Interactive Canoe/Kayak Map
Our interactive map of canoe/kayak launch sites includes paddling route descriptions and maps and directions to the launch sites. It also allows you to search for nearby lodging, camping, attractions and recreation.
Outfitters & Boat Rentals
Guide services and outfitters can provide fully guided paddling excursions including equipment and expert commentary on the history and wildlife of the region.
Canoe/Kayak Packages
If you prefer to spend your days paddling on the water, but your nights in the comfort of fine lodging, try one of our canoe/kayak lodging packages.
Canoe/Kayak Routes
Bog River
|| 
The lower Bog canoe and kayak route has 7 miles of technical Class III water which includes unrunnable drops at 6' Split Rock Falls and 30' Pa's Falls. High water levels and expert level paddling skills are required.
Deer River
||
Paddling Distance: 10 miles. Access to waterway is via .6 mile portage trail from the Red Tavern Road (County Route 14).
Above High Falls is the 10-mile flatwater called Deer River Meadows. Access to this section opened in 1999. Below High Falls the Deer River drops rapidly with a mix of moving flatwater, rapids and falls. Access is via dirt roads in Deer River State Forest.
Deer River Flow
||
Paddling Distance: 2.7 miles.
Access to waterway: Parking and launch site at the southern end of the flow just off Route 30. This flatwater Adirondack canoe route includes an expansive marsh-lined backwater with mountain views and good potential for bird watching; a channel connects to smaller Horseshoe Pond for additional canoeing and kayaking.
Everton Falls Preserve
||
Above the waterfall a winding nine-mile flatwater traverses a broad scenic marsh. Paddle this canoe and kayak route upstream as far as you wish into this remote and seldom visited Adirondack scenic area. Public access to this waterway was expanded in 1999.
Fish Pond to Clamshell Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Fish Pond to Little Fish Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Fish Pond to Little Long Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Follensby Clear Pond
||
Paddling Distance: 3 miles. Access to canoe route via launch sites on Follensby Clear Pond off Route 30 or from Polliwog Pond on Floodwood Road.
You won't find an easier "pond-hopping" paddling experience than this one. All the carries are extemely short; you can practically see from lake to lake. Follensby Clear Pond is a beautiful Adirondack pond with numerous campsites found along its shore and on islands. The loop passes through a series of interesting and scenic ponds: Follensby Clear Pond/Polliwog Pond/Horseshoe Pond.
To extend your canoe or kayak outing, carry .2 mile to Fish Creek and explore that area. You can also paddle under Route 30 and through Spider Creek Passage into Fish Creek Ponds. From there you can paddle through a passage that leads out into Upper Saranac Lake or you can paddle clockwise through Fish Creek Ponds and then up Fish Creek returning via the .2 mile carry.
Green Pond to Little Long Pond (east) Carry
||
Yes, there are two Little Long Ponds in the St. Regis Canoe Area!
Hatch Brook
||
Paddling Distance: 9 miles. Waterway access is from bridge on Pond Road (County Route 27)Canoe this route all summer! A swift current propels you down this nine-mile flatwater cruise through a marsh and varied scenery to a take-out above Chasm Falls. At the junction with the Salmon River, a half-mile upstream paddle is possible. Scenic side trips include Indian Lake, Mountain View Lake and its inlet, which is canoeable for about three miles. High Falls is a short hike from the road.
Hoel Pond (access to St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Hoel Pond, strictly speaking, is not part of the St. Regis Canoe Area. However, this Adirondack pond provides easy access to that canoe and kayak area. Parking for the canoe launch is off of Hoel Pond Rd. Take Floodwood Road off of Rt. 30, southwest of Saranac Inn. Hoel Pond Road takes a right through the golf course. From the canoe launch, paddle across the pond and to the west of a headland for an easy carry into Turtle Pond. When water is high enough, you can float through this culvert under the old railroad bridge. If water levels are too high, carry up and over the embankment. You may paddle from Turtle Pond into Slang Pond and then carry into Long Pond (short) or Clamshell Pond (a long one).
Kit Fox Pond to Nellie Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Lake Kushaqua to Osgood Pond
||
A 12-mile canoe and kayak route from Lake Kushaqua to Osgood Pond traverses an interesting group of Adirondack lakes, channels and one .75-mile canoe carry. Take time to explore the remote three-mile stillwater outlet of Osgood. A unique canal connects Osgood to Church Pond at Paul Smiths. Some of the channels are shallow and wading may be necessary at lower water levels. You can extend this paddling trip by carrying to Lower St. Regis Lake. From here myriad scenic waterways and routes await the adventurous paddler.
Little Clear Pond (St. Regis Canoe Area access)
||
Waterway access to the start of the "Nine Carries" canoe and kayak route is from the Adirondack Fish Hatchery on the northern side of Rt. 30, southwest of Lake Clear. A dirt truck road turns right off of the fish hatchery road. Bear right for the launch area. From this pond, you may carry to additional waterways, including St. Regis Pond, Grass Pond or Green Pond.
Little Clear Pond to Grass Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Little Clear Pond to Green Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Little Clear Pond to St. Regis Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Little Fish Pond to Little Long Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Little Green Pond (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Follow waterway access directions for Little Clear Pond, but instead of bearing right to canoe launch area, continue straight to a parking/launch area. From Little Green you may carry (a short one) to tiny Bone Pond.
Little Long Pond (east) to Bear Pond
||
This Adirondack canoe and kayak route is well east of the one that is near Fish Pond.
Little Long Pond to Kit Fox Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Little Long Pond to Lydia Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Long Pond (St. Regis Canoe Area access)
||
Access to this waterway is gained by parking off of Floodwood Road in pull-off area past East Pine Pond for the short canoe and kayak carry into Long Pond.(There is also a longer carry from the northern end of Floodwood Pond into Long Pond) Floodwood Road heads west off of Rt. 30, southwest of Saranac Inn. It is paved for only a short way. From Long Pond, there are long carries that take you to the Adirondack waterways of Nellie, Bessie, or Mountain Ponds. A short carry takes you to Slang Pond.
Long Pond to Floodwood Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Long Pond to Mountain Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Long Pond to Nellie and Bessie Ponds Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Long Pond to Slang Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Lower Osgood River
||
Paddling Distance: 9 miles. Access to this scenic waterway is via Meacham Lake Outlet.
This small Adirondack river meanders beside a forested esker and through a wide marsh. Starting from Meacham Lake's outlet, paddle upstream and then downstream. Look for the huge Eagle's nest as you enter the Osgood River from Meacham's southern end.
Madawaska Flow
||
Paddling Distance: 6 miles. Waterway access is from Blue Mountain Road via Quebec Brook. Paddle and portage up Quebec Brook to access the remote and scenic marsh at its upper end, just opened to the public in 1999.
Nellie Pond to Bessie Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Ochre Pond to Fish Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Ochre Pond to Mud Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
Raquette River A
||
This Adirondack canoe and kayak route will take you from Long Lake to Tupper Lake (30 miles). This waterway meanders between sandy wooded banks. Traveling with the current, this leisurely paddle allows time for fishing and bird watching. Campsites and leantos appear at intervals along the way. Note the carry at Raquette Falls. The outlet of Stony Creek Ponds provides access to Upper Saranac Lake and routes north.
Saranac Lakes Chain
||
From the top of Upper Saranac to the east end of Lower Saranac is a 17.5-mile canoe and kayak route with only one half-mile carry. There are several leantos and many campsites along the shore and on islands. A fee is charged for campsites on Lower and Middle Saranac Lakes. This popular Adirondack waterway continues through Oseetah Lake into the Village of Saranac Lake, where the Saranac River begins.
Saranac River
The Saranac River starts out as slow-moving flatwater with one section of up to Class lll water at Permanaent Rapids just before Franklin Falls Pond. The adjacent road provides waterway access to the river before the rapids. A .4-mile carry connects you to Union Falls Pond.
Saranac River2
||
From Union Falls Pond, this Adirondack canoe and kayak route drops rapidly. Class I-II rapids in the first 4 miles are followed by a Class V drop at Teft Pond Falls. The carry is adjacent to private property. The next five miles include a complex series of Class II-III ledges, drops and hydraulics which demand advanced paddling skills and ample water. It is rocky and there is a wide fluctuation in the water level due to dam releases.
Silver Staircase
||
This 7-mile Adirondack waterway of nearly continuous whitewater requires advanced canoe and kayak skills to maneuver through long and complex rapids rated up to Class IV. Scouting is not always possible.
Slang Pond through Turtle Pond to Hoel Pond
||
There is no canoe carry between Slang and Turtle Ponds, just a narrow passage of waterway, then a paddling trip through a culvert under a railroad bridge to cross from Turtle Pond into Hoel Pond (or up and over the embankment, if water levels are too high).
St. Regis Falls Flow / East Branch
||
Paddling Distance: 6.4 miles. Waterway access is via a public picnic area/beach on south shore.
A quiet flatwater extends upstream for 6 miles above the dam. The East Branch St. Regis River below Everton Falls is passable at higher water levels. It is a challenging whitewater run with rapids and drops which may require scouting.
St. Regis Pond to Green Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
St. Regis Pond to Ochre Pond Carry (St. Regis Canoe Area)
||
St. Regis River
||
Portage into this remote 16-mile winding flatwater. This Adirondack canoe and kayak area is part of the Santa Clara Tract, first opened to public in 1999.
St. Regis River/Santa Clara Flow
||
Paddling Distance: 5.1 miles. Waterway access is from Blue Mountain Road in St. Regis Falls.
The St. Regis River above Santa Clara Flow was opened to the public in 1999. The canoe launch site is off Blue Mtn. Road. The downstream paddle has one carry just before you enter Santa Clara Flow. Paddle down through the winding backwater to the state boat launch site just off Rte. 458.
St. Regis Wilderness Canoe Area
||
This is a pond-hopper's paradise. Many carries are short and most canoe and kayak routes can be done as an unencumbered day trip. The classic "Seven Carries Route" is a 9 mile trek from Little Clear Pond to Paul Smiths, traversing 10 lakes and ponds. Various loop-trips start from Follensby Clear, Floodwood and Fish Creek ponds. Short carries connect this popular group of small Adirondack ponds and channels. You can expand these loops by carrying north into Long Pond and Hoel Pond. A loop around the St. Regis Lakes, which requires a .6-mile carry, offers the opportunity to view several Adirondack Great Camps and take a side trip into a peaceful waterway known as little Black Pond. You may need more time and a lightweight canoe for the "Nine Carries Route." Starting from either Hoel Pond (1.5 miles of carries) or Little Clear Pond (2.5 miles of carries), your ultimate goal is the cluster of ponds near Fish Pond.
The Chateaugay Lakes
||
These two large lakes, connected by a wide channel, are 10.5 miles long. This area has long been a popular summer resort. Check out Bluff Point with its adjacent shallow reef or paddle three miles up South Inlet. Below the outlet, the river drops rapidly with several falls, including the spectacular 120-foot High Falls.
Tupper Lake
||
A shallow marsh connects this canoe and kayak region in the Adirondacks which consists of Tupper Lake, Simon and Raquette Ponds. State land on Tupper Lake's western shore has a lean-to and campsites. Above Bog River Falls you'll find a 2-mile stillwater paddle.
