Kiwassa Lake.
Kiwassa Lake is a 437-acre body of water in the Saranac Lake Wild Forest, accessed by a short portage from the Saranac Inn golf course. Brook trout and largemouth bass; developed campsites line the eastern shore under state permit.
Kiwassa Lake has public access. Summits nearby include Dewey Mountain and Mount Pisgah.
The water, surveyed.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
12 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.
- 01Lonesmoe Bay Water Access ParkingTrailhead1.0 miunpavedDirections →
- 02Second Pond Boat Launch Parking1.3 mipavedDirections →
- 03Ampersand Bay Boat Launch Parking2.3 miunpavedDirections →
- 04Turtle Pond Access2.5 miunpavedDirections →
- 05Oseetah Trails Trail Parking2.5 miunpavedDirections →
- 06Oseetah Trails Trail Parking2.5 miunpavedDirections →
- 07DEC parking 226312.5 mipavedDirections →
- 08DEC parking 226302.5 mipavedDirections →
+4 more on the map above
Kiwassa Lake.
From the people who’ve been here, plus what Google has on file.
What’s in the water.
NYSDEC has stocked this water across 5 recent seasons — the ledger below is the public record.
The stocking record.
Launch & supply.
Getting in, staying over.
Access.
Camping.
On the water.
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- Red Fox1.7 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.
- Blue Line Brewery2.6 mi
A brewery and restaurant on Lake Flower Avenue in Saranac Lake, doing thin-crust South Shore-style bar pizza and Wing Wars-winning wings alongside the house beer. The third-oldest brewery in the Adirondacks.
- Owl's Nest Pizza Parlor2.6 mi
Owl's Nest Pizzeria is a local favorite in Saranac Lake, New York, offering New York Style pizza, wings, subs, and other munchies. Available for dine-in, take-out, and delivery, it's a convenient spot to grab a slice.
- China Jade2.7 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- Blue Moon2.7 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.
- Origin Coffee2.7 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 Market2.9 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.
- Simply Gourmet8.0 mi
Simply Gourmet in Lake Placid offers daily breakfast and lunch with a focus on clean food, using fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients free of additives or preservatives. They also provide comprehensive catering services for various ev…
Sweet.
4- Mark Twain Maple Works1.9 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.
- Mountain Mist Custard2.0 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 Cream3.5 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.
- Emma's Lake Placid Creamery8.8 mi
A 1950s-themed creamery in the heart of walkable Lake Placid, famous for its Maple Creme soft serve alongside 16 hard flavors, gelato, sorbet, and old-fashioned malts. The reliable apres-hike treat.
Drink.
4- Bitters & Bones2.8 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 Beerworks2.9 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…
- Ray Brook Brewhouse4.1 mi
Ray Brook Brewhouse is a unique brewery in Ray Brook, NY, offering wild and traditional brews paired with adventurous dishes made from local and exotic ingredients.
- The 1892 Bar & Grille6.2 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.
Stay.
4- Kiwassa Lake Adirondack Bed & Breakfast0.4 mi
A lakeside B&B on Lake Kiwassa Road in Saranac Lake, with vintage knotty-pine cabins and boathouse-style lodge suites on 20 wooded acres, three miles from village.
- Branch Farm Bed and Breakfast1.8 mi
Branch Farm Bed and Breakfast offers three private accommodations on the shores of Lake Flower, complete with home-cooked breakfasts and direct access to outdoor pursuits.
- Ampersand Bay Resort2.3 mi
A small lakefront resort on Lower Saranac Lake with townhomes, cabins, lakeview suites, a private beach, a marina, and an on-site restaurant and wine bar. Five minutes from downtown Saranac Lake.
- Gauthiers Saranac Lake Inn2.5 mi
This family-owned inn, established in **1923**, offers renovated, eco-conscious waterfront lodging with direct access to Saranac Lake's extensive waterways.
See.
4- Sail Adirondacks: Saranac Lake-Lake Placid1.2 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.
- Adirondack Birding Center2.7 mi
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation protects common loons in the Adirondack Park through research, conservation, and education. They focus on understanding and mitigating human impacts to ensure loons thrive as environmental sentin…
- Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation2.7 mi
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation works to protect common loons in the Adirondack Park and educates communities about the importance of these iconic birds and their lake ecosystems.
- Ice Palace at the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival2.7 mi
The Ice Palace is a prominent feature of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, a historic annual celebration in New York State established in 1897.
Add to the record.
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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 Kiwassa Lake located?Kiwassa Lake is a lake in the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Kiwassa Lake?Kiwassa Lake has a surface area of approximately 282 acres, a mid-sized water.
- Is Kiwassa Lake open to the public?Yes, Kiwassa Lake 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 Kiwassa Lake?Within roughly seven miles of Kiwassa Lake: 38 designated campsites, 9 lean-tos or shelters, 5 listed campgrounds. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.