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Pharaoh Lake Trail

A long mostly flat hike near Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks with Lean-to's for overnight camping
Pharaoh Lake Road Adirondack, NY 12808 | dec.ny.gov
view of pharaoh lake and surrounding trees View of Pharaoh Lake from the outlet bridge view is toward the north
rushing water surrounded by trees Rushing water from the outlet bridge view is south
a waterfall in the woods We heard rushing water and went off the trail to the source which was a lovely waterfall
a wooden bridge over a small waterfall Bridge over more rushing water
view of a body of water through the trees Views on the trail
trail signs that list nearby trails and lean-tos Once you reach the outlet to Pharaoh lake, here are some choices for finding tent sites, lean to's or hiking more.
view of pharaoh lake through the trees View of Pharaoh Lake in April
log lean-to in the woods There are six lean-to's for camping
view of the woods from a hiking trail View from the trail

Overview

The Pharaoh Lake Trail is located in the Pharoah Lake Wilderness near Schroon Lake. We took the trail from Pharaoh Road to the bottom of the lake. This is a long mostly flat hike.

In spring, this hike is challenging as you can not drive your car to the trailhead. This turns a 3.3 mile hike into a 4.2 mile hike (8.4 miles round trip). The trip took us  3 ½ hours.

Once you are at the trailhead, the path is 3.3 miles to the outlet of Pharaoh Lake. After reaching the outlet, it’s another .4 miles to the first lean-to or .6 miles to the second lean-to. Lean-to’s are up for grabs, first come, first served. From the lake outlet, there are 6 lean-to’s available for those who wish to stay overnight. If the lean-to’s are taken, there are designated tent sites as well.

Pharaoh Lake covers 421 acres and has brook and lake trout, brown bullhead, and sunfish (note that baitfish are prohibited).

Directions to the Pharaoh Lake Road Trailhead Parking Area: Take I-87 to exit 25. If coming from the south, take a right onto 8N, turn left on Schroon River Road (Rt 30). This turns into Valentine Pond Road (55). After 4.6 miles on Valentine Pond Road, take a right onto Johnson Road. After .8 miles, turn right onto Beaver Pond Road. Continue for 2.8 miles, then turn left onto Pharaoh Road.

We were not able to put Pharaoh Lake Road in our GPS, so we put Beaver Pond Road and that got us there as the trailhead is located at the end of Pharaoh Road off Beaver Pond Road, (43.7602°N, 73.6892°W) Google Maps

Backcountry Emergencies: 518-891-0235 or 911 (24/7)

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