Lake Bonaparte

Joseph Bonaparte, was a French diplomat and Napoleon's older brother, During Napolean's rise he served short stints as the King of Naples, Spain and the Indies.  After Napoleon's ouster he fled to Switzerland with stolen jewels and made plans to escape from Europe.  Joseph arrived in America under the assumed name “Count de Survilliers” in 1815.

A couple of years later Joseph purchased 150,260 acres of land in from James Le Ray.  He gave the lake at the center of this property, the name Diana, after the goddess of the hunt. Joseph has a road built to the lake, and a log hunting lodge constructed on a hill overlooking the East Shore. The lake later became known as Lake Bonaparte.

In the late 1800's and early 1900's, the lake was a summer vacation destination of wealthy travelers who often arrived via rail.  The grand Hermitage Hotel, first built in 1928 was at the center of the resort.  Both that hotel and the subsequent New Hermitage Hotel were destroyed by fire, the later in 1953.

Lake Bonaparte:  A North Country History Lesson - WWNY TV

The Legend of Bonaparte Cave

Invasive species including Eurasian Watermilfoil and Zebra mussels are present in the lake.  Please help us prevent the introduction of other non-native species, that disrupt the ecosystem.

Lake residents and visitors are reminded to carefully follow NYS regulations regarding "Clean, Drain, and Dry" practices to prevent further spread.  Since Lake Bonaparte lies within 10 miles of the Adirondack Park all boaters operating any kind of motorized watercraft are required by law to possess certification that, before launching, their vessel has undergone measures to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species by following the standards described in NYS Regulation (6 NYCRR Part 576).  Self cleaning and certification is an option.  Information is available here.

Learn more about Invasive Species

Fish species including smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, brown bullhead, cisco, brown trout, and lake trout are present in the lake. The NYSDEC regularly stocks the lake with approximately 2,500 brown trout and 800 lake trout annually.

The forests and wetlands surrounding the lake are home to black bears, fishers, beavers, and others.

The common loon, bald eagles, osprey, peregrine falcons are known to nest on our shores.  Diverse songbirds, and raptors are also common sights.

The Nature Conservancy owns significant portions of the Bonaparte Swamp.  This fragile and highly complex fen environment and the   northern white cedar swamps are unique. The state threatened bog birch, Betula pumila, grows here, along with native Phragmites, a state rare horsetail, and state endangered sedges, Carex vaginata and C. gynocrates.