North Lake and South Lake - Sources of the Black River

We know Kayuta Lake is just a dammed portion of the Black River which eventually flows northwest,  ending at the eastern end of Lake Ontario.  The major source of the Black River is North Lake in Herkimer county, at the foothills of the Adirondacks about 25 miles east of Boonville. East of its southern end lies South Lake, the second source of the Black River.





To get to these two sources, we drove north on Route 28, turned right immediately after crossing the Forestport Reservoir then right again at Woodhull Road. We followed the road which eventually became North Lake Road.  After about 15.5 miles (the last 1.6 miles unpaved), we reached the North Lake Reservoir.


We veered right onto South Lake Road, passing Wolf Creek Road which went along the southeast side of  North Lake, a private road with a " No Trespassing" sign.  Arriving at South Lake, we were awed by the beauty and peacefulness of the lake which was however marred by the swarm of black flies we had to fend off as soon as we got off the car to take this picture.

South Lake

The 486-acre South Lake averages about 25 feet deep with a maximum depth of 60 feet. It's dam is still the original that was built in 1859 to create this reservoir to ensure constant flow to the Erie Canal.  There was a boat launch (which some campers told us is open to the public) and at least two small waterfront campsites by the road.  Shortly after the campsites, the road forks, the right following the shoreline (South Lake Club Road) leading to private camps, the road blocked by a locked gate.  The left fork, Honnedaga Lake Road would have taken us to Honnedaga Lake which was not in our plan for the day so we turned around and retraced our route back to North Lake.



Immediately after the dam on North Lake, we turned right onto the Loop Road.  Near the beginning of this dirt road, there was a kiosk where campers and day users are supposed to sign in.  We learned from the poster there that the current dam has been here since 1899. Like South Lake, the dam was built to provide water to the Erie Canal.  The original dam was completed in 1857 but failed due to massive flooding in 1869.

North Lake Dam

North Lake has an area of 307 acres and averages about 18 feet deep, with a maximum depth of about 50 feet.  It's shoreline is mostly forested.

A campsite's view of North Lake 

As part of the 121,506 acre Black River Wild Forest, the North Lake and South Lake Recreation Area offers opportunities for camping,  hiking, boating and fishing.  We saw some of the campsites (number 2-22) by the side of the loop road.  Most of the lakeside sites have beautiful views of the lake, some with easy launching sites for canoes and kayaks, some even adjacent to privies.  Black flies, though were also a nuisance here. 

Left gate on north end of the North Lake

After about 4. miles, the Loop Road ended at  2 gated trails right after a large DEC parking area. The left is a continuation of the Loop Road while the right is Wolf Creek Road which would eventually go to the east side of the lake where most of the other public campsites (#23-32) are.  These sites can only be accessed by boat or by hiking.



Unable to explore any farther, we turned around and headed back home.  North and South Lake look like interesting possibilities for a future kayak trip.  But only when the black flies are not around.