr
50° / 26°
15 wet
May
64° / 37°
16 wet
Jun
72° / 46°
16 wet
Jul
77° / 51°
16 wet
Aug
75° / 49°
16 wet
Sep
68° / 41°
14 wet
Oct
54° / 32°
16 wet
Nov
42° / 22°
16 wet
Dec
30° / 11°
17 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Saranac Rgnl Ap, NY, 4.5 mi away at 1,663 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more snow worth the drive
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Heron Marsh Trail (Gray)
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0.14-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 29 ft of elevation gain.
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Logger's Loop (Olive)
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0.14-mile out-and-back ski out-and-back in New York with 24 ft of elevation gain.
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Heron Marsh Trail (Gray) / Logger's Loop (Olive)
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0.14-mile out-and-back ski route in New York with 9 feet of elevation gain.
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Bobcat
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0.17-mile out-and-back route in New York with 7 ft of elevation gain.
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Logger's Loop (Olive)
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0.19-mile out-and-back ski out-and-back in New York with 48 ft of elevation gain.
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Heron Marsh Trail (Gray) / Bobcat Trail (Yellow)
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0.21-mile out-and-back ski trail in New York with 78 ft of elevation gain.
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Heron Marsh Trail (Gray)
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0.16-mile out-and-back trail in New York through marshland.
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Bobcat Trail
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0.14-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 9 feet of elevation gain.
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Logger's Loop (Olive)
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0.41-mile out-and-back ski route in New York with 23 ft of elevation gain.
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Easy Street (Blue)
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0.17-mile out-and-back route in New York with 14 ft of elevation gain.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
