Cranberry Lake 50

Five Ponds Wilderness and Cranberry Lake Wild Forest, Adirondack Park (Cranberry Lake and Wanakena)

The Cranberry Lake 50 is a 50-mile loop around Cranberry Lake in the northwestern Adirondacks, much of it in the Five Ponds Wilderness. Its organizers, Five Ponds Partners, describe old-growth forest, backcountry ponds, and glaciated landscape, with lean-tos and first-come primitive campsites along the way.

The loop passes through two small hamlets, Cranberry Lake and Wanakena, and Backpacking Routes says stores along the way mean no resupply is needed.

The hike

Backpacking Routes’ Hugh Owen, who hiked the loop in three and a half days, rates it physically and logistically easy, with about 4,094 feet of net gain, most of it across the 25-mile southern half. The trail is marked with blue discs stamped “50.” TupperLake.com’s guide, updated in January 2023, lists seven parking options, including two in Wanakena, and says the average hiker takes three to three and a half days.

Owen describes a string of pond-side campsites: Curtis Pond, Dog Pond (where he stretched out on “shoreline rock ledges” after a 12-mile first day), Cat Mountain Pond, Glasby Pond, and Chair Rock Flow. A 1.4-mile round-trip spur climbs Cat Mountain, at 2,257 feet, for views over the Five Ponds Wilderness; Glasby Pond is less than a mile from it.

High Falls is 0.4 mile off the loop. Owen calls it “a popular overnight site, with lean-tos and several campsites” and says the falls are “well worth” the side trip. From High Falls to Wanakena is about 9 mostly flat miles, with beaver-dam crossings that he found ankle deep in late September and that can be knee high in spring or after rain.

Owen found Wanakena’s roads quiet, with residents waving and offering water. He lists the loop’s lean-tos at High Falls, Cowhorn Pond, and Olmstead Pond, and DEC currently warns of beaver flooding near Olmstead Pond. TupperLake.com recommends the rerouted Bear Mountain trail, finished in 2022, as “a must-do side-trip.” The Cranberry Lake road walk follows Route 3; TupperLake.com says reroutes have cut it from nearly 6 miles to 1.9.

Owen’s favorite season is fall, with mid-60s days and low-40s nights in late September; he suggests May for spring and warns that bugs swarm from June. He notes that Otto’s Abode in Wanakena and the Lakeside General Store on Route 3 are on the route for snacks and drinks.

For another lake-and-lean-to loop in the southern Adirondacks, see Pharaoh Lake.

Tips

Sign every DEC trail register you pass, as the CL50 site asks.
Filter from flowing water, not beaver ponds (Backpacking Routes).
Guard food from red squirrels, which Owen says raid campsites.
Plan for wet feet between High Falls and Wanakena and near Olmstead Pond.
Carry a map. The CL50 site sells a waterproof map and links a free PDF.

Camping

No permit is needed for the loop (Backpacking Routes). The CL50 site says groups of 10 or more, or anyone staying more than three days in one spot, need a free permit from the local forest ranger, and that the Five Ponds Wilderness limits groups to 9. DEC’s state land rules allow camping at “Camp Here” sites or at least 150 feet from roads, trails, and water, and lean-tos must be shared. TupperLake.com says campfires are allowed; DEC limits them to existing fire pits and dead and down wood. Bear canisters aren’t required here, but DEC recommends one in bear country, and Owen notes that moose and bears are present but seldom seen.

Inside Intel: TupperLake.com’s Troy Tetreault calls the Olmstead Pond Lean-to a favorite for its easy access to pristine ponds; check DEC’s beaver-flooding notice first. Owen liked Dog Pond’s rock ledges and Glasby Pond’s short path to the water. In Adirondack Life’s 2020 lean-to feature, Meredith and Greg Sherman picked the Cage Lake Lean-to elsewhere in the Five Ponds Wilderness: “You get a true sense of being in the wild there.”

Trail facts

Distance: 50 miles
Route type: Loop
Difficulty: Moderate
Campsites: High Falls, Cowhorn Pond, and Olmstead Pond lean-tos; primitive sites at Curtis, Dog, Cat Mountain, and Glasby ponds, Chair Rock Flow, and on Cranberry Lake
Water: Frequent streams and ponds; filter, avoiding beaver ponds
Permits: None; ranger permit for groups of 10 or more
Group size: 9 in the Five Ponds Wilderness (CL50 site)
Bear and food storage: Canister recommended, not required
Trailheads: Seven options, including Wanakena and Cranberry Lake
Last verified: October 11, 2026

The Lowdown

Beaver-dam crossings below High Falls:

Crossings between High Falls and Wanakena can run knee high in spring or after rain. If you're shopping for a shell, see whether the Arc'teryx Beta SL is worth it over two cheaper options.

See how they compare →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.