Photo by Elizabeth McLanahan
Named after Abbott Augustus Low and his erstwhile woodland empire of lumbering, sugaring, and bottling spring water, Lows Lake has 51 miles of shoreline, 6.1 of which is privately owned. The Adirondack Land Trust worked with the Knox family of the Sabattis Land Company to put 995 acres into State Forest Preserve and 805 acres into a DEC conservation easement (one of only three privately owned properties on Lows Lake). Investing $1.5 million in both deals in 2006 protected 4.5 miles of shoreline on the southern edge of the lake.
If you go: Lows Lake is a popular destination and it can be difficult to get a parking spot or a campsite on a summer weekend and even some summer weekdays. The put-in is at the Bog River’s lower dam, off CR 421 (Horshoe Lake Road) south of Tupper Lake.
Paddling
Distance
Up to 14.5 miles one way
Difficulty
Rigorous flatwater trip with two carries and prone to high winds