Great Chazy River.
The Great Chazy River drains north out of the Adirondack Park through Clinton County, running roughly 60 miles from its headwaters near Lyon Mountain to the Canadian border and Lake Champlain — a working river with a mix of farmland meanders, wooded stretches, and small-town access points. The upper reaches move through forest and old iron country; the lower sections flatten and warm as they leave the Park boundary. Paddlers know it as a spring runoff trip — Class I-II water depending on the section and the snowmelt — and a few access points exist along county roads, though this isn't a heavily promoted or maintained paddling corridor. Fishing pressure is light; access is local knowledge.
Great Chazy River has public access.
The water, surveyed.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
7 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.
- 01Smith Road Parking AreaTrailhead2.6 miunpavedDirections →
- 02Nys Route 374 Field Parking Area5.1 miunpavedDirections →
- 03Route 374 Parking Area5.6 mipavedDirections →
- 04Route 374 Spring Parking Area5.9 mipavedDirections →
- 05Clinton 11 Parking Area6.3 miunpavedDirections →
- 06Clinton 11 Road Side Parking Area6.3 miunpavedDirections →
- 07Wilfred King Parking Area6.8 miunpavedDirections →
What’s in the water.
NYSDEC has stocked this water across 13 recent seasons — the ledger below is the public record.
The stocking record.
Launch & supply.
Getting in, staying over.
Camping.
What the lake is doing today.
What rings this water.
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.
See.
1— 24.7 mi to the nearest sight on file; fold it into the drive.
Add to the record.
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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Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted.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 Great Chazy River located?Great Chazy River is a stream in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- Is Great Chazy River open to the public?Yes, Great Chazy River 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 Great Chazy River?Within roughly seven miles of Great Chazy River: 2 designated campsites. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.