The Cranberry Lake 50 in the Northern Adirondack Wilderness is a loop trail circling Cranberry Lake, passing remote ponds and a stunning waterfall along the way. The terrain is easy and campsites hug the ponds’ shores.
Region: Mid-Atlantic (Adirondack Park, New York)
Length: 50 miles (3 to 4 days)
Physical Difficulty: Easy
- The elevation gain is 4,094 feet, mostly spread across 25 miles on the southern section.
- Mostly soft dirt trails.
- Trail crosses beaver dams between High Falls and Wanakena, water depth varies
Logistical Difficulty: Easy
- Loop trail done in 3-4 days, no resupply needed thanks to two stores on roadwalks.
- Plentiful water and well-spaced campsites
- Trail marked with blue discs
Net Elevation Gain: 4,094 feet
Hiking the Cranberry Lake 50
The Cranberry Lake 50 is in the northern reaches of Adirondack Park, but doesn’t have the soaring mountains of the park’s High Peaks. What it does have is a gently rolling up and down trail with campsites spread out on Cranberry Lake and the many ponds surrounding it.
I met six people while hiking, so this doesn’t have the crowds of the High Peaks. One hiker said this is what drew him to the route.
Trailhead access is from Wanakena and Cranberry Lake, small villages with friendly people and seasonal homes lining the northern shore of the lake. The roadwalk through Wanakena is along quiet roads, and people in homes and passing cars waved to me, asked me if I was “hiking the 50,” and offered water. Most of the walk through Cranberry Lake is on Route 3, a busy two-lane highway with wide bike lanes for walking so there’s less interaction with people in the village.
I parked at the Gilbert Tract trailhead on Route 3 east of Cranberry Lake. My car was the only one in the lot on Wednesday morning; four other cars were parked there when I returned the following Saturday.
The trail from the Gilbert Tract trailhead meanders through hardwood forests and bogs, with plank bridges providing dry passage through the bogs. The first Cranberry Lake campsites are about four miles in on Brandy Brook Flow. A few miles later a side trail leads one mile to East Inlet and more campsites on the lake.
The trail heads away from the lake and begins crossing ridges, passing Curtis and Dog ponds, both with small campsites. I stayed my first night at Dog Pond with two other hikers on flat shoreline rock ledges while resting after a roughly 12-mile day. The next campsite was about 6.5 miles away at Chair Rock Flow on Cranberry Lake, and I didn’t have it in me to continue. So I ate supper by the pond and watched the sunset.
The second day I headed out early with no specific destination. Lean-tos at Olmstead and Cowhorn ponds, campsites at Cat Mountain and Glasby ponds, and lean-tos and campsites at High Falls were all possibilities. This section of the trail has the most elevation gain of the hike, but it wasn’t anything that beat me up.
The trail passed through wilderness forests, at times on what appeared to be old logging roads. Shortly after passing Cat Mountain Pond I had a decision to make: hike the 1.4-mile round-trip spur trail up Cat Mountain (2,257 feet) or continue on to camp at High Falls. I chose the mountain, and the trail was moderately steep with a short rock scramble near the top. The view from the rock ledges on the mountaintop took in the Five Ponds Wilderness to the south, an area I’ve often thought about visiting. And if I had set aside more than four days for this trip, that would have been a possibility.
Once down from the mountain I decided that hiking on to High Falls was out and I headed for Glasby Pond, less than a mile away. The campsite at Glasby Pond is small, but has a short path to the pond, where I filtered water, ate supper, and chatted with another hiker spending the night. In the morning I had breakfast by the pond and watched the sunrise. Total miles for the day (including Cat Mountain) was about 16.
Day 3 was an easy hike to High Falls, about .4 of a mile off the CL50, and the trip was well worth it to see the falls on the Oswegatchie River. This is a popular overnight site, with lean-tos and several campsites.
Back on the 50 the trail follows a mostly straight, flat line about nine miles to Wanakena. Along the way the trail crosses several beaver dams, with the water flowing over the dams ranging from ankle deep to higher, depending on the amount of recent rain. The worst crossing was ankle deep when I went through.
The hike to Wanakena was easy, but I found the flat trail and scenery monotonous. Plus I was pushing myself to to rack up miles to have an easy last day back to my car. Passing through Wanakena cheered me up as I found the people ready with a wave or hello. I regret not stopping for a drink and snack at Otto’s Abode.
My day ended at the tent site near loop 1 on the Peavine Swamp Trail, a nice spot but the only campsite I saw on the 50 that was not on the water. While falling asleep I heard barred owls screeching on one side of the campsite and traffic on nearby Route 3 on the other side. Total miles for the day was about 17.
The fourth day was an easy six-ish miles through woods and on roads back to my car east of Cranberry Lake. I made sure to stop for a snack and drink at the Lakeside General Store, right on the trail on Route 3. It’s a popular stop for CL50 hikers in summer, but hiker visitors had dropped off by the time I stopped by.
How to Get to the Cranberry Lake 50
Find it: Wanakena and Cranberry Lake
Closest city: 2.5 hours north of Syracuse, New York.
You can also start from Albany (3.25 hours) or Plattsburg (2 hours). All three cities have airports, but you’ll be driving from there to Wanakena and Cranberry Lake.
Parking: There are several spots for parking in Wanakena and Cranberry Lake. I parked at the Gilbert Tract trailhead.
- Recreation area on South Shore Road in Wanakena
- Peavine Swamp trailhead on Route 3 west of Cranberry Lake
- Department of Environmental Conservation boat launch on Columbian Road in Cranberry Lake
- Gilbert Tract trailhead on Route 3 a short walk east of Cranberry Lake
- Burntbridge Pond/Brandy Brook trailhead, on Route 3 about 2 miles east of Cranberry Lake. This involves a short hike to the 50.
About the Cranberry Lake 50
The Cranberry Lake 50 is a collection of existing trails in the Five Ponds Wilderness and Cranberry Lake Wild Forest within Adirondack Park. The 50 is clearly marked with bold blue trail markers stamped with the number 50 and it’s hard—but not impossible—to miss a turn and go the wrong way at a trail junction. (Yes, I did miss a turn but corrected it.) Clearly marked side trails lead even deeper into the wilderness and campsites on ponds.
The trail is well-maintained, with only a few blowdowns blocking the trail. All were easy to walk over or around.
Cranberry Lake was created in the late 1800s when the Oswegatchie River was dammed, and got its name from the cranberry bogs around the river. The dam now provides hydroelectric power.
When to Hike the Cranberry Lake 50
Spring: May can be a good month for hiking, between the likely last snowfall and before the onset of bugs. March and April can be cold with snow a strong possibility, and the bugs begin swarming in June.
Summer: Buggy, wet, and warm. Some people prefer the summer when they can swim in the ponds.
Fall: My favorite time for hiking. The temperature was in the mid 60s during the day and low 40s at night when I hiked the third week of September. The maple trees around the lakes were ablaze with red and the sky was brilliantly blue for four days. I can’t remember when the last time was I had a string of days like that.
Winter: Hiking the 50 in the winter is possible, but the snow will be deep and the temperatures low. Snowmobiles use some of the trails that make up the 50 so it’s important to watch out for them.
The Cranberry Lake 50 Terrain
The trail from Wanakena to High Falls is on an old logging railroad, and can be tedious in its unrelenting flatness. Several beaver dam crossings can be overflowing with deep water in spring and high-rain summers. Although some hikers avoid going counterclockwise from Wanakena to avoid the certainty of wet shoes early in the hike while crossing the beaver dams, the flat trail is an easy first-day hike. And your shoes are going to get wet eventually along the trail.
The trail from Route 3 in Cranberry Lake also starts with little elevation change along planks through several deep-water bogs. Only after reaching Cranberry Lake in several miles does the trail begin rolling up and down along ridges, and continues that way to Glasby Pond a few miles east of High Falls.
The 50 follows roads in Cranberry Lake and Wanakena, and an easy trail links the two villages.
Logistics: Permits, Camping, Water
Permits: No permits are needed to hike the Cranberry Lake 50.
Camping: Lean-tos at High Falls, Cowhorn Pond, and Olmstead Pond, and primitive campsites at other ponds and Cranberry Lake; most have an open privy, and a few have picnic tables. Campsites are marked on the Cranberry Lake 50 map.
Water: Streams and ponds are spread out along the trail so you don’t have to worry about running short of water. There are several beaver ponds on the trail between High Falls and Wanakena, but I don’t recommend getting water from them. I filtered water drawn from streams running into ponds or away from ponds to avoid beaver activity in the ponds.
Route-finding: Blue discs with 50 inscribed on them are nailed to trees along the trail. The markers are easy to see and it’s rare to hike far without seeing one.
Water Crossings: Bridges span most wide streams. But the beaver dam crossings on the trail between High Falls and Wanakena are covered with water, ranging from ankle deep when I hiked in late September to much deeper in spring and a heavy-rain summer.
Know Before You Go
Clockwise or Counterclockwise?: There’s no right answer. Some people hike clockwise to leave the beaver dam crossings and guaranteed wet feet to the end of the trail. Others go counterclockwise because the trail from Wanakena to High Falls is the flattest section. When I hiked I met three people hiking clockwise (four including me) and three counterclockwise, so it’s really personal preference.
Transportation: Driving your own vehicle is the only practical way to get to the trail.
Cell Reception: Surprisingly good in the village of Cranberry Lake, but I couldn’t get reception anywhere else, including in Wanakena.
Trail Guides: The Cranberry Lake 50 Pocket Guide, by Jamie Savage & Spencer Morrissey, Wildcliff Press, was updated in spring 2023 and sold out almost immediately. Other sources for information are the Western Trails guidebook and the National Geographic Adirondack Park (Old Forge/Oswegatchie) map. I used the National Geographic map for trail mileage and the Cranberry Lake 50 organization trail map available here for campsites and shelters along the trail.
Trail Stops: Otto’s Abode in Wanakena and the Lakeside General Store in Cranberry Lake are right on the trail and are must stops for a cold drink and snacks. Both are near trailhead parking.
Lodging: Packbasket Adventures, 12 South Shore Road Extension, Wanakena. Overnight stays, breakfast, packed lunches. Shuttle to Cranberry Lake 50 trailheads. (315) 848-3488
Wildlife: Moose and bears are in the woods, but they’re seldom seen. Red squirrels are seen much more frequently, especially at campsites where they’re trying to raid food stashes. I carry a bear can and had no problems. A fellow hiker at one campsite had a difficult time finding a suitable spot to hang his food bag. Loons live on the lakes, and their haunting calls fill the forest. And of course beavers are active along the trail.
Trails in the 50: The Cranberry Lake 50 combines existing trails to create a loop around Cranberry Lake. Details on those trails can be found on the CL50 website under trail descriptions.
Regulations: State land hiking and camping regulations for the CL50
The 50 Patch: Register your hike and donate a minimum of $5 to get a patch for completing the Cranberry Lake 50.
Behind the 50: The Cranberry Lake 50 is a project of Five Ponds Partners, created to draw people to northwestern Adirondack Park.
State Campground: The New York State-run Cranberry Lake Campground is off Route 3 in Cranberry Lake.
Don’t Rush: The Cranberry Lake 50 can be hiked in three days and two nights. I did it in 3.5. But there are so many side trails leading to ponds deeper into the wilderness that I could easily see spending a week hiking pond to pond. And if you like to fish that’s even more incentive to stay longer.
Cranberry Lake 50 Resources
Cranberry Lake 50 Facebook group
The Cranberry Lake 50 Pocket Guide by James Savage, a professor at the Ranger School in Wanakena.
Western Trails guidebook
