Ward Brook.
Ward Brook runs through the northern forest between Upper Saranac Lake and the village of Saranac Lake — one of dozens of modest feeder streams that drain the low country west of the High Peaks and empty into the Saranac chain. It's not a named destination, but it threads through working Adirondack landscape: private timberland, old camps, and the kind of scrappy mixed forest that defines the transition zone between lakeside development and backcountry. If you're poking around the dirt roads off County Route 46 or exploring the watershed by canoe, you'll cross it. No fishing reports, no trail register — just cold water moving through the woods.
Ward Brook has public access. Summits nearby include 776 and Sawtooth #4.
The water, surveyed.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
9 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.
- 01Ampersand Parking LotTrailhead4.1 miunpavedDirections →
- 02Route 30 @ Middle Saranac Lake Parking Lot5.0 mipavedDirections →
- 03Halfway Brook Trail Parking5.2 mipavedDirections →
- 04South Creek Fishing Access Parking5.6 mipavedDirections →
- 05Second Pond Boat Launch Parking6.6 mipavedDirections →
- 06Ampersand Road Parking Lot6.8 miunpavedDirections →
- 07Averyville Lane Parking6.9 miunpavedDirections →
- 08Coreys Road 1 Trail Parking6.9 miunpavedDirections →
+1 more on the map above
Getting in, staying over.
Camping.
What the lake is doing today.
What rings this water.
The peaks.
The waters.
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 Fox8.8 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 Brewery9.0 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.
- Tail O' the Pup9.0 mi
A roadside stop offering barbecue, seafood, and casual fare, with a history stretching back over a century.
- ADK Street Eats9.0 mi
Food trailer at 1179 NY-86 in Ray Brook, between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Chef-driven menu of tacos (Carne Asada, Al Pastor), lobster rolls, ADK Spiedies, and Rochester Hot Meats. Tuesday–Sunday.
Sip.
4- Blue Moon9.6 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 Coffee9.6 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 Market9.8 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 Gourmet11.5 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 Custard8.7 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 Cream8.7 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.
- Mark Twain Maple Works9.0 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.
- Emma's Lake Placid Creamery11.5 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- Ray Brook Brewhouse9.0 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.
- Bitters & Bones9.8 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 Beerworks9.8 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…
- Lake Placid Pub & Brewery11.7 mi
A brewpub on Mirror Lake Drive in Lake Placid since 1996, with 12 house beers on tap including the original Ubu Ale, a downstairs Irish pub, and a deck over Mirror Lake.
Stay.
4- Saranac Lake Islands Campground - Campsite #705.7 mi
Saranac Lake Islands Campground offers primitive, boat-access-only island campsites on Lower Saranac Lake, providing extensive boater recreation and access to four additional lakes via a system of locks.
- Saranac Lake Islands Campground Campsite 715.8 mi
Saranac Lake Islands Campground offers primitive, boat-access-only camping on Lower Saranac Lake. It provides extensive boater recreation and direct access to four other lakes via a system of locks.
- Saranac Lake Islands Campground - Campsite #746.1 mi
The Lower Saranac Lake Islands provide miles and miles of boater recreation and direct access to four other lakes through a set of locks which allow your vessel to be raised or lowered to the right water level.
- Saranac Lake Islands Campground - Campsite #776.5 mi
Explore the Lower Saranac Lake Islands, offering extensive boater recreation and access to four other lakes via locks. Camp on designated island sites for a primitive, boat-access-only experience.
See.
4- Sail Adirondacks: Saranac Lake-Lake Placid8.3 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 Carnival9.5 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 Center9.6 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 Conservation9.6 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 Ward Brook located?Ward Brook is a stream in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- Is Ward Brook open to the public?Yes, Ward Brook 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 Ward Brook?Within roughly seven miles of Ward Brook: 45 designated campsites, 32 lean-tos or shelters, 4 listed campgrounds. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.