Lake Lila in New York - Weekend Trip Report

by  buzz

A self-supported trip created by buzz

Trip Overview

I took 2 of my children on a camping trip to Lake Lila in the Adirondacks in Aug of 2001. I tried to get into the lake in July and had to turn back on the Portage trail to the lake because the canoe I brought was too heavy. This time a brought a 16 foot Kevlar canoe and could carry it myself the 1/2 mile to the lake. On the second trip down to the water my kids and I carried our gear. Once on the water we started paddling counter clockwise around the lake looking for a site to camp on. We made it about half way around the lake before finding our site. I knew this would be the case because the parking lot was full when we got there.

The lake is over 3 miles long and quite round with a half dozen islands scattered around the lake. The wind was light and at our faces during the paddle. We set up camp and went about exploring and fishing the lake. It is a beautiful place to paddle and camp. We caught many smallmouth bass and went back to camp and eat our catch. The next day we paddled over to the lean-to site and beached the canoe and hiked up to the top of Frederick Mountain. The lookout is right down on Lake Lila and was a spectacular view. I had a hiker take a picture of the 3 of us and I treasure it! We hiked back down and paddled across the lake to the sandy beach on the Northeast side of the lake. The beach runs about 400 yards long and has 3 campsites along it. Next time we go camping on the beach will be our goal.

We fished some more and explored several of the islands, which all had a campsite on them. All the campsites are well off the shore so when you are paddling the lake you see nothing but wilderness. I highly recommend this lake to any paddler and angler. J. Summers, Victor NY

Outfitting:

Wenonah Adirondack Kevlar canoe. Eureka 3-man tent, and minimal fishing and camping equipment.

Fees:

Free to all.

Contact:

Call the DEC, and used their map they mailed me for free.

Trip Details

  • Sport/Activity: Canoeing
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Water Type: Flat/Sheltered Water

Trip Location