The Adirondacks Lakes: Paradox Lake

With a name like Paradox Lake - and a village called Paradox situated at the eastern tip of the lake - Paradox Lake has almost built-in tourist lure.  What makes this lake a paradox?

Solving the Mystery of Paradox Lake

Paradox Lake is located in the town of Schroon, in upstate New York.  It’s approximately five miles long and has an irregular, knobby shape when seen on a map.  There are four bays to Paradox Lake, and two small villages:  Paradox and, at the western tip of the lake, Severance.

Neither of this has anything to do with the reason its called Paradox Lake.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation website, an old Native American word put the Paradox in Paradox Lake.  The word meant, roughly translated, ‘water that flows backwards’.  This phenomenon can be observed during peak run off times, when the usual flow of the water is reversed.  Sound paradoxical enough for me.

Getting There:  You can access Paradox Lake by cruising along I-87(most likely heading north) and taking Route 74 to the east.  The town of Paradox is roughly 75 miles south of Plattsburgh or 100 miles north of Albany.  It’s fourteen miles west of Ticonderoga and Lake Champlain.