Saratoga County Flatwater

By Rich Macha

Kayakers, canoeists, and paddleboarders can find quite a variety of waterbodies on which to paddle in Saratoga County. An overview of the county’s streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes follows with, hopefully, just enough information for you to get out and explore and/or seek out more details on each of the bodies of water mentioned. Starting from the less-populated northwest corner of the county in the Adirondack Park, we will work our way east and south across the county.

The Great Sacandaga Lake is a large impoundment on the Sacandaga River. Its size and its many boat launches result in a very popular waterbody for motorboaters. Only the northeast arm of Great Sacandaga Lake is within Saratoga County. The 13-mile stretch between the Batchellerville Bridge and the Conklingville Dam can be accessed from a NYS DEC boat launch on North Shore Road in West Day or from a dirt ramp off Frank Kathan Road southwest of the Conklingville Dam. The shores are mostly developed. A paddle on a weekday after Labor Day should offer less motorboat traffic to deal with.

Stewart Pond, aka Stewarts Bridge Reservoir, is located between the Conklingville Dam and Stewarts Bridge Dam. This z-shaped section of the Sacandaga River between dams is over three miles long and shores are mostly undeveloped. Motors are allowed but few are observed. Access is from County Route 4 – look for a sign for the Stewarts Bridge Development Project. There are two places within the park where you can launch,

Hidden in the hills southeast of Great Sacandaga Lake, and just a mile apart from each other, are Archer Vly and Lake Desolation. Archer Vly is a half-mile-long undeveloped, near-wilderness pond with four backcountry campsites that are a short paddle or hike from the parking area on Fox Hill Road. It is a great place for some peace and quiet, and somewhere to enjoy nature without making too much effort. You might even get lucky and see a moose! Lake Desolation, a small lake on County Route 12, is private but canoes and kayaks can access it from Tinney’s Tavern for a $5 fee.

The Hudson River serves as the county’s northeast border. From the Spier Falls boat ramp, you can paddle upstream along undeveloped shores to just below the Palmer Falls dam in Corinth. From the Sherman Island boat launch, there are steep wooded shores on both sides of the river. The Sherman Island Dam is reached in two miles – there are islands and rocky peninsulas that tempt paddlers to poke around. The Spier Falls Dam is over a mile upstream from the launch. Both launches are on Spier Falls Road between Moreau and Corinth.

The Town of Moreau boat launch on the Hudson River can be found at the end of Nolan Road, off US Route 9 in South Glens Falls. From a sandy beach, you can paddle two miles downstream to the Feeder Canal Dam. Not far from the launch is a channel that heads southwest that can be explored. Going upstream, there is another channel on the left to check out before you pass underneath the Northway. There is some development on both shores for a while but soon the south shore is wooded as it is part of the Big Bend Preserve of Moreau Lake State Park. After a little more distance, the Leon M. Steves Big Bay Preserve is on the north shore as the river widens greatly, and then Hudson Pointe Preserve is also on the right – there are places to land there – a walk on the riverside green trail is most interesting. The Sherman Island dam is reached four miles from the launch.

Moreau Lake, within its namesake state park, is a small body of water with mostly wooded shores. There is a very popular swimming beach and picnic area on its northwest shore, and a campground is close by. The water is very clear and the fishing is good. If you can pull through under a footbridge you will find a small shallow section of pond where there is signs of beaver activity.

Saratoga Lake is a moderately large lake located east of the city of Saratoga Springs – a paddle around its perimeter would add up to about 12 miles. Most of its shore is developed and the lake sees a lot of motorboat traffic. Paddlers can access the lake from Waterfront Park on Crescent Avenue, where you can drive down close to the water, unload, and then find the nearest free parking spot. Paddling northeast you soon enter Fish Creek, the Saratoga Lake’s outlet, where there is a state boat launch ($5-8 parking/vehicle fee). Fish Creek can be paddled downstream to the Grangerville Dam, over seven miles from Waterfront Park. Fish Creek is a scenic, mostly flatwater route with some light development at times but you will find less motorboat use than on the lake.

If you paddle southwest from Waterfront Park you will reach the mouth of Kayaderosseras Creek, the lake’s major inlet. The creek is motorless and mostly wild. Turtles bask in the sun on fallen trees, and orioles sing in the trees. Lake Lonely Outlet enters the Kaydeross, as it is often referred to, a mile from Saratoga Lake. If you paddle up the outlet for 1.2 miles you will reach Lake Lonely, which is a small lake that is half developed, half wild. By the Crescent Avenue bridge, at Lake Lonely Watersports, you can park/launch for a $10 fee, and rentals are available. 

From Lake Lonely Outlet, you can continue going upstream on the Kaydeross for another three miles. After going under the Northway and US Route 9 bridges you find a small park with picnic table near Driscoll Road – it is possible to launch here but it is a 250 yard portage from the parking area. Quickwater above this point makes upstream travel very difficult. The best way to see the Kaydeross is by doing a one-way trip from Gray’s Crossing to Waterfront Park, although you could start from Kelly Park in Ballston Spa but you might find some blockages to get past in the first mile or two.

The section of Fish Creek below the Grangerville Dam can be paddled upstream from Mennen Road in Victory Mills. Shores are mostly wooded; there is some light development near bridges. From the put-in, it is over eight miles up to the dam and back.

Round Lake has a boat launch right on US Route 9, with kayak rentals available, and a quieter launch for paddlers off US Route 67 on the Round Lake Preserve (Anthony Kill). The small lake is popular with paddlers and fishermen. Motors are allowed. Much of the shoreline is undeveloped. A short channel leads into Little Round Lake to the north. Most paddlers find that the wilder and most interesting part is the lake’s outlet, the Anthony Kill, which can be followed for about a mile. A beaver dam can block your way but if you can get by it, the Dwaas Kill enters from the right and, especially in times of high water, can be paddled a fair distance upstream.

Ballston Lake is accessed from Outlet Road at its north end. It is a 3.4-mile-long narrow lake with houses along much of its shoreline. Motors are allowed. Adventurous paddlers can give the lake’s outlet, Ballston Creek, a try. You may have to lift over a beaver dam or two over about a mile but you could be rewarded with witnessing a heron rookery.

The Hudson River forms the eastern border of the county. For the purpose of this article, I will only mention select launch sites in Saratoga County. The Champlain Canal runs along the Hudson River in this area. Depending on when you go, motorboat traffic can be light to moderate. South of Fort Edward, from a fishing access site on West River Road (County Route 29) halfway between the junctions of Peters Road and Wells Lane, you can paddle a section between Locks C-6 and C-7 north for 0.4 miles to the Moses Kill which enters from the east – it is worth paddling up that stream for at least a mile, passing an old aqueduct and an historic trolley bridge. Back on the Hudson, you can continue to head north and paddle around 0.9-mile-long Griffin Island.

Paddlers can launch from Fort Hardy Park in Schuylerville. Schuyler Island is opposite the launch. Paddling north on the Hudson for 0.5 miles, and just before reaching the Lock C-5 dam, the Batten Kill enters from the east and you can paddle up it for 0.7 miles to below the Clarks Mills Dam. Paddling south from the launch, the mouth of Fish Creek is soon passed and at 1.2 miles there is an unnamed island which can be circumnavigated. Just north, Hudson Crossing Park, installed a new accessible launch at Lock C-5 in the park, and kayak rentals are available.

There is a boat launch on the upstream side of Lock C-1 north of Waterford from which you can paddle 3.5 miles upstream to the dam at Lock C-2. Shores are mostly wooded with some houses – a pleasant stretch of river – and, on the east shore, the Deep Kill can be explored for a short distance.

The boat launch at Battery Park at the south end of First Street in Waterford places you where the Erie Canal and Mohawk River’s north branch enters the Hudson River and Champlain Canal. Full-service kayak rentals are available, visit upstatekayakrentals.com. You can paddle the Hudson River for three miles upstream to below the Lock C-1 dam where you can go around Campbell Island and other small islands before heading back downstream. Watch for bald eagles along the way. 

Peebles Island State Park is located across from the Battery Park launch, and it’s surrounded by the north and middle branches of the Mohawk River and the Hudson. Paddling west on the north branch below ever higher cliffs on the island, you reach the bottom of rapids near Bolt and Polderump islands. From the launch, you can go a little south on the Hudson and turn southwest into the middle branch of the Mohawk and reach the bottom of Buttermilk Falls in under a mile. Skilled paddlers can play in the waves but be careful of currents and shallow areas.

The Alcathy’s Canal Park (Flight Lock Road) boat launch is at the end of Flight Lock Road in Waterford, with kayak rentals available. This puts you just upstream of Lock E-6 on the Mohawk River (also the current Erie Canal) and gives you 11 miles of river to explore before reaching Lock E-7. West of the Crescent Bridge (US Route 9), there are islands and Colonie/Mohawk River Town Park on the south shore. There is a car-top boat launch at the town of Halfmoon’s Crescent Park at the end of Terminal Road (northeast corner of the Crescent Bridge), with kayak rentals available. The Clamsteam Road boat launch in Halfmoon is a low-traffic entry into the Mohawk River, with kayak rentals available, just east of the Northway’s Twin Bridges.

West of the Northway’s Twin Bridges, the north shore is mostly undeveloped – you may have enough water to poke into Wager’s Pond and the old Erie Canal. The Vischer Ferry Nature & Historic Preserve in the town of Clifton Park runs along the shore for a few miles – for the adventurous paddler, in spring, its ponds and old canal can be a great place to check out. At the Whipple Bridge parking area, kayak rentals are available (a half-mile walk from the bridge). Closer to Lock 7, you can put in on the river at the south end of Ferry Drive in the hamlet of Vischer Ferry.

More detailed information can be found in these books: “Canoe and Kayak Guide East-Central New York State” edited by Kathie Armstrong and Chet Harvey; “A Kayaker’s Guide to Lake George, The Saratoga Region & Great Sacandaga Lake” by Russell Dunn; and “A Kayaker’s Guide to New York’s Capital Region” also by Russell Dunn. If you can’t find them at your favorite paddlesport or book store, try your local library.

A lover of wild places, Rich Macha has led many trips for the Adirondack Mountain Club and has spent 20 years in the paddling and snowsports business. For more of Rich’s adventures, visit northeastwild.blogspot.com.