The Lake Clear Lodge is the only destination lodge on the secluded shores of Lake Clear – where Einstein relaxed. Lake Clear, New York State’s 28th largest lake, is the main headwater of the Saranac’s and adjoins 18,000 acres and 58 lakes and ponds, rivers and countless mountain ranges, vast boreal forests, grasslands, and marshes – a birding paradise!
But there is more: a birding haven of over 220 species of birds!
Right outside your handcrafted lodging door
Stroll our 25 acres with walking trails, or immerse yourself in our three-acre lakeshore. The Lodge is in such a Mecca for birding that a young Theodore Roosevelt wrote a book on birding that exists just iCounty: The Summer Birds in the Adirondacks in Franklin County New York. The Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center (5 minutes from the Lodge) has an ongoing self-guided tour to commemorate this event. This impression was not lost on him, and as President, he created a National Park Service and the National Forest System.
We see many beautiful birds on our property, including eagles, peregrine falcons, osprey, hawks, warblers, ducks, and our Lake Clear family of loons. In late spring, warblers in all colors arrive; songbirds, including kingbirds, flycatchers, grosbeaks, waxwings, thrushes, wrens and sparrows, kingfishers, herons, owls especially the barred, wild turkeys, and Canadian geese, are just a sampling of what you may see!
Self-guided Experiences and Formal Events
The St. Regis Wilderness region is becoming recognized as a birding sanctuary. As such, there is a multitude of self-guided experiences and formal events.
Formal Events
The Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center, seven minutes from the Lodge, has yearly birding programs. This includes guided walks, guest lectures, exhibits, and an ongoing Theodore Roosevelt Birding Challenge.
The Natural History Museum in Tupper Lake (25 minutes from the Lodge) also offers both indoor and outdoor birding celebrations. www.wildcenter.org.
Self-guided Experiences
Interested in a diverse birding experience? You can hike, bike, canoe, drive, or simply stroll and see a multitude of incredible scenery, from marshes to mountain views and an associated variety of bird species. From right outside your handcrafted lodging door to within a 5-minute drive: a birding haven.
Here are a few scintillating samples, which are from our guestbooks provided at the Lake Clear Lodge:
Jones Pond, Church Pond, and the Osgood River
While we have yet to see all of these, it is reported that you may see herons, osprey, wood ducks, and eagles at Jones Pond. Church Pond is accessible off...
Climb Azure Mountain
It is roughly 2 hours roundtrip where it is reported that state officials have released young falcons.
Lower St. Regis Lake
Lower Saint Regis Lake is home to some of the most beautiful Adirondack Great camps, including the former Merriweather Post Camp of Post Cereal and the headwater of the St. Regis River. We have had reports of sightings of the three-toed woodpecker and the gray jay.
...And more!
Those are just a few small excerpts from the information we've gathered and provide to our guests.
Please note that Cathy and I (Ernest) are foremost innkeepers, not ornithologists. Though we grew up here and love birding, the above should be regarded as descriptive information only and needs to be verified through direct resource information or certified guides. Copies of these, as well as a list of guides, can be found at the Lodge.
Are you interested in assisting us to update this information? We would love to share your information with others! Please contact us.
The above information comes from our observations and reading of several excellent resources, including:
- ADK Adirondack Canoe Waters North Flow by Paul Jamieson and Donald Morris.
- Quiet Water Canoe Guide New York Appalachian Mountain Club by John Hayes and Alex Wilson
- Paul Smith’s Visitor Interpretive Center