If you want to visit Yellow Lake in St. Lawrence County, New York, you will learn all about the lake in this post. Discover where it is located, how to find public access, and more.
Here you will find:
- Where Yellow Lake is located
- How to get there
- Important details about accessing the lake
- What to do at Yellow Lake
- How to fish the lake, and what fish are there
The main reason that our family decided to take the trip to Yellow Lake was to find out if it would make a good place for fishing from the shore. We also like to find fishing spots that are not too overgrown with tall grass.
It might be a little bit of a spoiler, but we were a little bummed because Yellow Lake is not good for shore fishing. Since we don’t have a boat, we can’t fish here.
However, maybe you do, and if so, keep reading to learn how to enjoy this beautiful lake!
Where is Yellow Lake New York located?
Yellow Lake is located in St. Lawrence County, very close to the border of Jefferson County. Public access to the lake is easiest at the public boat launch in the town of Rossie, New York.
If you have ever driven to St. Lawrence County from Jefferson County, then you might have driven through the town of Rossie, New York. This town is very small, so you might not have even noticed that you were there.
Even though it is a small town, Rossie is located in a beautiful part of St. Lawrence County and is of course home to Yellow Lake.
Yellow Lake is also bordered by the Yellow Lake State Forest.
How big is Yellow Lake?
Located at about 340 feet above sea level, Yellow Lake covers about 364 acres of the towns of Rossie and Gouverneur, NY. Yellow Lake is a shallow lake at only about 13 feet deep at its deepest.
How to access Yellow Lake NY?
Some people wonder whether you can access Yellow Lake from the Yellow Lake State Forest. There are trails in the forest that can take you close to the lake, but there are steep cliffs preventing access to the lake.
Even though the Yellow Lake State Forest does not allow access to the lake, it still looks like a really beautiful place to visit. There is hiking and primitive camping allowed, so it is definitely on my list of places to see soon.
The easiest way to get directions to the Yellow Lake public access boat launch is to click the following link to have the coordinates automatically open on your phone or in your browser on Google Maps:
If you are familiar with Rossie and Macomb, NY, you will be able to find the boat launch by taking County Route 10 to Liscum Road, which turns into Hall Road.
Is there parking?
There is free parking available at the Yellow Lake boat launch. In addition, there is no fee to access the launch or the lake.
Parking is available in a small parking lot directly off of Hall Road. However, there is a very long walk (about 2000 feet) from the main parking spot on Hall Road to the actual boat launch.
If you are carrying a boat, this would be a long walk.
Ideally, you should drive your car down to the second parking lot, where you will find a shady spot to park, that is very close to the lake. This closer parking lot is about 200 feet away from the lake/boat launch.
There is room for a few cars at the parking spot nearest the boat launch, and there is an accessible parking spot at this location. However, the boat launch itself is not accessible.
The drive down to the second boat launch parking lot is windy and steep, but very beautiful.
What can you do at Yellow Lake?
The main activities recommended at the Rossie Yellow Lake boat launch would be boating in a small boat or fishing from a boat. There is no easy access for fishing from the shore at this lake.
In addition, there are no picnic tables, restrooms, or trails at this boat launch.
Can you swim in Yellow Lake?
According to New York State’s Department of Environmental Conversation, Yellow Lake is shallow and reedy, which is not recommended for swimming. In addition, there is no access to the lake for swimming from the boat launch.
The boat launch area is very marshy, grassy and overgrown, so not really what you imagine for a day swimming at the lake. This is why swimming is not recommended at this location.
The photograph above also offers excellent views of the cliffs on the other side of the lake, which are on the edge of Yellow Lake State Forest. Clearly, neither the boat launch or the forest offer access to the lake for swimming.
How to fish Yellow Lake
Fishing Yellow Lake is best done by boat. The lake is shallow and you will have to carry your boat from the parking lot down the hill to the boat launch, so you should decide carefully which type of craft you will use.
What kind of fish are in Yellow Lake?
If you have a boat that you can get down the boat launch into the lake, then you might be able to catch a great selection of species of fish. For example, you can find the following fish in Yellow Lake:
- Northern Pike
- Largemouth Bass
- Bluegill
- Yellow Perch
- Brown Bullhead
Almost all of the lakes and rivers in this area are great for catching Northern Pike, which is very exciting.
Conclusion
I hope that you have learned everything that you hoped to find out about the public access site for Yellow Lake, New York.