Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Lake Clear is a nearly 1,000-acre pond — one of the larger waters in the St. Regis Canoe Area's eastern fringe — that straddles the town line between Franklin and St. Lawrence counties, just north of the hamlet that shares its name. The water opens up into bays and channels, with State Route 30 running tight along the eastern shore and public access via the DEC launch off Clear Pond Road. It's a transition zone: less wild than the carry-in ponds to the west, more working-waterfront than the resort lakes closer to Saranac Lake village, with a mix of camps, year-round homes, and enough fetch to kick up whitecaps on a north wind. The lake drains north into the St. Regis River system — part of the broader watershed that feeds into the St. Lawrence.
Lake Clear Outlet — despite the name — is a 99-acre pond northwest of Saranac Lake village, part of the Lake Clear drainage that feeds into the St. Regis River system. It sits in the low rolling country between the High Peaks corridor and the St. Regis Canoe Area, away from the granite drama but well within the working-forest character of the northern park. The outlet itself is the short connector stream between Lake Clear (to the south) and this pond, which then drains north toward the Upper St. Regis. No fish species data on file with DEC, but this drainage historically held warmwater species — bass, pike, perch — consistent with the slower, tea-colored waters of the northwest park.
Lake Colby sits at the edge of Saranac Lake village — a 273-acre lake that functions as both a town recreation hub and a quiet-water paddle when the bigger lakes get crowded. The shoreline mixes private camps with public access, and the village beach on the south end draws local families all summer. It's shallow enough to warm up early in the season and calm enough for flatwater kayaking, but it doesn't pull the motorboat traffic that Church Pond or Lower Saranac absorb. If you're staying in town and want water access without a 20-minute drive, this is the answer.
Lake Duane is a 47-acre pond in the Saranac Lake region — small enough to paddle in an afternoon, large enough to feel removed once you're on the water. The name suggests a private or semi-private history, and without public access intel widely circulated, this is likely a local or club water rather than a DEC-managed destination. No fish species data on record, which typically means limited stocking history or limited angler traffic worth documenting. If you're planning a visit, confirm access and ownership before launching — not all named waters in the Park are open to the public.
Lake Florence is a 19-acre pond in the Saranac Lake region — small enough to feel contained, large enough to paddle without circling back every ten minutes. No fish data on record, which usually means it's either marginal habitat or simply unfished and unreported; either way, it's not a destination for anglers. The name suggests turn-of-the-century private holdings or early resort history, common in the Saranac Lake corridor where camps and cure cottages once dotted every accessible shoreline. Check local access — many of these smaller named ponds are either privately held or require permission from adjoining landowners.
Lake Frances is a 14-acre pond in the Saranac Lake region — small enough to fish from shore in an afternoon, large enough to paddle without feeling landlocked. No fish species data on file with DEC, which usually means either intermittent winter kill or a pond that's simply off the stocking rotation and under-surveyed. The name suggests private-land history (likely a landowner's family member), and many ponds in this size class near Saranac Lake sit on mixed public-private parcels — check local access before launching. Worth a call to the regional DEC office or a stop at a Saranac Lake fly shop for current conditions and clarity on where you can legally wet a line.
Lake Kushaqua spreads across 534 acres in the northern Adirondacks just west of Saranac Lake village — big enough for serious paddling, quiet enough that it still feels local. The lake sits in mixed-use territory: private shoreline, seasonal camps, and a state boat launch that puts flatwater explorers within reach of Rainbow Lake (north) and the Saint Regis Canoe Area via a short portage network. No fish species data on file, but northern pike and bass are the usual suspects in these low-elevation Saranac waters. Launch access via Kushaqua-Mud Pond Road off NY-30.
Lake Margaret is a three-acre pond in the Saranac Lake area — small enough that "pond" is the more honest label, but it carries the lake name on the maps. No fish species data on record, which typically means it's either too shallow for consistent trout stocking or it's never been surveyed by DEC — both scenarios common in the smaller named waters scattered through the central Adirondacks. Without specific access or usage patterns documented, this one likely falls into the category of local-knowledge water: known to nearby residents, passable but not maintained for public recreation, and worth a look if you're already in the area with a canoe and a taste for exploration.
Lake Titus sits just north of Malone in the northern flatlands — 432 acres of warm-water habitat that feels more St. Lawrence Valley than High Peaks. The lake is accessible and developed enough for motorboats and shoreline camps, but it's off the main tourist circuit and sees mostly local anglers and families putting in from the public launch. No dramatic elevation, no named peaks within sight — this is Adirondack Park at its northern edge, where the landscape opens up and the paddling is wide and calm. The DEC stocks the lake periodically; expect bass, pike, and panfish in a system that fishes more like the Champlain lowlands than the mountain ponds to the south.
Lily Pad Pond is a small, seven-acre water tucked into the Saranac Lake region — the kind of pond that's named exactly what it looks like by mid-July. No fish data on record, no established trails marked on state maps, and no nearby peaks of note — this is backwater territory, likely accessed by bushwhack or private road depending on parcel lines. Ponds this size in this zone tend to be either hunting-camp holdovers with gated seasonal access or DEC easement parcels waiting for someone to cut a formal path. Worth confirming access and ownership before planning a visit.
Lilypad Pond sits fifteen acres deep in the Saranac Lake Wild Forest — far enough off the main corridors that it holds onto quiet through the summer weeks when the bigger waters fill up. The name delivers: shallow bays thick with lily pads by mid-June, open water in the center, the kind of pond that fishes better from a canoe or kayak than from shore. No species data on file with DEC, but ponds like this in the Saranac Lake region typically hold brookies, pickerel, or both — worth a rod and a morning if you're already back there. Access is walk-in; check current Wild Forest trail maps for approach routes and parking.
Line Pond is a five-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it doesn't appear on most recreational maps and hasn't made it onto the DEC stocking or survey lists. No fish species data on record, which usually means it's either too shallow to winter-kill through or too remote to merit sampling. The name suggests either an old surveyor's reference or a property boundary marker from the private-land era — typical for small Adirondack waters that predate the Forest Preserve. Worth checking local trail registers or the DEC Ray Brook office if you're trying to locate access.
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 Clear Pond is a 153-acre state fish-hatchery brood lake on Route 30 — fishing is closed by regulation, but it remains open for paddling. The pond serves as the eastern put-in for canoe routes into the St. Regis Canoe Area toward St. Regis Pond.
Little Clear Pond is a five-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it doesn't show up on most recreational lake lists, quiet enough that it stays off the summer paddling circuit. No fish data on file, which either means it doesn't hold fish or no one's bothered to file a survey report. These small named ponds tend to be local spots — swimming access, foot-launch canoe water, or just a place that needed a name on the map. Check the DEC's latest Saranac Lake Wild Forest map for access points if you're curious.
Little Colby Pond is a 14-acre water in the Saranac Lake region with minimal public documentation — no DEC fish surveys, no named trails on the standard trail maps, and no formal access listed in the current Lake Colby Wild Forest unit management plan. The name suggests proximity to Lake Colby (the developed, dam-controlled lake on the north edge of Saranac Lake village), but Little Colby functions more as a backwater or overflow basin than a destination pond. If you're hunting it down, expect bushwhacking or private-land complications. Best confirmed at the Ray Brook DEC office before making the trip.
Little Duck Pond is a nine-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that most paddlers and anglers pass it by for larger options nearby, which makes it worth knowing about if you're looking for elbow room. No fish species on record with the state, which typically means it's either unstocked, shallow and warm by midsummer, or both. The name suggests it sits on a waterfowl corridor — likely a spring and fall stopover for migrating ducks working the Saranac chain. If you're hunting down access, start with the local DEC office or a Saranac Lake-area outfitter; small ponds like this often live at the end of unmaintained or seasonal roads that don't make it onto trail maps.
Little Hope Pond is a 7-acre pocket of water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it doesn't pull recreational traffic, quiet enough that it holds its name honestly. No fish stocking records on file, no maintained trailhead signage, no lean-to — this is the kind of water that shows up on the DEC wetlands inventory and stays off the weekend loop. If you know where it is, you probably walked past it on the way to something bigger, or you're hunting grouse in the surrounding second-growth and stopped to glass the surface. Worth a look if you're already nearby; not a destination on its own.
Little Long Pond sits off NY-186 northwest of Saranac Lake village — 81 acres of quiet water in the Fish Creek / Rollins Pond corridor, more workmanlike than dramatic. The pond sees steady paddler traffic during the summer season, mostly families launching from the state campground complex or anglers working the shoreline structure for whatever's holding near the fallen timber. No fish species data on file with DEC, which usually means intermittent stocking history or winter-marginal conditions that don't support reliable populations. Access is straightforward; the water is calm; expect company on summer weekends.
Little Long Pond is a 60-acre link on the standard St. Regis Canoe Area route, connecting Little Clear Pond and St. Regis Pond via short carries. Narrow, quiet water — classic through-paddle terrain with no motor traffic.
Little Pine Pond is a 4-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it likely sees more moose than paddlers, and remote enough that it doesn't show up on the standard tourism circuit. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means brookies if anything, or nothing at all. Waters this size in the Saranac Lake Wild Forest often require bushwhacking or old logging roads to reach, and the reward is solitude rather than scenery. If you know where it is, you probably already know why you're going.
Little Rainbow Pond is a 17-acre pond in the Saranac Lake region — small enough to fish in an afternoon, big enough to paddle without circling back on yourself every ten minutes. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means wild brookies or nothing at all; local anglers will know which. The name suggests old logging-camp nomenclature or a long-forgotten trail convention — *Rainbow* ponds and lakes dot the Park, rarely for trout species, more often for the visual. Worth checking DEC atlases or the local ranger station for current access; ponds this size in this region are sometimes walk-in, sometimes old road, sometimes private-abutting-state with unclear entry points.
Little Square Pond is a 75-acre link in the Fish Creek–Floodwood paddle route near Saranac Lake, accessible from the state campground. Bass and pike in calm water; shoreline sites available for paddlers working the network.
Little Weller Pond is a 12-acre pocket water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough that it rarely appears on radar but named enough to have earned its place in the DEC inventory. No fish stocking records on file, and no formal trails or lean-tos documented in the immediate vicinity, which suggests either private land complications or simply a pond that functions as backcountry margin rather than destination. The name implies a larger Weller somewhere nearby, but if it exists, it hasn't made it into the modern record. Worth checking local topo maps and the DEC Unit Management Plan for the area if you're chasing every named water in the region.
Long Pond is a 14-acre water in the Saranac Lake region — small enough to be overlooked, common enough as a name to require context. Without public access data or fish survey records on file, it sits in that broad category of Adirondack ponds that are either private, difficult to reach, or both. The name appears on older USGS quads and in DEC wetland inventories, but it's not a trailhead destination or a stocked fishery. If you're tracking it down, confirm access and ownership before you walk in — many small ponds in this region are bounded by private land or require permission.
Long Pond sits northwest of Saranac Lake village — a 33-acre pond in a region dense with named waters but light on public information. No fish stocking records on file, no marked trails in the DEC inventory, and no nearby lean-tos or campsites in the usual registers. The pond likely sees local access and informal use, but without documented put-ins or maintained paths, it falls into that quiet category of Adirondack waters that exist on the map more than in the guidebooks. If you're planning a visit, start with the local DEC office or a Saranac Lake outfitter for current access intel.
Long Pond covers 250 acres on Floodwood Road and serves as the main entry point for St. Regis Canoe Area paddlers. Primitive campsites line the shore; smallmouth bass and northern pike hold in the narrow water.
