The Saranac River Watershed is located in northeast corner of NY just west of Lake
Champlain. The watershed falls within Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties. It occupies
392,121 acres and ranges in elevation from 95 to 4,848 feet above sea level. The highest
elevations are scattered around the outside edges of the watershed. The Adirondack Park
covers close to the entire watershed, except a section in the northeast corner. The Saranac River is an 81-mile-long. In its upper reaches is a region of mostly flat water and lakes. In the last third of its length, it drops two-thirds of its total drop and is known for having navigable rapids, which make it a popular site for whitewater kayaking and canoeing. The river encompasses Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, as well as Oseetah Lake, Lake Flower, Franklin Falls Pond and Union Falls Pond, and flows through the village of Saranac Lake; there are locks between Middle and Lower Saranac Lakes and between Lower Saranac and Oseetah, although the drop is only a few feet. Thirty-three miles further northeast, the river flows through the Town of Saranac, before winding through Plattsburgh, reaching Lake Champlain after a further 23 miles. The Saranac River has a fairly diverse fishery, including northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass, pumpkinseed, fallfish, brown bullhead, brown trout, and landlocked Atlantic salmon.