Cranberry Lake is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

on the East branch of the

Oswegatchie River The Oswegatchie River ( moh, Kaniatarahòn:tsi) is a river in northern New York that flows from the Adirondack Mountains north to the Saint Lawrence River. The Oswegatchie River begins at Partlow Lake in Hamilton County, New York. The river co ...

in the

Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a part of Forest Preserve (New York), New York's Forest Preserve in northeastern New York (state), New York, United States. The park was established in 1892 for “the free use of all the people for their health and pleasur ...

in New York in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is the third largest lake in the Adirondack Park (after Lake George and the

Great Sacandaga Lake The Great Sacandaga Lake (formerly the Sacandaga Reservoir) is a large lake situated in the Adirondack Park in northern New York in the United States. The lake has a surface area of about at capacity, and the length is about . The word ''Sacanda ...

). About 75 percent of the shoreline is owned by State of New York; the

Five Ponds Wilderness Area The Five Ponds Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of New York's Forest Preserve, is located in the towns of Fine and Clifton in St. Lawrence County, the town of Webb in Herkimer County and the town of Long Lake in Hamilton County. It inc ...

abuts its south shore, and the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest covers much of its remaining shoreline.

Location

Most of the lake is in the eastern end of the Town of Clifton, but a small part of the east side of the lake is in the Town of Piercefield and a small part of the west side of the lake is in the Town of Fine. The lake is entirely in the south part of

Saint Lawrence County, New York St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Christian saint La ...

. On a north arm of the lake is the community of Cranberry Lake. On a western arm of the lake in the Town of Fine, is the community of Wanakena, among other things also location of the

SUNY-ESF Ranger School The SUNY-ESF Ranger School (formerly the New York State Ranger School), on the east branch of the Oswegatchie River near Wanakena, New York, offers Associate degree#United States, A.A.S. degrees in forest and natural resources management. Establis ...

. Several islands are within the lake, the largest being Joe Indian Island and Buck Island. The Cranberry Lake Biological Station, also part of SUNY-ESF, is located on Barber Point. Cranberrylake

Recreation and points of interest

A peninsula jutting into the lake from the north contains Bear Mountain and state camping facilities. One end of the Bear Mountain Trail leaves from campsite loop 3. The other end, a trail head with plenty of good parking, is located much closer to the campground entrance. The hike is fairly rigorous, but from start to the top it is only about . The lookout spot near the top provides a great view to the south and south west, mainly of Joe Indian and Buck islands. There are several private camps on the lake's southern shore, including an island called, "Chair Rock Island". A large rock on Barber Point near the Biological Station bears an engraved memorial for international fly casting champion of the late 1800s, Reuben Wood, designer of the Reub Wood

fishing flies An artificial fly or fly lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing (although they may also be used in other forms of angling). In general, artificial flies are an imitation of aquatic insects that are natural food ...

. There also exists a large camp setting called Wildcliffe Lodge (formerly "Hoppies" and then "Verns") that used to have an inn, bar and restaurant. The dining room was the former single room log cabin of Philo Scott, a hermit who married local resident Cordelia Stevens in 1856 and had eight children between 1858 and 1879 of Big Deer Pond. Chair Rock Lodge was another popular dining and lodging establishment on the South Shore, but both are now closed. The Indian Mountain Club was also on the South Shore. "Sports" from downstate New York enjoyed dining, lodging and outdoor pursuits such as hunting, fishing, and shooting. A large garden provided fresh vegetables and remnants of this still exist on private property abutting the Five Ponds Wilderness. *Arnold's Point – A point located near Joe Indian Island. *Barber Island – An island located off Barber Point. *Black Duck Hole – A bay located off the Dead Creek Flow bay. *Brandy Brook Flow – A bay located on the northeast part of the lake. The mouth of Brandy Brook is in this bay. *Bear Mountain Flow – A bay located north of Brandy Brook Flow bay. *Birch Island – An island located off Union Point. *Buck Island – An island located off Coles Point. Located in the South Bay. *Barber Point – A point located by the inlet of Sucker Brook. *Dead Creek Flow – A bay located where the Dead Creek enters the lake. *Elephant Rock – An island located off Arnold's Point. *Eagle Island – An island located off the Bear Mountain peninsula between Union Point and Burnt Rock point. *Flatiron Point – A point located at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River Inlet Flow. *Joe Indian Island – An island located off the Shanty Brook Flow. The largest island on the lake. Joe's Point and Long Point are located on this island. *Matilda Bay – A bay located west of Matilda Island. *Matilda Island – An island located near the outlet of the lake. *Oswegatchie River Inlet Flow – A bay located where the

and Skate Creek enter the lake. *South Flow – A bay located south of Buck Island. The Six Mile Creek enters the lake here.

Fishing

Fish species present in the lake are smallmouth bass,

northern pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a p ...

, brook trout,

rock bass The rock bass (''Ambloplites rupestris''), also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red eyed creature is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish fa ...

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Sam ...

brown bullhead The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''Am ...

, sunfish and brown trout. There is a state owned hard surface ramp on Route 3 by the outlet dam. There is also a state owned car top launch at the Cranberry Lake Campground and one more at the New York State Rangers School in Wanakena, New York.

History

The lake was named for the extensive

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

bogs that it once contained. In 1865, the state authorized the building of a dam on the east branch of the Oswegatchie that doubled the lake's surface area and killed thousands of trees, the stumps of which still remain in some areas. In 1902, the Rich Brothers Lumber Company purchased on the southwestern shore of Cranberry Lake, and constructed a lumber mill. Housing for the millworkers was built in part from lumber salvaged from the company's abandoned Pennsylvania lumber operation. There were up to 1500 workers at the Rich Bros. mill and associated industries. A logging railroad was constructed connecting Wanakena to the Carthage & Adirondack Railroad at Benson Mines, starting operation in 1905. The railroad allowed tourists easy access to the area. In 1913, a second railroad called the Grasse River Railroad was built by the Emporium Lumber Company, connecting Cranberry Lake to the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Mid ...

at Childwold Station near Conifer, NY. The Rich Bros. Lumber Co. donated in the vicinity of Cranberry Lake to the New York State Ranger School in 1912. Businessman Charles Lathrop Pack donated of what today is the Cranberry Lake Biological Station to the

New York State College of Forestry The New York State College of Forestry, the first professional school of forestry in North America, opened its doors at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, in the autumn of 1898., It was advocated for by Governor Frank S. Black, but after just ...

in 1923. Six years later, in 1929, the

International Paper Company The International Paper Company is an American pulp and paper company, the largest such company in the world. It has approximately 56,000 employees, and is headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. History The company was incorporated January 31, ...

donated to the Ranger School. By 1940, the state had purchased most of the remaining lands of the former lumber companies.Google books: Smeby, Susan Thomas, ''Cranberry Lake and Wanakena'', Arcadia Publishing, 2002

References

External links

SUNY-ESF Cranberry Lake Biological Station

Google books: Smeby, Susan Thomas, ''Cranberry Lake and Wanakena''

The Cranberry Lake 50 hiking trail information

Fishing information
{{authority control Lakes of New York (state) State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Protected areas of St. Lawrence County, New York New York State College of Forestry Adirondack Park Lakes of St. Lawrence County, New York