Drain Pond.
Drain Pond is an 8-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it rarely appears on standard recreation maps and quiet enough that most paddlers drive past it without knowing it's there. The name tells you what you need to know about its hydrology: this is a drainage feature, likely shallow, likely weedy by midsummer, and probably better as a moose-watching spot than a fishing destination. No fish species on record, no trail reports in the usual channels — which means it's either genuinely obscure or it's one of those ponds that only gets attention from the landowner or the occasional local who knows the access. Worth a look if you're mapping every named water in the region; otherwise, there are deeper ponds with better parking within ten minutes.
Drain Pond has public access. Summits nearby include Whipple Hill and Little Orebed Hill.
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 AreaTrailhead6.8 miunpavedDirections →
What’s in the water.
NYSDEC has stocked this water across 15 recent seasons — the ledger below is the public record.
The stocking record.
Launch & supply.
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.
Sip.
1— 23.4 mi to the nearest pour to this spot; pack a thermos.
Drink.
1— 22.4 mi to the nearest pint; appoint a driver.
Stay.
1— 20.7 mi to the nearest bed on the register; book before you go.
See.
3- White Pine Camp19.6 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 MAZE21.6 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.
- Topridge23.3 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.
— 19.6 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 Drain Pond located?Drain Pond is a pond in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Drain Pond?Drain Pond has a surface area of approximately 8 acres, a small pond.
- Is Drain Pond open to the public?Yes, Drain Pond has public access. See the listing page for current trailhead, parking, and boat-launch details, and check active DEC advisories before visiting.