On the water at the private Goodnow Flow
The Summer season of Goodnow Flow activities runs from a couple of weeks before Memorial Day weekend through to around Columbus Day weekend. The lake level is raised during the May window by about three feet. See an additional post about the Lake.
Pontoon boats are the favored motorized transport since much of the lake is shallow. Powerboats and anything over 10hp are not allowed.
I use a lightweight Hornbeck canoe that I figured I could take to other locations by myself, but I haven’t so far! There is a request to do the basic cleanup for all boat types so as not to import or export invasives. There is a decontamination station at the Glens Falls rest stop on the Northway that runs at least on weekends during the summer.
Shop Boating at Cabela’s
In the water at Newcomb-NY’s Goodnow Flow
The water is considered OK for swimming but not for drinking. It is not screened for E.coli, I haven’t heard of any algal blooms. I plotted out the water temperature data filed with NY DECs CSLAP for summer 2018 (apparently above average). You can get a feel for water temperatures from this link (it’s for a stream joining the Boreas river), and at Warner bay Lake George (in season).
The lake is typically stocked with hatchery trout the 9 days before Memorial day (they get a week to recuperate and hide before the season starts). In 2019 it was about 750 each of rainbow and brook trout, 10-14”, but one was lost to an Osprey within minutes! The Loons and Otters also take a toll on the fish population. There is an assortment of other fish in the lake (bass and bullhead were tops of the 2019 named catch list).
On land at the Goodnow Flow: perimeter road & lease
ATVs and side-by-sides are the choice of vehicle around the Flow, they are allowed on the association unpaved sections of the perimeter road and are at least tolerated on the town-owned paved section.
The lake association that owns the Goodnow Flow collectively for lot owners also leases forest to the north of the lake for members use. This land stayed in private hands when the bulk of the Finch Pruyn properties were taken over by NY State. There are marked trails for hiking and ATV use. There is said to be a laminated map of the trails available but I haven’t seen a copy. You are supposed to wear club ID when on lake association owned or leased land.
Summer recreation outside the Goodnow Flowage: Newcomb and more
Newcomb has something happening many weekends of the summer and ‘bands at the beach’ Thursday nights in peak season. The town goes all out with an Independence Day fireworks display and ‘TR weekend’ is a big late-season event (Teddy Roosevelt was in the area when he learned that he was president after McKinley was assassinated). You can see an events schedule for the current and past year on the Discover Newcomb NY Facebook page, and there are Experience.Newcomb Apps available for iOS and Android.
Cloudsplitter outfitters and Newcomb Guide Service are focused on recreational activities and based by the 28N bridge on the way into Newcomb. Camp owners may want to try out equipment by renting from Cloudsplitters first. Rafting and tubing are great ways to spend a day.
Most of the non-town recreational resources around Newcomb are State-owned or operated. There is the Great-Camp Santanoni and the Adirondack Interpretative Center (AIC) based at the SUNY Environmental Studies & Forestry Newcomb Campus ESF. You can visit the Essex chain lakes and Boreas ponds which are major features in the lands acquired from Finch & Pruyn. Access to the Boreas ponds was improved in 2019 with a road upgrade and changes to regs for allowing motor vehicle drive up. I have pages relating to those lands at ADKforestrymaps.site, those include the OK Slip Falls. There is a short book on hikes and boating in these areas that have had restricted access for over a century. The recreational use of these new State lands is still evolving. You can also visit Tahawus.
| Attraction | Location | Distance |
| Newcomb Historical Museum | 5631 State Rt. 28N, Newcomb, NY 12852 | Local |
| High Peaks Golf Club | 45 Santanoni Drive, Newcomb | Local |
| Camp Santanoni | 58 Newcomb Lake Road, Newcomb, off NY Route 28N | Local |
| The Adirondack Interpretative Center | 5922 State Rt. 28N, Newcomb, NY 12852 | Local |
| The Adirondack experience | 9097 State Route 30, Blue Mountain Lake, NY 12812 | 28 miles |
| The Wild Center | 45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake, NY 12986 | 41 miles |
| The Adirondack Sky Center | 178 Big Wolf Road, Tupper Lake, NY 12986 | 43 miles |
Hunting in the fall at the Goodnow Flow
Limited deer hunting, by club members, is allowed in the leased woodland during the fall season. I think its limited to 4-point- plus bucks, no does. There should also be hunting on the State lands of the Essex Chain close by the Flow. If you are a hunter you will understand the rules better than I. I did see one mention of deer hunting at the Essex chain, for the first year it was opened to the public.