Bear Pond.
Bear Pond is a 55-acre water in the Saranac Lake region — mid-sized by local standards, but without public fish stocking records or well-documented access in DEC materials. The name suggests old trapping or hunting use, common across ponds of this size that sit outside the High Peaks corridor and away from state campground networks. Ponds like this often hold wild brookies or serve as seasonal wildlife habitat, but without maintained trails or boat launches they stay off most paddling and fishing itineraries. Worth checking local outfitters or the DEC Ray Brook office for current access status if you're working the area.
Bear Pond reaches a maximum depth of 60 feet, with a mean depth of 22 feet. Bear Pond has public access. Summits nearby include Saint Regis Mountain.
The water, surveyed.
- Peak foliage from the water — the best seats in the Park are in a canoe this month.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
12 parking areas· 1 accessible
Closest parking lots within range, ranked by walking distance. Accessibility flags come from Google verified-data and NYSDEC records; surface and capacity from NYSDEC and OpenStreetMap. Confirm hours and seasonal closures before you go.
- 01Meadow Pond Trail ParkingTrailhead2.1 miunpavedDirections →
- 02St. Regis Trail Head Parking2.4 miunpavedDirections →
- 03Little Green Pond Parking Lot2.8 miunpavedDirections →
- 04Lake Clear Beach Parking2.9 miunpavedDirections →
- 05Little Clear Pond Parking Lot3.0 miunpavedDirections →
- 06Fish Pond Truck Trail Parking Lot3.1 miunpavedDirections →
- 07Federation Pond Water Access Parking3.3 miunpavedDirections →
- 08DEC parking 2286903.4 mi
+4 more on the map above
Getting in, staying over.
Camping.
On the water.
What the lake is doing today.
What rings this water.
The peaks.
Read before you launch.
Make a weekend of it.
Closest editorial picks for a meal, a scoop, a pint, a bed, and a sight worth your time.
Eat.
4- Hohmeyer's Adirondack Alps Restaurant3.4 mi
A family-owned restaurant in the Adirondacks offering seasonal, 100-mile-focused fusion cuisine, a 1920s Speakeasy, and a hidden Beer and Wine Cellar.
- Red Fox8.7 mi
The Red Fox Restaurant is a longtime Saranac Lake landmark known for its Steak, Seafood, and Italian dishes, offered in a spacious Adirondack-style setting.
- Our Plates9.1 mi
Our Plates offers Caribbean and Southern-inspired cuisine for pickup at 7 Broadway. Enjoy dishes like Empanadas Locas, Dominican Chimi Burgers, Bistec Encebollado, and Tres Leches cake.
- China Jade9.2 mi
A long-running Chinese restaurant on Saranac Lake's Main Street, doing classic American-Chinese standards for dine-in and takeout, Tuesday through Saturday.
Sip.
4- Origin Coffee9.2 mi
Origin Coffee Co is a specialty coffee shop with locations in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake serving a chef-driven breakfast and lunch menu.
- Nori's Village Market9.2 mi
Nori's Village Market and Riverside Cafe offers a market with organic and local produce, bulk foods, coffee, and teas, alongside a cafe serving natural, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and local meat options.
- Blue Moon9.2 mi
Blue Moon Café in Saranac Lake offers dine-in, pick-up, and curbside delivery services. Guests can enjoy weekly specials, restaurant menus, baked goods, coffee, grocery items, and adult beverages.
- Saranac Juice10.3 mi
Cold-pressed juices, cleanses, protein elixirs, and nut mylks from Saranac River Ranch in Bloomingdale, made from organic produce grown on the farm or sourced from local Adirondack growers.
Sweet.
4- Mark Twain Maple Works8.3 mi
Mark Twain Maple Works produces New York State maple syrup on the shore of Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Park. They have been making syrup since 2013, expanding their operation and offering various grades.
- Mountain Mist Custard9.8 mi
A summer fixture on the shore of Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, with picnic tables and a dock you can tie a boat to. Frozen custard and soft serve with weekly-rotating flavors, shakes, and sundaes.
- Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream11.9 mi
A fourth-generation Saranac Lake institution on a former dairy farm, serving exactly one rotating soft-serve flavor each day — twisted with vanilla on the same 1953 machine. Cash only; check the daily flavor. Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- Skyline Ice Cream15.0 mi
A roadside soft-serve stand on Route 30 in Tupper Lake since 1985 — vanilla and black-raspberry twists, gelato, Dole Whip, and Michigans, now with an expanded burger-and-fries menu.
Drink.
4- The 1892 Bar & Grille3.6 mi
The 1892 Bar & Grille is a locally owned rustic bar and restaurant in Lake Clear, NY, offering homemade food. Recently under new ownership, it brings fresh energy and an updated menu to its patrons.
- Bitters & Bones9.0 mi
Saranac Lake's only downtown brewery, restaurant, and bar, Bitters & Bones offers craft beer brewed upstairs, fresh local cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and craft cocktails. It features rooftop decks and unique private event spa…
- RiverTrail Beerworks9.2 mi
RiverTrail Beerworks is Saranac Lake’s only riverfront brewpub, located on the Saranac Lake River Walk and Rail Trail. It features a heated patio, firepits, two golf simulators, and serves lunch and dinner daily with house-brewed beers and…
- Hex and Hop Brewing10.0 mi
Hex and Hop Brewing is a craft brewery and meadery in Bloomingdale, New York, making full-flavored, locally sourced beer and mead. They prioritize community and craft, using fresh, local ingredients.
Stay.
4- Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge & Resort3.5 mi
Wooded lakefront resort featuring homey rooms & cabins, local dining, a pub & outdoor recreation.
- The St. Regis Suites5.0 mi
Five well-appointed suites of various sizes, between Saranac Lake and Paul Smith's College in Gabriels, NY. Renovated by Cedar Circle LLC with green building techniques. Stays from three days to three months.
- The Point6.9 mi
An all-inclusive Great Camp on Upper Saranac Lake, built by William Avery Rockefeller II a century ago. The first Relais & Chateaux property in North America and the only Forbes Five Star property in Upstate New York. Adults-only, communal dining.
- Fish Creek Pond Campground7.5 mi
This expansive campground offers 355 sites with direct water access to Fish Creek and Square Ponds, providing ample opportunities for boating, fishing, and swimming from May to October.
See.
4- Topridge1.4 mi
The sprawling Gilded Age estate Marjorie Merriweather Post built on Upper St. Regis Lake — later New York State's, now privately held. Best seen from the St. Regis lakes.
- White Pine Camp5.0 mi
The 1907 Great Camp on Osgood Pond that served as Calvin Coolidge's Summer White House in the summer of 1926. Seasonal guided tours, and several cottages rent by the week.
- THE GREAT ADIRONDACK CORN MAZE5.7 mi
The Great Adirondack Corn Maze at Tucker Farms in Gabriels offers a new maze design each year, providing a fun experience of getting lost in the cornfield.
- Sail Adirondacks: Saranac Lake-Lake Placid8.7 mi
A crewed sailboat charter operation with bases in Saranac Lake and Port Henry on Lake Champlain, running learn-to-sail lessons and skippered cruises on a fleet of classic sailboats.
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- Where is Bear Pond located?Bear Pond is a pond in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Bear Pond?Bear Pond has a surface area of approximately 55 acres, a smaller backcountry water.
- How deep is Bear Pond?Bear Pond has a maximum depth of 60 feet, with a mean depth of 22.3 feet.
- Is Bear Pond open to the public?Yes, Bear Pond has public access. See the listing page for current trailhead, parking, and boat-launch details, and check active DEC advisories before visiting.
- Can you camp at Bear Pond?Within roughly seven miles of Bear Pond: 300 designated campsites, 8 lean-tos or shelters. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.