Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adirondack Loj Road bridge Headwaters below the High Peaks | Bridge crossing | 44.19080, -73.95675 | Top of the West Branch above Lake Placid. Small, brushy wild brook-trout water here; foot access off the Loj road. |
| 2 | NY 73 bridge (Cascade Road) NY 73 between Lake Placid and Keene | Bridge crossing | 44.25715, -73.96210 | The West Branch crosses Route 73 above Lake Placid. Still a small stream at this crossing. |
| 3 | High Peaks Cyclery 2733 Main Street, Lake Placid · outfitter | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 44.28107, -73.98153 | Lake Placid outfitter stocking fly and spin tackle and running guided trips. 2.4 km off the river and the nearest shop to the upper West Branch. |
| 4 | Public fishing rights parking — River Road NYS DEC · Lake Placid | Access / boat ramp | 44.28665, -73.93253 | First of three DEC public-fishing-rights parking areas on River Road between here and the Route 86 bridge. The state publishes the locations and no names. |
| 5 | Public fishing rights parking — NY 86 above Monument Falls NYS DEC · first of seven roadside lots | Access / boat ramp | 44.30026, -73.93042 | Seven DEC fishing-rights lots line Route 86 from here down to Monument Falls. All are unnamed in the state's own data; park on the shoulder side. |
| 6 | Monument Falls parking area NYS DEC · NY 86 · Whiteface viewpoint | Access / boat ramp | 44.31053, -73.91565 | The classic Whiteface viewpoint pull-off, and a DEC fishing-rights lot. Monument Falls itself is 110 m upstream and is DEC's reference point for the section limit downstream. |
| 7 | NY 86 bridge, Wilmington Notch NY 86 | Bridge crossing | 44.32327, -73.91236 | Route 86 crosses the river in the notch. Pocket water above and below, and a fishing-rights lot at each end. |
| 8 | Public fishing rights parking — NY 86, Wilmington Notch NYS DEC · one of five lots | Access / boat ramp | 44.32711, -73.91014 | Middle of a run of five DEC fishing-rights lots between the notch bridge and the section limit downstream. |
| 9 | Catch-and-release limit — DEC sign 2.2 mi below Monument Falls West Branch · boundary of two DEC reaches | Regulation section limit | 44.33761, -73.89680 | DEC posts this limit as a sign 2.2 river miles below Monument Falls; measured along the mapped channel that distance lands 130 m from this lot. Catch-and-release water runs upstream from here to Holcomb Pond Outlet, which is unmapped. |
| 10 | Public fishing rights parking — NY 86 below the notch NYS DEC · one of two lots | Access / boat ramp | 44.34077, -73.88950 | Two DEC fishing-rights lots on Route 86 between the section limit and High Falls Gorge. |
| 11 | High Falls High Falls Gorge · four named drops | Dam / hazard | 44.34829, -73.87476 | A staircase of falls in a privately operated, ticketed gorge with footbridges. OSM names four drops here. Not wadeable, and dangerous water at any flow. |
| 12 | Public fishing rights parking — NY 86 at High Falls Gorge NYS DEC · NY 86 | Access / boat ramp | 44.34805, -73.87005 | Roadside DEC lot opposite the gorge, 0.21 km back from the water — the furthest of the twenty-six from the channel. |
| 13 | Wilmington Notch Campground NYS DEC · 54 sites · reservation required | Campsite | 44.35080, -73.86035 | State campground on the river between High Falls Gorge and the ski centre. Showers, dump station, wheelchair-accessible sites. |
| 14 | Whiteface Ski Center bridge — reach boundary West Branch · top of the catch-and-release water | Regulation section limit | 44.35388, -73.86018 | DEC uses this bridge as a boundary: catch-and-release water runs downstream from here to the Route 86 bridge at the Flume. OSM carries the bridge unnamed; the ski centre lies 140 m along the line. |
| 15 | Hungry Trout Fly Shop 5239 NYS Route 86, Wilmington | Bait, tackle & fly shop | 44.36512, -73.84172 | The only fly shop on the river itself — full-service shop and guide service on the West Branch bank just above the Flume. |
| 16 | Catch-and-release limit — NY 86 bridge at the Flume West Branch · foot of the catch-and-release water | Regulation section limit | 44.36606, -73.84095 | The Route 86 bridge at the Flume is DEC's boundary: catch-and-release water upstream to the Whiteface Ski Center bridge, stocked-extended water downstream to the forks. Two DEC lots at the bridge. |
| 17 | The Flume Flume Falls · ledge drops under NY 86 | Dam / hazard | 44.36647, -73.84038 | A short gorge of ledge drops right under the Route 86 bridge. OSM names two falls here. Worth looking at, not worth wading. |
| 18 | Lake Placid / Whiteface Mtn. KOA Holiday 5591 NYS Route 86, Wilmington · private | Campsite | 44.38521, -73.83327 | Private campground on Route 86 between the Flume and Wilmington village. |
| 19 | Lake Everest Boat Launch Town of Wilmington · concrete · no fee | Access / boat ramp | 44.38466, -73.82231 | Small concrete ramp for canoes, kayaks and small motors on Lake Everest, the impoundment behind the Wilmington weir. |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | NY 86 bridge, Wilmington village NY 86 · at the dam | Bridge crossing | 44.38902, -73.81748 | The village crossing, immediately above the weir, the beach and the boat launch. |
| 21 | Wilmington Dam Weir · foot of Lake Everest | Dam / hazard | 44.38942, -73.81667 | The weir that forms Lake Everest through Wilmington village. Portage it; do not wade the sill. |
| 22 | Wilmington Heritage Park Town of Wilmington | Park / conservation area | 44.38882, -73.81611 | Village park at the dam, beside the town beach and the Lake Everest launch. |
| 23 | Wilmington Wild Forest NYS DEC · Wild Forest | Park / conservation area | 44.39059, -73.81428 | State Wild Forest land along the river below Wilmington, open to fishing and primitive camping under DEC rules. |
| 24 | Public fishing rights parking — Preston Road, Haselton NYS DEC · Haselton | Access / boat ramp | 44.40471, -73.79454 | The lowest DEC fishing-rights lot on the West Branch, below Wilmington in the hamlet of Haselton. |
| 25 | Hazelton Road bridge (CR 19) Essex CR 19 | Bridge crossing | 44.40358, -73.78226 | County road crossing below Haselton, on the last West Branch reach above the forks. |
| 26 | Stocked-extended limit — confluence with the East Branch Au Sable Forks · foot of the regulated water | Regulation section limit | 44.44072, -73.67469 | DEC's West Branch reaches end where the two branches meet. Below here the river is the main-stem Ausable and carries no special trout reach. The NY 9N bridge is 90 m upstream. |
| 27 | USGS 04275500 — Ausable River near Au Sable Forks USGS gauge · main stem below the forks | USGS gauge | 44.45172, -73.64339 | The gauge this water page reads for flow. It sits on the main stem below the junction, so it carries both branches. |
| 28 | Lower Road bridge Town of Black Brook / Au Sable | Bridge crossing | 44.46450, -73.57522 | Quiet crossing on the main stem between the forks and the Northway. |
| 29 | I-87 Adirondack Northway I 87 | Bridge crossing | 44.49092, -73.49445 | The Northway crossing, the easiest landmark on the lower river. |
| 30 | Front Street bridge, Keeseville US 9 / NY 22 | Bridge crossing | 44.50703, -73.47932 | Keeseville village crossing, at the head of the dam-and-chasm reach. |
| 31 | Alice Falls Dam Hydro dam · Keeseville | Dam / hazard | 44.51944, -73.46480 | First of three dams and falls between Keeseville and Ausable Chasm. The river is not navigable through this reach. |
| 32 | Rainbow Falls Dam Hydro dam at the head of the chasm | Dam / hazard | 44.52273, -73.45943 | Dam at the head of Ausable Chasm, with Rainbow Falls dropping immediately below it. |
| 33 | Horseshoe Falls Inside Ausable Chasm | Dam / hazard | 44.52464, -73.46276 | Sheer walls, no bank access and no fishing through the chasm itself. The chasm is a ticketed attraction. |
| 34 | US 9 bridge at Ausable Chasm US 9 | Bridge crossing | 44.52494, -73.46296 | The chasm crossing; the walkway network starts here. |
| 35 | Ausable Chasm Campground Private · at the chasm | Campsite | 44.52778, -73.45548 | Private campground beside the chasm, the only camping on the lower river above Lake Champlain. |
| 36 | Ausable Marsh Wildlife Management Area NYS DEC · game land | Park / conservation area | 44.56647, -73.43398 | The delta marsh where the Ausable enters Lake Champlain. Landlocked salmon, northern pike and bass water, and the best bank walking on the lower river. |
| 37 | Ausable Point Campground NYS DEC · Lake Champlain | Campsite | 44.57084, -73.42830 | State campground on the point at the river mouth, with the car-top launch inside it. |
| 38 | Ausable Point Campground car-top boat launch NYSDEC · canoe / car-top | Access / boat ramp | 44.56730, -73.42436 | Car-top launch at the mouth, inside the state campground — the only mapped launch on the whole lower river. |
Gauge: USGS 04275500 — AUSABLE RIVER NEAR AU SABLE FORKS NY. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Rainbow Trout
Regulations: dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Lake Placid outlet and the Monument Falls area: upper West Branch access on Route 86.
Wilmington Notch Campground: state campground with river frontage in the canyon.
The Flume and Whiteface area pullouts: roadside access to the classic pocket water.
Wilmington catch-and-release section: marked two-mile reach above the village.
Trophy section below Wilmington Dam: special-regulation water, walk-in access.
Au Sable Forks: access near the gauge at the junction of the two branches.
Route 9N through Jay and Keene: East Branch access points.
April: opening-day water, high and cold, streamers and nymphs.
May and June: the main hatch season, Hendricksons then caddis and sulphurs.
July and August: low clear water, terrestrials and early mornings; watch water temperature on hot spells.
September and October: fall browns, blue-winged olives, foliage and few anglers; winter is closed water on much of the river.