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Haven’t been out riding yet, so not sure about the river trail, but given the weather we’ve had so far it may be iffy even if it is open. There is a bypass trail that you can use to avoid the river trail.
Just my opinion, but I would not ride Indian Lake or any of the large lakes yet, especially with a 6 yr old. I have heard that people have started riding them, but cold weather came late this year and some of the larger lakes only recently froze over. Oxbow has been frozen for a while, so that may be OK.
I believe it is due to get colder later this week, so if it were me taking a 6 yr old I would prioritize making sure she didn’t get too cold, even if I rode a tiny portion of what I would normally like to ride. This comes from experience taking my own kids years ago, starting at an even younger age. I found that it was important to make it a fun experience and not turn them off by letting them get cold and miserable.
I assume you are trailering? You can pick up an updated trail map and any of the local stores. Some trails are closed to logging, so an updated map will be important. I would suggest starting at the ball field parking lot in Speculator. You could head out to the tree farm and take Hatchery Brook trail to Perkins Clearing. Between the tree farm and Perkins you can do a lot of loops without riding lakes. You could come out of Perkins on the Big Brook trail and make your way to Oxbow Inn since you mentioned that. Not sure I would come back to town over Sacandaga and Lake Pleasant though. You could always backtrack and go through Perkins again back to town.
I would pack extra gloves, hand/feet warmers, hats, snacks and maybe some hot chocolate for your daughter. Stop a lot because she will be freezing before she ever says she is cold. Stop often, have snacks and maybe lunch on the side of the trail, maybe roast a hot dog to make it a real fun time for her. Get her hooked young! When she is 10 she can take the safety course and ride her own sled. I used to love riding with my kids regardless of how many miles we were able to get in – lots of happy memories and they still love to come ride with me when they can.
Good luck and happy riding.
I certainly appreciate having the forum back since I am not on facebook or anything similar. I hope we see some good activity here when we get the lakes frozen solid and some decent snow for riding. I almost said IF we get lakes frozen and snow, but trying to stay positive…
