Middle Saranac Lake

Middle Saranac Lake
A small island, Stony Creek Mountain in the background
Middle Saranac Lake Location within New York Middle Saranac Lake Location within the United States
Location	Adirondacks, Franklin County, New York
Coordinates	44°15′28.08″N 074°15′56.52″W
Primary inflows	Saranac River
Primary outflows	Saranac River
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	3.2 mi (5.1 km)
Max. width	1 mi (1.6 km)
Surface area	1,414 acres (5.72 km2)
Surface elevation	1,536 ft (468 m)
Islands	18
Settlements	none

Middle Saranac Lake, also called Round Lake, is the smallest of three connected lakes, part of the Saranac River, near the village of Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks in northern New York. Two-thirds of its shoreline is state-owned. The lake is located in the towns of Harrietstown and Santa Clara, in Franklin County.

With Upper Saranac Lake and Lower Saranac Lake, a 17 miles (27 km) paddle with only one portage is possible. Weller Pond, made famous by Martha Reben's The Healing Woods, can be reached via an outlet of Hungry Bay on the north shore. The Saranac Lake Islands Public Campground provides 87 campsites on Middle and Lower Saranac Lake. The lake, along with both Upper and Lower Saranac Lakes, is also part of the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail, which begins in Old Forge, NY and ends in Fort Kent, ME.

History

Prior to the development of railroads and the automobile, the Saranac Lakes formed part of an important transportation route in the Adirondacks; one could travel 140 miles across, from Old Forge to Lake Champlain, almost entirely on water.

Middle Saranac Lake from Ampersand Mountain, Upper Saranac Lake, upper right, Weller Pond, center right

A lean-to at a campsite on Hungry Bay on Middle Saranac Lake.

See also

• Adirondacks
• Upper Saranac Lake
• Lower Saranac Lake
• Northern Forest Canoe Trail

External links

• New York State DEC - Camping Information

Sources

Jamieson, Paul and Morris, Donald, Adirondack Canoe Waters, North Flow, Lake George, NY: Adirondack Mountain Club, 1987. ISBN 0-935272-43-7.