New York · Hiking

Cedar Lakes Trail

2.6 mi
one way
238 ft
climb
2,556 ft
high point
Point to point
route

Cedar Lakes Trail is a 2.6-mile point-to-point hike in New York's West Canada Lake Wilderness, managed by the State Department of Conservation. The route is rated easy, with a total elevation gain of 238 feet from a low point of 2,382 feet to a high of 2,556 feet. It is a short walk, but the steepest stretch comes early, at about 0.16 miles in, where the grade reaches 12 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Indian Lake run to highs around 75°F in July and 73°F in August, and the trail sits higher than that station, so temperatures here run cooler. Pillsbury Mountain Trail and French Louis Trail both lie about 1.5 miles away, and Pillsbury Lake-Cedar Lakes Trail is about 2 miles off. For climbing, Snowy Mt is roughly 9 miles away.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go

    Best time to visit Cedar Lakes Trail

    No month here meets our mild-weather rule. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      25° / 6°

      17 wet

    2. Feb

      28° / 7°

      14 wet

    3. Mar

      36° / 15°

      14 wet

    4. Apr

      49° / 28°

      14 wet

    5. May

      63° / 40°

      16 wet

    6. Jun

      71° / 49°

      15 wet

    7. Jul

      75° / 54°

      15 wet

    8. Aug

      73° / 53°

      13 wet

    9. Sep

      67° / 45°

      13 wet

    10. Oct

      54° / 35°

      16 wet

    11. Nov

      41° / 25°

      16 wet

    12. Dec

      31° / 14°

      17 wet

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Indian Lake 2sw, NY, 15.4 mi away at 1,670 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

Lost Pond TrailPhoto: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lost Pond Trail

~5 min drive

2.44-mile point-to-point trail in New York with 515 ft elevation gain.

Brook Trout Lake Trail #50Photo: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Brook Trout Lake Trail #50

~10 min drive

6.15-mile out-and-back trail with 1,311 ft gain in New York

Sucker Brook TrailPhoto: bobistraveling, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sucker Brook Trail

~11 min drive

14.02-mile out-and-back hike in New York with 2,322 ft elevation gain

Fawn Lake TrailPhoto: Jordan Meeter, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Fawn Lake Trail

~15 min drive

7.3-mile out-and-back hike in New York with 865 ft elevation gain and loss.

Northville-Placid TrailPhoto: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Northville-Placid Trail

~10 min drive

1.16-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 265 ft elevation gain

HIKE

French Louis Trail

~3 min drive

8.34-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 1,183 ft elevation gain.

HIKE

Pillsbury Lake Trail

~6 min drive

9.21-mile out-and-back trail with 1,059 ft gain in New York.

Wakely Mountain TrailPhoto: Andy Arthur, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Wakely Mountain Trail

~15 min drive

5.64-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 1,836 ft gain and 3,747 ft max elevation.

West Lake TrailPhoto: ke9tv, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

West Lake Trail

~11 min drive

2.02-mile out-and-back trail with 624 ft gain in New York.

HIKE

Otter Brook Trail

~8 min drive

12.52-mile out-and-back trail in New York with 1,395 ft elevation gain

Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors