Little Ampersand Pond.
Little Ampersand Pond is a 14-acre backwater tucked into the forest north of Saranac Lake village — part of the broader Ampersand drainage but quieter and less visited than its larger namesake to the south. No formal DEC records on fish, no maintained trails advertised on the standard trailhead signs, which means it's either a bushwhack destination or accessed via an unmarked woods road known mainly to locals with long memories. The kind of pond that shows up on a topo map but not in the guidebooks — if you know how to get there, you already know why you're going. Worth a look if you're sorting through the back catalog of Saranac Lake-area waters and you've already done the obvious ones.
Little Ampersand Pond has public access. Summits nearby include 789 and Ampersand Mountain.
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.
- 01Second Pond Boat Launch ParkingTrailhead1.9 mipavedDirections →
- 02Halfway Brook Trail Parking2.3 mipavedDirections →
- 03Lonesmoe Bay Water Access Parking3.1 miunpavedDirections →
- 04Route 30 @ Middle Saranac Lake Parking Lot3.7 mipavedDirections →
- 05DEC parking 226314.0 mipavedDirections →
- 06Oseetah Trails Trail Parking4.0 miunpavedDirections →
- 07Oseetah Trails Trail Parking4.0 miunpavedDirections →
- 08DEC parking 226304.1 mipavedDirections →
+4 more on the map above
What’s in the water.
NYSDEC has stocked this water across 14 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.
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 Fox3.8 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 Brewery4.3 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 Parlor4.7 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 Jade4.7 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 Moon4.7 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 Coffee4.8 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 Market4.9 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 Gourmet8.6 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- Mountain Mist Custard3.9 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.
- Mark Twain Maple Works4.1 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.
- Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream4.6 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 Creamery9.1 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 & Bones4.9 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 Beerworks5.0 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 Brewhouse5.1 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 & Grille7.9 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 & Breakfast1.8 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 Breakfast3.8 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.
- Traverse Lodge4.2 mi
Traverse Lodge is a lodging establishment on the outskirts of Saranac Lake, offering a variety of rooms and cabins. It provides a base for exploring the Adirondacks, featuring a new pavilion, campfire area, outdoor kitchen, and close acces…
- Gauthiers Saranac Lake Inn4.3 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 Placid3.4 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.
- Ice Palace at the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival4.7 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.
- Adirondack Birding Center4.8 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 Conservation4.8 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.
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Suggest an edit →Frequently asked.
- Where is Little Ampersand Pond located?Little Ampersand Pond is a pond in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Little Ampersand Pond?Little Ampersand Pond has a surface area of approximately 14 acres, a smaller backcountry water.
- Is Little Ampersand Pond open to the public?Yes, Little Ampersand 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 Little Ampersand Pond?Within roughly seven miles of Little Ampersand Pond: 38 designated campsites, 15 lean-tos or shelters, 5 listed campgrounds. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.