Star Lake, NY

Star Lake sits at the Adirondack gateway in St. Lawrence County, with the hamlet divided between the towns of Clifton and Fine and the lake itself in Fine. The water is 213 acres, reaches 65 feet at its deepest point, and has 5.9 miles of shoreline. New York’s DEC maintains a hand-launch site off Route 3 in the village, with electric motors only, and manages the lake as a cold-water fishery stocked with trout and salmon.

The community’s wider story carries the mark of the North Country’s working industries. The Clifton–Fine area grew through logging, mining, and paper processing; the J&L iron-ore operation at the Clifton site began in 1889, reached about 1,200 workers at its peak, and closed in 1977. Star Lake remains a regional school center through Clifton-Fine Central School at 11 Hall Avenue, serving surrounding hamlets. Lake access, Route 3, the school, and the old industrial landscape give Star Lake a clear local shape: a small Adirondack settlement with recreation and working history built into it.