Saint Regis Canoe Area

General information on hiking includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

There are 26 miles of hiking trails in the Saint Regis Canoe Area, many of the trails are canoe carries between ponds.

Saint Regis Mountain (2,874 feet) - The trail ascends more than 1,200 feet and 3.4 miles from the trailhead to summit. The summit provides views of much of the northern Adirondacks and the many waters of the canoe area and nearby.

Long Pond Mountain (2,530 feet) - The trailhead is located on the shores of Long Pond and can only be reached by paddling from one of the two hand launch sites on the pond. The trail ascends 930 feet and 1.5 miles from the trailhead to the mountain's summit. The trail passes Mountain Pond and its designated primitive campsite at the 0.6-mile mark.

Fish Pond Truck Trail - The 4.7-mile Fish Pond Truck Trail and its 2 miles of spur trails, provide access to Bone Pond, Saint Regis Pond, Grass Pond, Ochre Pond, Mud Pond and Fish Pond. The trail ascends only 200 feet between the trailhead and the high point in the center of the trail. The spur trail to St. Regis Pond is known as the St. Regis Pond Truck Trail.

General information on paddling includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

The Saint Regis Canoe Area is a popular destination for paddling with 50 ponds totaling 1,621 acres and varying in size from a 0.5-acre unnamed pond to 388-acre St. Regis Pond. Canoes and kayaks can access the water at Long Pond, Upper St. Regis Lake, Hoel Pond and Little Clear Pond.

A popular canoe trip is the Seven Carries. This route travels from Little Clear Pond to Lower Saint Regis Lake. It passes through St. Regis Pond, Green Pond, Little Long Pond, and Bear Pond.

The Nine Carries is another popular canoe route. There are a number of variations of this route that passes through Fish Pond and connects two of three waters - Long Pond, Hoel Pond, or Little Clear Pond. Along the way the route passes through Nellie Pond, Little Long Pond, St. Regis Pond and/or Ochre Pond.

Paddlers should be aware that some of the canoe carries may be in rough condition. The trails may become blocked by blow down or beaver dams. Some of the trails and canoe takeouts are muddy and rough. It is difficult to use wheeled canoe carriers on many of the trails.

A section of the canoe carry about half way between Long Pond and Nellie Pond has been flooded by beavers. This will require a short paddle across the beaver pond.

General information on backcountry camping includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

There are 70 designated primitive tent sites along the shores of 20 of the ponds in the canoe area.

All designated primitive tents sites, campsites and lean-tos are available on a first come - first served basis and cannot be reserved. Designated campsites are marked with a yellow "Camp Here" disc. Designated tent sites are for tents only. Tents or small campers can use designated campsites. There are no hook-ups for water or electricity at campsites.

The larger waters have multiple sites while some smaller ponds have only one site. Most all of the sites can only be accessed by paddling.

The site on Mountain Pond requires paddling and hiking to access it. While certain sites on Fish Pond, Grass Pond, Ochre Pond and Saint Regis Pond may be accessed via spur trails off the Fish Pond Truck Trail.

Two lean-tos are located on Fish Pond and there is a lean-to on Saint Regis Pond

There are 10 campsites on the shores of Little Green Pond, nine of which are actually located in the Saranac Lakes Wild Forest. Nine of the campsites are road side drive-up sites which can accommodate tents or small self-sufficient campers. The last site is a walk up primitive tent site. All the sites are available on a first come basis, and the general regulations for camping permits apply. A special camping permit is no longer required.

A number of designated primitive road side campsites are located along nearby Floodwood Road, one on the main roads used to access the canoe area.

DEC's Fish Creek Pond Campground and Rollins Pond Campground are located adjacent to the wilderness. Allowing those who like some additional comforts to camp there and take day trips into the canoe area.

General information on fishing includes fishing tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations. You can ensure of continued good fishing opportunities in the future by fishing responsibly. If you have never been fishing but want to try, it's easy to learn how to fish.

The St. Regis Canoe area is renowned for its Adirondack brook trout fishing in a wilderness setting. Fishing ranks as one of the more popular activities with anglers seeking high quality early spring brook trout pond fishing.

Anglers may use the same trailheads and trails as hikers, the same hand launches as paddlers and the same camp sites as campers to access and fish these waters.

Twenty of the waters contain brook trout and other cold water lakes support fishable populations of lake trout and splake. Brook trout populations in several waters are maintained through annual stocking. The remaining waters with brook trout are maintained by natural spawning.

Slang Pond, Turtle Pond and Long Pond are fished by anglers seeking largemouth and smallmouth bass. Bass and northern pike are also found in the Saint Regis Chain Lakes that border the canoe area.

Fishing is prohibited on Little Green Pond and Little Clear Pond which serve as brood stock waters.

The Adirondack Fish Hatchery is located just outside the canoe area on Fish Hatchery Road. The road is used to access a number of parking areas for hand launch sites. The hatchery has an indoor visitor center with a pool containing salmon, a monitor showing brood fish in a pond, and other exhibits on fish propagation.

Adirondack/Lake Champlain Fishing provides information on fishing in the Adirondacks and links to top fishing waters, stocking lists, public fishing access and waters open to ice fishing listed by county.

Help Protect Native Adirondack Fish; populations of brook trout, round whitefish and other native Adirondack fish species have severely declined due to introduced fish.

General information on hunting includes how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations

All the lands and waters within the Saint Regis Canoe Area are open to hunting. Hunters may use the parking areas, roads, seasonal access roads, trailheads, and trails used by hikers, and hand launches used by paddlers to access the lands and waters in this area.

Big game hunting is a popular activity, particularly near easily accessible locations such as Keeses Mills Road, Fish Pond Truck Trail, and Floodwood Road areas.

The pursuit of white-tailed deer and black bear mostly occurs around the perimeter of the canoe area, however, some hunters seek a more wilderness experience. Camping permits can be obtained from the local Forest Ranger for periods of a week or more so that people may camp on and hunt around interior ponds.

General information on trapping includes how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations.

All the lands and waters within the Saint Regis Canoe Area are open to trapping. Trappers may use the parking areas, roads, seasonal access roads, trailheads, and trails used by hikers, and hand launches used by paddlers to access the lands and waters in this area.

Big game hunting is a popular activity, particularly near easily accessible locations such as Keeses Mills Road, Fish Pond Truck Trail, and Floodwood Road areas.

The pursuit of white-tailed deer and black bear mostly occurs around the perimeter of the canoe area, however, some hunters seek a more wilderness experience. Camping permits can be obtained from the local Forest Ranger for periods of a week or more so that people may camp on and hunt around interior ponds.

Trappers seek beaver, muskrats, mink and other fur bearing mammals in the canoe area during their respective trapping seasons.

General information on horseback riding includes safety tips and rules and regulations.

Horses can be ridden on the Fish Pond Truck Trail and the Saint Regis Pond Truck Trail. Horse drawn wagons are used by some during fishing or hunting seasons in order to transport supplies and equipment. However, there are no facilities or improvements for horses.

Only one horse and wagon group is allowed to access trail system at a time. Contact the DEC Lands & Forests office in Ray Brook (518-897-1291) prior to using horses in the canoe area.

General information on cross-country skiing includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations

Cross-country skiing is permitted on all hiking trails.

The 4.7 mile Fish Pond Truck Trail from Little Green Pond to Fish Pond is one of the primary ski routes.

Once the ponds are frozen and snow covered side trails off the truck trail provide several loop routes that cross Saint Regis Pond, Ochre Pond or Fish Pond and connect through Little Clear Pond.

General information on snowshoeing includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations

Snowshoeing is permitted on all hiking trails.

The 4.7 mile Fish Pond Truck Trail from Little Green Pond to Fish Pond is one of the primary ski routes.

Once the ponds are frozen and snow covered side trails off the truck trail provide several loop routes that cross Saint Regis Pond, Ochre Pond or Fish Pond and connect through Little Clear Pond.

General information on animals includes links to information about birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects that inhabit or migrate through the state.

Although there are no facilities developed for viewing wildlife, like any place in the Adirondacks you are likely to see wildlife on these lands.

The Adirondacks contain large tracts of wildlife habitat with some boreal, bog, alpine and other unique habitats. Many species of birds and mammals are unique to the Adirondacks or are mainly found here. More than 50 species of mammals and hundreds of species of birds inhabit or pass through the Adirondacks at one time of the year or another so it is not unlikely to catch site of wildlife during your trip.

More information on Adirondack Flora and Fauna from the SUNY ESF Adirondack Ecological Center.

You can protect wildlife and wildlife habitat when viewing them.

Wildlife Found in the Adirondacks

Mammals

• Moose
• Black Bear
• Beaver
• Eastern Coyote
• River Otter
• White-Tailed Deer
• Little Brown Bat

Birds

• Bald Eagle
• Common Loon
• Peregrine Falcon
• Osprey
• Great Horned Owl
• Great Blue Heron
• Wild Turkey
• Eastern Bluebird