Childs Ponds.
Childs Ponds sits in the Saranac Lake region as a quiet 2-acre water — small enough that it lives in the margins of most recreational planning but worth noting for paddlers working the area's pond-to-pond networks or anglers prospecting overlooked stillwater. No fish species on record, which in DEC terms means either unstocked and unsampled or holding wild brookies that haven't made it into the database. The ponds (sometimes mapped as plural, sometimes singular depending on water level) occupy low ground typical of the Saranac Lake basin — forested shoreline, soft bottom, and the kind of solitude that comes from being too small for most people's radar. Worth a look if you're already in the neighborhood and mapping minor water.
Childs Ponds has public access. Summits nearby include Owls Head Pinnacle and Owls Head.
The water, surveyed.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
1 parking area
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.
- 01Twin Ponds Parking AreaTrailhead6.2 miunpavedDirections →
Getting in, staying over.
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.
Drink.
1— 24.1 mi to the nearest pint; appoint a driver.
Stay.
1— 21.6 mi to the nearest bed on the register; book before you go.
See.
3- White Pine Camp20.3 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 MAZE22.8 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.
- Topridge23.7 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.
— 20.3 mi to the nearest sight on file; fold it into the drive.
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 Childs Ponds located?Childs Ponds is a pond in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Childs Ponds?Childs Ponds has a surface area of approximately 2 acres, a small pond.
- Is Childs Ponds open to the public?Yes, Childs Ponds has public access. See the listing page for current trailhead, parking, and boat-launch details, and check active DEC advisories before visiting.