Maple Ridge

Maple Ridge in Old Forge was a very historic area. The area begun before 1939 as a single rope tow and wide low intermediate slope. Several trails were added during the 1940's, as were a few more rope tows. Most of these trails, however, did not return to the base area, rather they led skiers to other locales in and near Old Forge. Rates during this time were only $1.50 for a full day of skiing.

A view of the area from around 1950 (courtesy of a 1950 ski guide). You can see the rope tow lift line on the right, and the very wide slope. Scattered trails are found in the woods on either side of the wide slope.

During the 1950's, even more rope tows were added, eventually totaling 5. A 40 meter and 15 meter ski jump were also built nearby and were the site of many a competition. Nearby McCauley Mountain opened during the 1958/1959 season. Maple Ridge and McCauley were marketed together as one "area" (kind of like what happened with Cranmore and Attitash during the 1995/1996 season), with tickets valid for both areas. In the early 1960's, a T-bar was installed, and all but one of the rope tows were removed.

Here's a trail map of Maple Ridge during the early 1960's after the T-bar was installed. Notice how the rope tow was located to the right of the T-bar, and that there was only basically one slope at this time.

After 1964, we have no more listings, but it is assumed the area continued to operate thru the 1970's, 1980's, and possibly into the 1990's. I say 1990's because the growth on the slopes is so limited and the lift remains there and in good shape. The area likely closed due to McCauley being a much larger and more varied mountain. McCauley is a great mini-mountain with a good variety for its size, and is definitely worth checking out.

Year	Lifts	Trails	Other Info	Source
1939	1000' rope tow	1000' slope, 200 feet wide at top and 600' wide at bottom, 4" of snow needed to ski	None	Skiing in the East: Ski Trails and How to Get There
Late 1940's, 1950, 1951	Three tows, 800', 850', 100' beginner's tow	9 trails and slopes directly and indirectly served by tow (it is likely that not all of them ended at the beginning of the tow)	NSPS Ski Patrol, instruction, lighted and heated shelter. Rates: $1.50 day, $1.00 half-day, operates daily	1951 Ski New York Guide
1951-1952	4 tows	4 slopes/13 trails	Ski school	Eastern Ski Map
1952-1953	5 tows	Same	Same	Eastern Ski Map
Mid 1950's	5 tows	Indeterminate	Jumping competitions, instruction, rentals	Mid 1950's Ski NY Guide
1958-1959	5 tows	same as above	Rentals, food	1958-1959 Where to Ski in New York State
1962,1963	T-bar, tow	Slope	Ski school, packer	Eastern Ski Map
1964	New T-bar, rope tow	Slope	$4.00/day tickets (good also at McCauley), $3.00 for rope tow, canteen, 40 and 15 meter jumps	Buxton's Eastern Ski Slopes
Early 1990's	T-bar	Same	Area closes	Educated Guess
2002	None	---	T-bar removed due to liability	Hennie Kashiwa/Adam Scholten