Friday Five: Lakes of the Adirondacks

by Daniel Kelly
— June 6, 2014

The Adirondack Mountain range was formed by the retreating Laurentian Glacier, an ice sheet that covered large portions of North America and was many miles thick in some areas. The moving ice block changed the landscape of the area, producing lakes and ponds in great number.

Upper Saranac Lake

This lake is one of three lakes along the Saranac River. Upper Saranac is the sixth largest lake in the Adirondacks with some 37 miles of shoreline. Much of this land is privately owned.

A kayaker on Upper Saranac Lake. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Mwanner)

Tupper Lake

Named after the first European surveyor to see it, Tupper Lake is fed by the Raquette River. This tributary is also its primary outflow. Tupper Lake contains a few islands and is up to 45 meters deep in some places.

Boathouses on Tupper Lake. (Credit: Dan Carmichael via Wikimedia Commons)

Lake Placid

Placid is well known for its role as host of the 1980 Winter Olympics, but the water body also serves as a major source of drinking water for the town of Lake Placid, New York. For this reason, water quality there is closely monitored. It has had issues with aquatic invasive species in the past, but these are coming under control thanks to boat-cleaning programs.

Lake Placid. (Credit: Flickr User Peter C in Toronto Canada via Creative Commons)

Long Lake

Part of the Raquette River, much of Long Lake’s shoreline belongs to the New York State Forest Preserve. Areas around the lake were unpopulated for some time until a railroad system was constructed. The lake was to be part of a canal linking the Raquette and Hudson Rivers, but the project was abandoned.

Long Lake. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons User Mwanner)

Raquette Lake

This lake provides headwaters for the Raquette River. Its name is believed to come from the French word for snowshoes. Raquette Lake is a popular destination for tourists because of its scenery, wildlife, boating and hiking.