Ward Pond.
Ward Pond is a four-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it reads more like a beaver meadow than a named destination, and obscure enough that it doesn't show up in the standard paddling guides or fishing reports. No fish stocking data on file, no maintained trail infrastructure, no lean-to within shouting distance. This is the kind of water that exists on the map because it holds water year-round and someone gave it a name a century ago, not because anyone's planning a weekend around it. If you know how to get there, you already know what you're walking into.
Ward Pond reaches a maximum depth of 8 feet, with a mean depth of 5 feet. Ward Pond has public access. Summits nearby include Cherry Hill and Panther Mountain.
The water, surveyed.
- Peak foliage from the water — the best seats in the Park are in a canoe this month.
Seasonal pattern for this lake · live closures appear above
10 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.
- 01Meacham Lake OutletTrailhead2.5 miunpavedDirections →
- 02Hays Brook Trail Parking Lot2.7 miunpavedDirections →
- 03Madawaska Flow Parking Lot3.7 miunpavedDirections →
- 04Clear Pond Parking Lot4.7 miunpavedDirections →
- 05Debar Mtn. Parking Lot4.7 miunpavedDirections →
- 06St. Regis Trail Head Parking5.9 miunpavedDirections →
- 07Osgood Boat Launch Parking Lot6.0 miunpavedDirections →
- 08Saint Regis River Parking6.3 miunpavedDirections →
+2 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- Hohmeyer's Adirondack Alps Restaurant11.1 mi
A family-owned restaurant in the Adirondacks offering seasonal, 100-mile-focused fusion cuisine, a 1920s Speakeasy, and a hidden Beer and Wine Cellar.
- Our Plates15.6 mi
Our Plates offers Caribbean and Southern-inspired cuisine for pickup at 7 Broadway. Enjoy dishes like Empanadas Locas, Dominican Chimi Burgers, Bistec Encebollado, and Tres Leches cake.
- China Jade15.7 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.
- Owl's Nest Pizza Parlor15.7 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.
Sip.
4- Saranac Juice13.9 mi
Cold-pressed juices, cleanses, protein elixirs, and nut mylks from Saranac River Ranch in Bloomingdale, made from organic produce grown on the farm or sourced from local Adirondack growers.
- Nori's Village Market15.6 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.
- Origin Coffee15.6 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.
- Blue Moon15.7 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.
Sweet.
4- Mark Twain Maple Works15.3 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 Custard16.6 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 Cream18.3 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.
- Skyline Ice Cream22.0 mi
A roadside soft-serve stand on Route 30 in Tupper Lake since 1985 — vanilla and black-raspberry twists, gelato, Dole Whip, and Michigans, now with an expanded burger-and-fries menu.
— 15.3 mi to the nearest scoop; save it for the ride home.
Drink.
4- The 1892 Bar & Grille11.1 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.
- Hex and Hop Brewing13.1 mi
Hex and Hop Brewing is a craft brewery and meadery in Bloomingdale, New York, making full-flavored, locally sourced beer and mead. They prioritize community and craft, using fresh, local ingredients.
- Bitters & Bones15.5 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 Beerworks15.6 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…
Stay.
4- The St. Regis Suites7.4 mi
Five well-appointed suites of various sizes, between Saranac Lake and Paul Smith's College in Gabriels, NY. Renovated by Cedar Circle LLC with green building techniques. Stays from three days to three months.
- Hohmeyer's Lake Clear Lodge & Resort11.1 mi
Wooded lakefront resort featuring homey rooms & cabins, local dining, a pub & outdoor recreation.
- The Point14.9 mi
An all-inclusive Great Camp on Upper Saranac Lake, built by William Avery Rockefeller II a century ago. The first Relais & Chateaux property in North America and the only Forbes Five Star property in Upstate New York. Adults-only, communal dining.
- Fish Creek Pond Campground15.1 mi
This expansive campground offers 355 sites with direct water access to Fish Creek and Square Ponds, providing ample opportunities for boating, fishing, and swimming from May to October.
See.
4- White Pine Camp5.5 mi
The 1907 Great Camp on Osgood Pond that served as Calvin Coolidge's Summer White House in the summer of 1926. Seasonal guided tours, and several cottages rent by the week.
- Topridge7.0 mi
The sprawling Gilded Age estate Marjorie Merriweather Post built on Upper St. Regis Lake — later New York State's, now privately held. Best seen from the St. Regis lakes.
- THE GREAT ADIRONDACK CORN MAZE9.2 mi
The Great Adirondack Corn Maze at Tucker Farms in Gabriels offers a new maze design each year, providing a fun experience of getting lost in the cornfield.
- Adirondack Carousel15.4 mi
A community-built carousel on Depot Street in Saranac Lake, with hand-carved Adirondack animals (bear, loon, deer, otter) instead of horses. Year-round, indoors, and the best rainy-day move in town for kids under 8.
Add to the record.
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File a report.
Trail conditions, water level, bug pressure, blowdown. The kind of detail that helps the next person plan.
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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 Ward Pond located?Ward Pond is a pond in the Saranac Lake region of the Adirondack Park in northern New York State.
- How big is Ward Pond?Ward Pond has a surface area of approximately 4 acres, a small pond.
- How deep is Ward Pond?Ward Pond has a maximum depth of 8 feet, with a mean depth of 4.9 feet.
- Is Ward Pond open to the public?Yes, Ward 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 Ward Pond?Within roughly seven miles of Ward Pond: 31 designated campsites, 7 lean-tos or shelters. Permit and primitive-camping rules vary; check NYSDEC before you go.