Fourteen miles of lake on the Raquette River, midway on the Northville-Placid Trail. Helms Aero Service operates from the village seaplane base.
Long Lake is fourteen miles long. It is, in fact, the longest body of water that goes by the name "lake" in New York State. (Several rivers are longer; several reservoirs are too. But none of those calls itself a lake.) The hamlet of Long Lake sits at the south-central narrows, at the only road crossing — a working two-lane bridge that has been the regional pinch-point for over a century.
Helms Aero Service has run a commercial seaplane operation from the lake since the 1940s. The Cessna 180s and de Havilland Beavers tied up at the dock are not for show; they fly working trips into the wilderness ponds north and west of the village, drop off paddlers, fishing parties, and the occasional surveyor, and return at the end of the day. It is one of the few places in the Northeast where a casual visitor can pay for a real bush-flying experience without leaving the lower 48.
The village is also the northern terminus of the Northville-Placid Trail — the 138-mile through-hike that runs from the southern boundary of the Park to the High Peaks region. The trail enters Long Lake from the south, drops out at the village for a real meal at Cathy's Diner, and continues north. It is the southern Adirondacks' premier multi-day backpacking route, and Long Lake is its working trail-town.
Long Lake
open
Seaplane season opens
NPT thru-hikers
Long Lake itself
Fourteen miles · NY's longest "lake"
Helms Aero Service
Working seaplane base since the 1940s
Cathy's Deli
The trail-town diner on the through-hike
Northville-Placid Trail
The 138-mile thru-hike runs through here
Mt. Sabattis
Easy village summit · panoramic lake view
19 directory entries across 5 chapters · 18 pinned on the map · 4 Field Guides cover this region
Where to stay, where to eat, what to do — the curated trio above, plotted.
Custard's Last Stand is a historic ice cream shop in Long Lake, established in 1958, serving a variety of soft and hard ice creams, Dole Whip, specialty shakes, floats, and sundaes. They also offer merchandise and gift cards.
A 20-room hotel from the 1850s on Long Lake's main street, with a fine-dining room, a casual lakeview taproom, and a veranda that earns its keep from June through foliage.
Built by the wealthy Pruyn family, Camp Santanoni is a publicly-owned National Historic Landmark, offering visitors a glimpse into the early Adirondack Great Camp era and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Long Lake's enduring general store on Main Street since the 1970s, doing groceries, the deli counter, live bait, hunting and fishing licenses, hardware, books, maps, and Adirondack gifts. Year-round.
A general store on Route 30 (Tupper Road) in Long Lake doing groceries, gifts, and lunch orders for the boating and snowmobile crowd. Curbside grocery pickup and online lunch ordering for paddlers heading out.
John Dillon Park, run by Paul Smith's College, is an accessible outdoor recreation area in Long Lake featuring a 3.5-mile accessible trail system, lean-tos, and fishing access. It is closed for the summer 2026 season for water system impro…
Manos Soap Co. provides handcrafted handmade small-batch soaps, bath bombs, body scrubs, hand sanitizers, deodorants using natural ingredients and classic techniques
A family-owned lakefront property on Dock Road in Long Lake with 8 motel rooms and 18 cottages on 3.4 acres of frontage. Private beach, two boat docks, boat rentals, and walking distance to the hamlet.
Family-owned grocery and outdoor-supply store on Long Lake's Main Street, with organic, gluten-free, and vegan options plus a made-to-order deli counter. Camping and outdoor gear stocked alongside the grocery.
Trying to find a fast food restaurant in Long Lake? Pay a visit to The Park. We offer a range of burgers, sides, ice cream, drinks and coffee options.
A trip designed for the whole family — toddlers to teens — that everyone will actually enjoy. Family resorts, beaches, easy hikes, rainy-day saves, and a sortable atlas of every kid-friendly thing in the Park.
Brook trout streams that have been here since the glaciers, lake trout in two hundred feet of cold water, smallmouth on every shoreline — and a sortable atlas of every major water in the Park.
Camps, cabins, and lakefront — what to know about Park-region real estate, financing a second home, taxes and STAR, lakefront vs. mountain vs. in-town, and the surprises a generalist agent won't flag.
