The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that $475,000 in upgrades will be made to the Upper Saranac Lake Boat Launch.

The boat launch, located at the intersection of County Route 46 and Back Bay Road, is one of two public boat launches that provide access to Upper Saranac Lake.

The planned improvements include:

constructing a new (2 lane) boat ramp;
removing dock cribbing;
installing new floating docks;
regrading slopes to decrease steepness and decrease erosion;
paving the entrance, ramp entrance and parking area;
permanent stormwater pollution prevention measures;
reconfiguring traffic patterns;
upgrading bathroom facility;
landscaping and planting;
adding a dry hydrant for fire protection; and
adding a boat rinse station to flush out bilges, live wells and areas containing water.

Camp owners and others that use the Upper Saranac Lake Boat Launch to take their boat off the lake for the winter will need to use private marinas to launch* or retrieve boats during the reconstruction period beginning on September 8, 2014.

Small boats can use the boat launch at DEC’s Fish Creek Pond Campground. Shallow water at the boat launch and less than eight feet height between the water and the bottom of a campground road near the boat launch allows only small boats to use the Fish Creek Campground Boat Launch. There is an $8.00 day-use fee to enter the campground.

The upgrades, funded by NY Works, will be completed prior to the 2015 Memorial Day Weekend.

* Hickok’s does not have the facilities to offer public launches.

Photo provided by DEC.