Campsites and Boat Launches
Email: website: www.dec-campgrounds.com
Information: Moffitt Beach Campground and Day Use Area off Page Street has 259 sites next to picturesque Sacandage Lake. At an elevation of 1,730 feet above sea level, the area is generally flat and well-wooded, with large white pines and hardwoods. Children may participate in the Junior Naturalist Program. Boating, fishing, hiking, swimming, and picnicking are other favorite activities. The park offers campsites, restrooms, showers, and a picnic area with tables and fireplaces, some of which are accessible for those with mobility impairments. Other amenities include a trailer dump station, a recycling center, a boat launch, and a sand beach with a guarded swimming area (open in the summer).
Lewey Lake Campground and Day Use Area on Rt. 30 north of Speculator, on 90-acre Lewey Lake. It has 206 campsites (some designated as accessible for the mobility impaired), a picnic area with tables and fireplaces (some designated as accessible for the mobility impaired), flush toilets/hot showers (some designated as accessible for the mobility impaired), a trailer dump station, a recycling center, firewood sales, ice sales, boat rentals, sand beach, swimming area, bathhouse, boat launch and hiking trails. Motor boats, rowboats, and canoes allowed. Please note the launch is shallow and better suited for smaller vessels.
Cross-Country Skiing
Contact: Adirondacks Speculator Region Chamber of Commerce / Lake Pleasant Tourism Office
Address:
2960 State Route 30
Speculator, NY 12164
Phone: 518-548-4521
Email: http://www.speculatorchamber.com
Information: The popular 10-kilometer Kunjamuk cross-country ski trail begins behind “Rt. 66” at the town pavilion on Rt. 30 in the Village of Speculator. Good parking facilities are available, as are restrooms.
The trail parallels the Kunjamuk River and loops through scenic forested areas having varied terrain with open, flat sections near the river. An “inner” loop is available for those not wishing to ski the entire 10K distance.
An annual event for this trail is the Kunjamuk Kick 10 Kilometer Cross Country Ski Race, sponsored each February by International Paper Company.
Information regarding this race and general trail conditions may be obtained by telephoning 518-548-4521.
Lake Pleasant Golf Course
Contact: Mike O’Rourke
Address:
2537 State Route 8
Lake Pleasant, NY 12108
Phone: 518-548-7071
Email: LPGC2@frontiernet.comInformation:
Information: A challenging and well-maintained nine-hole course located on Route 8 just four miles west of the village center. Semi-private, open to non-members even during tournaments. Nine holes, 5,698 yards, par 70. Pro shop, lessons, rental clubs, riding carts, all day play. Open May 1 through Columbus Day dawn to dusk.
Mountain Biking Trail System
Contact: Superintendent Randolph La Varnway
Address:
2679 State Route 8 POB 799
Lake Pleasant, NY 12108
Phone: 518-548-3625 ext. 4 or ext. 7
Email: randyhighway@gmail.com
Information: Hit the trail in Speculator, where you can bike “The Speculator Loop” featured in Adirondack Life magazine. The trail system consists of two loops, both on wide, hard-packed logging roads that vary in terrain. One is 13.7 miles and the other, which passes Kunjamuk Cave, is 7.2 miles. An information kiosk at the ball field on Rt. 30, in front of the basketball court, has detailed trail maps and information. The trails are open from May to October and are free of charge.
Municipal Tennis / Pickle Ball Courts
Contact: Parks & Rec Director Randolph La Varnway
Address:
2679 State Route 8 POB 799
Lake Pleasant, NY 12108
Phone: 518-548-3625
Email: randyhighway@gmail.com
Information: Facilities are located on Elm Lake Road, just before the entrance to Oak Mountain and are maintained by the Town of Lake Pleasant.
On December 23, 2024 the Town of Lake Pleasant was awarded a grant through the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in the amount of $255,795. This grant will be used to replace the existing tennis courts and add additional pickle ball courts. While we upgrade our facilities, they are will be closed for the 2024/2025 season.
Alternative locations during this time include the Lake Pleasant School, and the Town of Wells public courts. Lake Pleasant School will be available from Jul 7th, through August, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1-3pm.
Oak Mountain Ski Center
Contact: The O’Brien Family
Address:
141 Novosel Way
Speculator , NY 12164
Phone: 518-548-7311
Email: www.oakmountainski.com
Information: Located off Elm Lake Road, just east of the intersection of state routes 8 and 30. New quad lift, tubing, snow-making, night skiing, boarding park, new lodge, special events year-round. Includes the Acorn restaurant, ski rentals, gift shop, lessons, race program.
Links: https://oakmountainski.com
Sacandaga River Community Park a.k.a. Sacandaga Pathway
Contact: Adirondacks Speculator Region Chamber of Commerce
Address:
off State Route 38 across from the public beach, behind the ball field
Phone: 518-548-4521
Email: info@speculatorchamber.com
Information: Sacandaga Pathway in Speculator is a unique opportunity to enjoy woods and wetlands. Created by volunteers on donated land, “the gentle hike” starts to the left of the village pavilion off State Route 30, behind the ball diamond. The mile-and-a-half walkway along the Sacandaga River opened early in 1999. It includes boardwalks over wet areas and is a user-friendly area for hiking, canoeing and picnicking by everyone, including the very young, the old and the disabled.
Signs with pictures posted along the trail give an understanding of the area’s plant life and history. A spur to the river passes an exhibit with information about the logging industry that once thrived along the Sacandaga River, before ending at a hidden platform with a view of the river. Other spurs address the area’s original inhabitants, the first settlers and old-time guides. A small hill near the end holds three picnic tables, including one with handicapped access. A dock for canoers and kayakers is at the end of the trail.
The pathway, unique in the Adirondacks due to its proximity to the village, is conveniently tied into the village pavilion, parking lot and ball field. There are many places to hike in the Adirondacks, but very few offer what Sacandaga Pathways does: a gentle hike which the handicapped and mothers with strollers can enjoy along with everyone else.
Snowmobiling
Contact: Superintendent of Highways Randolph La Varnway
Address:
2679 State Route 8 POB 799
Lake Pleasant, NY 12108
Phone: 518-548-3625
Email: randyhighway@gmail.com
Information: The Town of Lake Pleasant has 51 miles of groomed state snowmobile trails and 20 miles of local trails that connect to over 750 miles of trails within the county. All the trails are machine groomed by our Parks and Recreation Department along with our two snowmobile clubs.
Village Park, Public Beach and Pavilion
Contact: Village of Speculator Clerk Crystal O’Brien
Address:
2875 State Route 8
Speculator, NY 12164
Phone: 518-548-7354
Email: office@villageofspeculator.com
Information: Located a quarter-mile south of the intersection of state routes 8 and 30 in Speculator. Basketball court, bocce ball court, horseshoe pits, ball field, barbecue pit, picnic tables, playground, public restrooms, small boat/canoe/kayak launch and Rt. 66, a tribute to the past in the form of small buildings representing a church, school, barber shop, gas station, general store and more.
Wakely Fire Tower
Contact: NYS Department of Environmental Conservation Region 5 Northville Office
Phone: 518-863-4545
Hours: M-F 7:30AM to 3:30PM
Email: info.r5@dec.ny.gov
Information: The 235-acre Wakely Mountain Primitive Area is surrounded by the wilderness and includes the Wakely Mountain Fire Tower, observer cabin, and helipad. Wakely Fire Tower is the tallest fire tower (70 feet) still standing in the state. It is open year-round and access is free. The Wakely Mountain Trail extends 3 miles and ascends 1,600 feet from the trailhead on Cedar River Road (in the Town of Indian Lake) in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest to the summit of the mountain. Most of the ascent is in the last mile of the trail. The summit is wooded and does not provide a view of the area. However, unobstructed 360-degree views are found in the cab of the fire tower. The current steel fire tower was constructed in 1916, replacing the wooden fire tower constructed in 1911. The AerMotor Model # LL‐25 tower is listed on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places. It is one of four fire towers of this model that remain standing, and the only one with a portion of the original steel ladder still attached to the tower.
The fire tower was staffed and used for fire observation until 1988. It is maintained with the Friends of Wakely Mountain Fire Tower organization.
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