Poor Lake is a 16-acre pocket tucked into the Old Forge working forest — small, quiet, and named with the kind of frontier practicality that suggests it didn't offer much to early loggers or trappers passing through. No formal access or fish stocking records in the DEC system, which typically means private shoreline or minimal public infrastructure; if you're heading there, confirm access locally or via recent trip reports. The Old Forge region holds dozens of these small, lightly-documented waters between the bigger resort lakes and the deeper backcountry — some worth the effort, some living up to their names. A topo map and a conversation at an outfitter will tell you which category this one falls into.
Closest parking lots within range, ranked by walking distance. Accessibility flags come from Google verified-data; surface and capacity from OpenStreetMap. Confirm hours and seasonal closures before you go.
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.
Sunrise on the dock, a cairn at the summit, a bend on the trail. Your camera roll, our archive.
Add a photo →Trail conditions, water level, bug pressure, blowdown. The kind of detail that helps the next person plan.
Write a field note →Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted. We'd rather hear it than miss it.
Suggest an edit →
What to do, where to stay, and what's reopening across the Park as the snow melts and the calendar fills.
A complete planning guide: difficulty by peak, common combo days, seasonal realities, and a sortable, filterable table of every summit.
Overnight, day, and trip camps in the Park — the camp belt, choosing the right fit, costs and financial aid, ACA accreditation, and the questions every parent should ask before they commit.
