Bear Pond.
Bear Pond is a five-acre pocket water in the Tupper Lake region — small enough that it likely sees more moose than motorboats, and remote enough that access details aren't widely documented. No fish species data on file, which in the Adirondacks usually means either truly wild brook trout that no one's bothered to survey, or a shallow basin that winters out. The name suggests old trapper geography; ponds this size were often named for whatever walked past camp. Worth investigating if you're already in the area with a topo map and a tolerance for bushwhacking.
Bear Pond has public access. Summits nearby include Buck Mountain and Brandon Hill.
The water, surveyed.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
5 parking areas
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.
- 01Saint Regis River ParkingTrailhead3.4 miunpavedDirections →
- 02Quebec Brook Parking Lot4.5 miunpavedDirections →
- 03Madawaska Flow Parking Lot5.4 miunpavedDirections →
- 04St. Regis Trail Head Parking6.2 miunpavedDirections →
- 05Azure Mtn. Parking Lot6.7 miunpavedDirections →
Getting in, staying over.
Camping.
What the lake is doing today.
What rings this water.
The peaks.
The waters.
The trails.
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 Restaurant10.9 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.
- PorkBusters BBQ14.7 mi
PorkBusters BBQ is a Tupper Lake restaurant serving barbecue dishes seven days a week from 11 AM to 9 PM. They offer a menu for dine-in or takeout, plus catering for parties and events.
- ADK Food Hub15.7 mi
A year-round market and casual eatery on Park Street in Tupper Lake, with a deli case, pantry staples, and a summer buffet built around the on-site Whitten Family Farm. Sunday farmhouse breakfast in July and August.
- Guido's Pizzeria15.8 mi
Guido's Pizzeria in Tupper Lake has been serving hand-thrown pizzas, subs, calzones, dinners, and wings since 1988. They offer free delivery within the Town of Tupper Lake on any size order and make fresh dough daily.
Sip.
4- Origin Coffee16.8 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 Market16.8 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 Moon16.8 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 Juice17.5 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.
— 16.8 mi to the nearest pour to this spot; pack a thermos.
Sweet.
4- Mark Twain Maple Works15.9 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.
- Skyline Ice Cream16.1 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.
- Mountain Mist Custard17.4 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 Cream19.5 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.
— 15.9 mi to the nearest scoop; save it for the ride home.
Drink.
4- The 1892 Bar & Grille11.2 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.
- Raquette River Brewing15.9 mi
A family- and dog-friendly taproom pouring year-round craft beer alongside four permanent food trucks, from wood-fired pizza to Carolina barbecue.
- Bitters & Bones16.6 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 Beerworks16.8 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…
Stay.
4- Fish Creek Pond Campground10.6 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.
- The St. Regis Suites11.0 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.
- Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge & Resort11.0 mi
Wooded lakefront resort featuring homey rooms & cabins, local dining, a pub & outdoor recreation.
- The Point11.2 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.
See.
4- Topridge6.6 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 Camp9.6 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 MAZE12.4 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.
- The Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory13.7 mi
Free 2-Day Space Camp at the Adirondack Sky Center Calling all future space explorers— get ready for an out-of-this-world adventure! Join us to explore some of the most fascinating topics in outer space! We’ll cover black holes, space tra…
Add to the record.
Free, takes thirty seconds. Yours forever.
Every page on this site gets better when readers contribute. Mark a peak you’ve climbed, drop a photo, file a field note, or flag a correction — every addition makes the next visitor’s page better.
Add a shot.
Sunrise on the dock, a cairn at the summit, a bend on the trail. Your camera roll, our archive.
Add a photo →File a report.
Trail conditions, water level, bug pressure, blowdown. The kind of detail that helps the next person plan.
Write a field note →Spot something off?
Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted. We'd rather hear it than miss it.
Suggest an edit →Frequently asked.
- Where is Bear Pond located?Bear Pond is a pond in the Tupper Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Bear Pond?Bear Pond has a surface area of approximately 5 acres, a small pond.
- 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: 71 designated campsites, 4 lean-tos or shelters. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.