Every named reservoir in the Adirondack Park — flood-control basins, drinking-water sources, and the impoundments anchoring the southern watersheds.
Lake Abanakee is a small reservoir in the village of Indian Lake, created by a dam on the Indian River. It serves as a local water supply and offers calm-water paddling with public access from the village center.
Lake Algonquin is a 109-acre reservoir in the central Adirondacks, part of the Hudson River watershed system. Access is limited — the shoreline is largely undeveloped, with fishing for bass and perch the primary draw.
Lake Bonita is a 41-acre reservoir tucked into the southern Lake George region — a working impoundment rather than a natural basin, which explains both the geometric shoreline and the lack of public fisheries data. Access details are scarce in the standard references, and the water doesn't pull the same traffic as the named trout ponds or the Lake George shoreline itself. If you're hunting it down, expect private holdings around the perimeter and limited to no public launch infrastructure. Best confirmed locally before you load the kayak.
Lake Butterfield is a 25-acre reservoir in the Great Sacandaga Lake region — part of the network of smaller impoundments and flowages that spread through the southern Adirondacks in the wake of the Sacandaga's damming in the 1930s. The water sits in quieter, less-trafficked country than the main lake basin, where most attention (and most boat launches) concentrate on the big water. No fish data on file, which typically means either limited stocking history or limited angler pressure — sometimes both. Worth a look if you're mapping the lesser-known pieces of the Sacandaga system, but confirm access and current conditions locally before making the drive.
Lake Julia is a 10-acre reservoir tucked into the Old Forge working-forest landscape — more utility than destination, but quiet if you're willing to look for it. No public fish stocking records, no marked trailhead, no DEC campsite infrastructure — this is the kind of water that shows up on the map but doesn't advertise itself. Access typically means bushwhacking from nearby logging roads or asking permission if you know whose land abuts the shoreline. It's the sort of spot that rewards locals with a canoe and a tolerance for mosquitoes in June.
Lake Kora is a 387-acre reservoir in the town of Indian Lake, created in 1930 by Cedar River dam. The lake holds brown trout and smallmouth bass; boat launch at the north end off Route 30.
Lake Luzerne is a reservoir on the Hudson River formed by the Hadley-Luzerne Dam, located at the southern edge of the Adirondack Park. The impoundment stretches roughly 4 miles upstream and supports warmwater fishing, motorboating, and public access via boat launch on Route 9N.
Lake Nancy is a 76-acre reservoir in the Great Sacandaga Lake region — part of the broader network of impoundments that redrew the southern Adirondack waterscape in the 1930s. The reservoir sits in a quieter pocket of the Sacandaga system, away from the main lake's heavier motorboat traffic and seasonal cottage density. No fish species data on file with DEC, which usually means limited stocking history or minimal angler reporting — worth a call to the Region 5 office in Ray Brook if you're planning to wet a line. Access details are sparse; assume private shoreline unless you locate a marked public launch or right-of-way.
Lake Placid — the body of water, not the village — is a 935-acre reservoir that anchors the town's center, flanked by Mirror Lake to the north and the Olympic speed skating oval and Main Street commerce along its eastern shore. The lake serves as both the geographic and social hub: public beach and boat launch on the north end, the Lake Placid Club grounds along the west shore, and enough open water to host sailing regattas, dragon boat festivals, and the occasional Ironman swim leg. No wild shoreline here — this is the working lake of an Olympic village, with docks, lakefront lodges, and a paved recreation path that rings the perimeter. The Ausable River feeds in from the south; the outlet drains north toward the Chubb River and eventually the Saranac system.
Lake Roxanne is a 206-acre reservoir in the Saranac Lake region — a man-made water that serves municipal purposes and sits off the main recreational radar. The reservoir designation typically means restricted or limited access, and without established fish stocking records or public shoreline access points, it functions more as infrastructure than destination water. If you're looking for fishable or paddleable water near Saranac Lake, Lower Saranac Lake, Oseetah Lake, and Lake Flower all offer public launches and better-documented recreational access within a few miles.
Lamica Lake is an 18-acre reservoir tucked into the broader Saranac Lake watershed — one of those working bodies of water that shows up on the topo but rarely in trip reports. The shoreline is a mix of private holdings and undeveloped state land, so public access is limited and best confirmed with the DEC before planning a visit. No fish species data on record, which suggests it's either stocked inconsistently or managed primarily for water supply rather than recreation. If you're poking around the back roads west of Saranac Lake village and see the name on a sign, this is the lake — but don't expect a put-in or a clearing.
Larabee Reservoir is a four-acre impoundment in the Great Sacandaga watershed — small enough to paddle in an hour, quiet enough that most passing traffic stays on the main lake. No formal fish survey data on file, which usually means local brookies or warmwater holdovers, not stocked management water. Access details are sparse in the DEC records; if you're looking for it, expect to ask locally or trace property lines on a topo. This is a reservoir in the functional sense — retention, low traffic, the kind of water that shows up on the map but not in the guidebooks.
Lily Lake is a 221-acre reservoir in the Great Sacandaga watershed — part of the broader network of impoundments and flowages that reshaped the southern Adirondacks in the 1930s. The shoreline is largely private, with scattered seasonal camps and limited public access points typical of smaller Sacandaga tributaries and side waters. No fish survey data on record, though warmwater species — largemouth bass, pickerel, panfish — are the standard assemblage in these reservoir systems. Check local access maps or the DEC boat launch database before planning a trip.
Lincoln Pond is a 51-acre reservoir in the Elizabethtown area, stocked with brook trout by NYSDEC. Shore and small-craft access; the pond sits near the trailhead for Peaked Mountain, pairing a short paddle with a summit hike.
Lower Ausable Lake sits at 2,015 feet in a glacial valley below Mount Colvin, accessible only by the 3.4-mile trail from the Ausable Club gate — no public motorized access. The lake feeds Upper Ausable Lake and drains through Ausable Chasm; trout fishing and backcountry camping by permit at designated lean-tos.
Lower Chateaugay Lake is a 557-acre reservoir in the northern Adirondacks, known for smallmouth bass, northern pike, and yellow perch. Public boat launch at the north end; motorboats permitted, ice fishing draws anglers through winter.
Lower Reservoir is a one-acre impoundment in the Lake George region — the kind of small utility water that appears on USGS quads but rarely in guide books. No fish data on record, no trails leading to it, no surrounding peaks to anchor a day hike. It's the sort of place you'd stumble onto while bushwhacking between named destinations or tracing old roads on a winter map session — present, mapped, but functionally off the recreational grid.
Lower Saint Regis Lake is a 417-acre controlled reservoir in the Saint Regis Canoe Area, accessible by a short portage from the Paul Smiths visitor center. Motorboats are prohibited; the lake connects to Upper Saint Regis via a narrow channel and serves as a quiet gateway to the canoe route network.
Lows Lake sits at the western edge of the Five Ponds Wilderness — a 2,228-acre flooded reservoir that reads more like a sprawling backcountry pond system than a dammed impoundment. Access is paddle-in from the Bog River put-in to the west, and the lake is known for long fetch, sudden wind, and a maze of bays, islands, and channels that can disorient first-timers without a map. It's a multi-day canoe destination: primitive campsites scattered along wooded shorelines, lean-tos tucked into coves, and enough water to lose the crowds even on holiday weekends. Bring a compass, a topo, and enough time to make wrong turns — Lows rewards patience more than efficiency.
