Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

indian lake island camping

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • indian lake island camping

    I am interested in doing an indian lake camping/paddling trip. I think it is very unique in that you camp on one of the many islands on the lake and can only access it by boat. Does anyone have any past experiences exploring this lake? Is there alot of powerboat trafic? I am planning on going by kayak. Also, does anyone know which sites/islands are the nicest?

    Alex

  • #2
    Indian Lake is really nice. After Memorial day the traffic picks up. John Mack Bay is worth exploring. I have not paddled much past the islands to the north.
    sigpic

    Comment


    • #3
      Isn't Ind Lake one of the lakes on Reserve america reservations?
      Be careful, don't spread invasive species!!

      When a dog runs at you,whistle for him.
      Henry David Thoreau

      CL50-#23

      Comment


      • #4
        Go early or late for the best trip

        Before Memorial day weekend, or after Labor day weekend you will have your choice of sites with no charge. After mid May, you will risk black flies however. All of the "Island sites" need a boat to access even though many are on a shoreline - and most are not adjacent to other sites. This is a favorite place of mine. If you call about camping off season, they will tell you that they are "closed". However the launch & parking are open all year and no one will stop you from camping on the lake.

        The power boat traffic in summer is far less than most big lakes. I wouldn't hesitate to venture out then - unlike lake George. You will need to reserve a site in summer however. The southern half of the lake has more of a wilderness feel.

        Comment


        • #5
          As far as Indian lake goes it is a great place. The further north on the lake you go the more civilization yo may see. By no means is it over-run but there are cabins and boats on the waters. On the waters there are quite a few hidden shoals and rocks that you should be aware of if you motorboat around. There is a very small and modest marina on the north-western shore that have gas if you are needing. There is also a "lake store" up from the lake, its actually in sabel, a little hard to find also on the northwestern shore that has some supplies convenient for the camper. All sites have a privy and picnic bench. There are actually a couple of islands that have only one site, a few more that have only two sites on the island, and a few spits/point campsites that are connected to land only by a point. There are several hike opportunties off indian lake, most notably baldface mountain which is a short and easy 30 min climb up that offers great views, great for children. I would HIGHLY encourage you to book as soon as you can for indian lake or any other dec site as they fill up quick. Here is a quick list of sites that are solo island, spit, or double/triple island sites.
          Again, these are the best i can see from the map I have, and my personal experience, please pm if you have a specific question.
          Terra server has good topo maps and aerial shots of the area, reserve america maps of campsites are worthless.

          solo island campsites:
          #2
          #20-I've stayed at 20, great site, sandy swimming beach on southern shore
          #28
          (#28 look like single islands but in low water they may turn to spits)
          #32


          2 sites per island:
          #7+8-myself and some buddies are going to explore this one this june.

          #9+10
          #24+25

          looks like a triple site on an island
          21,22, 23

          spits of land ( a point of land that narrows to a slender connection with land):
          #3, 19, 31

          sites # 49, 50, 51 are on mainland but set off very far from each other, i have never been down that way but it looks very appealing and remote.

          One last bit of advice,
          Book sooner than later

          Comment


          • #6
            Since you'll be travelling by kayak, I don't need to mention the rollers. We spent an extra day a few Octobers ago because my low sheer open canoes couldn't manage the 2 ft waves. If you have enough time and muscle, you should for sure visit Baldface Mt. and see too if you can get to Dug Mountain Falls, almost up to the Jessup. And no one has yet mentioned the natural beauty of the shoreline. It is a very pretty lake, with some high peak views as well. If you do get a campsite around the back, in or near John Mack Bay, then you probably won't see much boat traffic, regardless of the season.

            Comment


            • #7
              thanks for the info everyone

              This was very helpful. Thanks to everyone who replied.

              Comment


              • #8
                For an April trip, where are there public boat launches? This would be for about 6 canoes.

                There is one at the Southern end, near Lewey Lake. Are there any others?

                Comment


                • #9
                  This April you may need an icebreaker unless the weather patterns shift around pretty soon. I am wondering if there may possibly be access from near the dam off of Jerry Savarie Rd, I have been intending to ask about that before I go back to Indian Lake but that is not projected to be till 2016.
                  Zach

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Troy,
                    I posted this link in another thread, but it's got just the sort of relevant data you should see.
                    After you look at page 403 (don't worry, there's not 400+ pages) you'll see April may be a crap shoot!
                    I do know that some folks have launched at Sabael, directly across from Baldface. You would need to ask permission, but several of my paddling buddies have done so.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      In another thread on this forum I told of a late-April 2013 trip from through the Jessup and aback to the southern boat launch. The entire south end was still full of ice that year and we were lucky there was a loose pressure crack and some room around shore. Otherwise, one of us would've had to walk back to the launch.
                      Life's short, hunt hard!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        The April trip may have to be pushed into May. It has been a cold and snowy winter.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I'd like to do a late April/early May camping trip on Indian Lake. Back in October the rangers said that it's not a problem for me to do so and I could park in the parking lot and launch even though it's not the official season yet, which starts May 14. When do the black flies get bad? I figure not until late May/June. I would be in a 16' sea kayak so not wanting to do huge blocks of ice.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Camping on Indian Lake

                            Glad I found this thread. Sounds like a fun adventure camping on Indian Lake and might have to try it out sometime.

                            Anyone else up for it?
                            Visit me at: www.adirondackjoe.wordpress.com
                            Whats the matter Col. Sanders, Chicken!

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Just returned from a 3 days camping at Indian Lake Islands. We stayed at site 39 wich we canooed to and was about 2.5 miles from the ranger cabin. It took us about 55 minutes to get to site 39. The whole experience was great, the site is located in a peninsula and the view was amazing. We wanted to visit Bald Face for the hiking and view, but it was about 5 miles from our site and since we only had 3 days we decided to just enjoy the view, swiming and fishing. the fishing was not very good since we did not even got a nibble once, but it was all compensated by the amazing views of the mountains.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X