Lows 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 ...

in the

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

in northeastern

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. It is in the

New York State Forest Preserve New York's Forest Preserve, comprises almost all the lands owned by the state of New York within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. It is managed by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). , the Forest Preserve covers nearl ...

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 incl ...

, southwest of Tupper Lake. The

Adirondack Park Agency Adirondack may refer to: Places *Adirondack Mountains, New York, US **Adirondack Park, a protected area in the US, containing a large portion of the Adirondack Mountains * Adirondack County, New York, a proposed county in New York * Adirondack, Ne ...

classifies the lake as a Primitive Area meaning that it is wilderness in character, but contains artificial structures and private lands. It is also named Bog River Flow, since it was artificially created by damming the river of that name. The area is home to Sabattis Scout Reservation, a multi-thousand acre summer camp for Boy Scouts.

History

The lake was created by the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

Abbot Augustus Low Abbot Augustus Low (Gus Low) (1844–1912) was an entrepreneur and inventor from Brooklyn, who lived in St. Lawrence County, New York and was the owner of the Horseshoe Forestry Company.Yuan, JuliBog river: a paradise for manyFebruary 1, 2005 New ...

, who dammed the

Bog River The Bog River, also called the Bog River Flow is a river that originates near the sources of the Oswegatchie River, in Hamilton County, New York in the Adirondacks, and flows through Lows Lake and Hitchens Pond, ending at the Bog River Falls at ...

to create a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

. The first, now known as Lows Lower dam, was built in 1903, to provide electricity for the Horseshoe Forestry Company. A second, now Lows Upper dam, was added in 1907 and created Lows Lake from Mud Lake, Bog River Flow, Tomar Pond, and Grass Pond. These were part of Low's commercial enterprise which included railways connecting the area with New York City, and the production of maple syrup and lumber. On the granite ledge above the second dam, there is a plaque commemorating Low's memory. His ashes were spread from the ledge.

Recreation

The lake has about 35 primitive campsites. Access is via a short gravel road off

New York State Route 421 New York State Route 421 (NY 421) is a short state highway located within Adirondack Park in the southeastern corner of St. Lawrence County, New York, in the United States. It is a narrow, two-lane spur route connecting NY 30 to Ho ...

to Lows Lower Dam where small craft can be hand launched. Fishing is predominantly for the introduced and plentiful

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

. There is also some

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 (''Ame ...

and

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

. The length of the large shallow lake aligns with the prevailing winds, and wind can create a small craft hazard due to rough water. At the western end of the lake is a three and a half mile

portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

to 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 ...

which passes by

Big Deer Pond Big Deer Pond in Hamilton County, New York is located approximately 1.5 west of Lows Lake in the Five Ponds Wilderness Area and the Adirondacks "Bob Marshall Wilderness" area (there is another in Montana). It serves as a 1/2 mile water-portage ...

and a long

esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Amer ...

before reaching the upper source of the Oswegatchie.

Scouting

On the Eastern end of the lake along the northern shore i
Sabattis Scout Reservation
an extensive, wilderness-based summer camp owned by the Longhouse Council, Boy Scouts of America. Sabattis is also home to the James " Marmaduke" Seton Trek Center, a launching point for backcountry treks throughout the Adirondack Mountains. Sabattis Scout Reservation used to have two camps; Trout Ponds and Three Islands when first constructed in the 1960s. In the late 1980s, due to a lack of attendance, Three Islands was closed to camping, and the buildings were used for storage. All former campgrounds are overgrown. Only a dirt road to Lows Lake launching beach is left for canoe treks.

Conservation

The lake is one of New York's largest

loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...

nesting areas. The

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protection ...

prohibits mechanically propelled boats between the upper and lower dams. Although the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan states that the lake is "part of the Lows Lake-Bog River-Oswegatchie wilderness canoe route", banned

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

s, and motorboat usage by the public, motors continue to be used by owners of the private in-holdings. The northeast shore is private, along with a few small parcels bordering the lake.

Geography

Grass Pond Mountain, , is north of the lake and has expansive views from its summit. Graves Mountain, , is named after a 19th-century hunter from Tupper Lake; its southern flank was eroded after the forest fire of 1906, exposing a large granite face; a survey marker is located at its peak. The lake contains two large floating

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

References

{{authority control Reservoirs in New York (state) Adirondack Park Protected areas of Hamilton County, New York Protected areas of St. Lawrence County, New York Reservoirs in Hamilton County, New York Reservoirs in St. Lawrence County, New York Lakes of Hamilton County, New York Lakes of St. Lawrence County, New York Lakes of New York (state)