The house was very clean and well stocked. You can tell they take pride in the house and property. Plenty of room for groups of several people. Screened in porch is very spacious compared to other properties in the area we've stayed at. Access to the water was easy and canoes and kayaks were available for use. Location is only a few minutes from town, many lakes, ponds, and hikes. Host was very nice and prompt answering any questions we had. Would definitely stay here again.
Great stay at camp JOAL. We used the canoes to paddle out to lake clear, where there's a nice swimming spot right at the entry of the lake. The bike trail to Saranac Lake and beyond to Lake Placid just opened, it's fantastic, you can hop on the trail right from the house and bike to Saranac Lake (for ice cream!). So bring your bikes! Great hikes in the vicinity, we did 3 mountains. We paddled the seven carries, shout-out to MAC Canoe Livery less than half mile from the house. What a great vacation place!
Great Home Base for Exploring the Area or Just Relaxing
This home is in a great location for exploring the Saranac lakes and high peaks areas. The home is very comfortable and very well equipped for a relaxing family vacation. Having canoes and kayaks available is especially nice. We enjoy the easy access to either Lake Clear or the Mill Pond. We have now stayed here three different times. Hopefully that speaks for itself -- we really like this home!
Beautiful spot on Lake Clear Outlet. The 20 month old loved the childâs rocker & the older kids participated in kayak races. We all had a lovely time.
This was our second time staying at this property. We love the quiet location, the paddling and fishing on the outlet, and the beautiful house. Our family enjoyed the fire pit and the large screened porch. The house is very clean and well-stocked with anything you might need. The towns of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake are nearby and we went into both for dinner and to shop.We'll probably book again as we like it so much.
Thank you to Camp JoAl for having us during our stay!! The camp was absolutely beautiful and well stocked with everything we needed. The furniture was so nice and the screened in porch was the perfect place to enjoy the evenings. The location is wonderful - a short kayak ride takes you to a small beach opening on Lake Clear. You are very close to Saranac Lake (which our family preferred over Lake Placid because of the better restaurant scene). But still extremely secluded and peaceful. The layout of the house is perfect and bedrooms are separated so no one felt on top of one another. We couldnât have asked for a better experience!!
We enjoyed our stay at this lovely, well-maintained camp. The house has everything we needed for our stay and is beautifully decorated. The setting is private and peaceful.The outlet is calm and ideal for paddling and fishing. We loved relaxing on the large, enclosed porch and having campfires at night.
This is a terrific property in my family's favorite part of the Adirondacks. This was our second time staying in the house, and we enjoyed it every bit as much this year as we did last year.
This was such a great cabin we could not think of much to improve on. In fact this might be the cabin we now compare others to! There was lots of space (so many beds to choose from and spread out), ultimate privacy from other camps, everything we could possibly need to cook, play and just enjoy time together. Hiked and explored by day, paddled (loved not having to rent small craft or bring our own) to the sand bar on Lake Clear and swam in the evening, fire pit memories (nicely seasoned wood), wonderful screen porch (can not say enough) best place ever to sleep, owner and caregivers took care of needs that arose due to unforeseen circumstances from weather without missing a beat. Beds were super comfortable, lots of box fans for warm days, ample parking was also a plus. Visited Lake Clear Beach, The Wild, Whiteface, Saranac Lake and several Mt and Lake/Pond Trails without spending alot of travel time to do it. Great Location! We would love to come back. This is a true gem!
The cottage, lakes, and sports equipment were all exactly as pictured/described. We stayed one week and saw very few people on the water. My husband and son fished and caught northern pike, perch, and large mouth bass. We saw lots of turtles, including a monster snapping turtle, muskrat, deer, a family of wild turkeys, lots of hummingbirds, kingfisher, and loons. The scenery while on the water is gorgeous! The house has everything you need for cooking and lots of games and books. We found the WiFi to be very reliable, which was a surprise since the house feels so remote. We made a few trips to explore the area. We enjoyed the Fish Hatchery; Paul Smith's VIC; the Wild Center; and seeing a movie, having dinner at Well Dressed Food, and desert at Skyline Ice Cream in Tupper Lake. JoAnne's cottage is a great place to find peace on the water!
The home was spectacular and very well equipped for our group of four. We spend most of our time on the water and hanging out on the enormous screened in porch! Canoeing and kayaking are the best here, with access on a very shallow passage to Clear lake and back into the flowage by the house. It was enormously private and very clean.
The owner made sure that the place was stocked with everything we needed. It's a located in a private and beautiful area near Lake Clear. Beside the terrible weather, my only complaint is with the absolutely terrible water pressure. Seriously, the worst pressure you can imagine for showers or rinsing off dishes.
This was the site fir this yearâs family reunion. Year 8! This location offered us privacy yet fabulous accessibility to all things Adirondack! With the outlet in our frontyard, we paddled in each direction each day. There was great fishing, daily heron sightings and trips to the State beach. Yes, we paddled a couple of times to the sandbar! Oh and 3 trips to Donnellyâs for their flavor of the day, yum!
Weather cooperated (thoâ we were looking forward to rain & games on the amazing screened porch.
Fabulous week, totally relaxing!
We had a great time, again, this year. House is very clean and well maintained and had everything we needed for the week. Loved having lots of options for the lake too!
This is our second time staying at this property, this time for two weeks because we liked it so much last year! One of the things we love about the house is it is secluded but yet conveniently located to many hiking trails. The house is fully stocked and the screened in back porch is huge. We loved listening to the loons in the evening.
Kayaking on the lake was so peaceful! A really special place.
The house was just what we wanted.
It was well equipped, cozy, wooded, private and with canoe access.
We loved spending time outdoors grilling and at the fire pit.
Beds were comfortable even the one in the screened in porch.
We would love to return soon.
We had a lovely visit at this beautiful lake house. The house is even better than the pictures. It is decorated tastefully in true Adirondack style and was lovely. We loved the very large screened-in porch and ate most of our meals out there as well as relaxed on the very comfy furniture. We never got around to having a fire but they had a very inviting fire pit space with plenty of chairs for a large group to sit around. Our favorite activity was kayaking and canoeing and fishing.
We went out several times each day either to Mill Pond( smaller) or Lake Clear ( larger) both equally beautiful places to explore. We saw and heard loons on Lake Clear each time we visited! The coolest thing we did was to load up the canoe with happy hour drinks and snacks and chairs and went to a tiny beach that is just to the right as you enter Lake Clear from the outlet. There is a sand bar there so you have to go out into the lake a bit and go around to the other side of the beach and come back in so as not to beach the canoe on the sandbar. It was not warm enough to go swimming but would have been a fun place to wade and swim. There is also a swimming beach at the top of Lake Clear that you can get to from Rt 30. It was not marked as the sign must have fallen down but it is an NYS beach and is quite beautiful and large. A must-visit place if you like to hike is the Paul Smiths VIC land about 10 minutes away. The hiking trails are beautiful and well marked and the views are amazing. You can get a map in the Interpretive Center. We had the best vacation at Joal Camp and can't wait to return!
We had a wonderful time! Perfect location and lots of privacy! The canoes, paddle board, kayaks and pedal board enabled us to all be on the water together. Loved the screened in porch. Hope to be back next summer!
We stayed at this camp in late June. It was fabulous. The house is very comfortable, clean and supplied including spices, beach towels and a great collection of good books. The open floor plan is welcoming and the large screened in porch is where we spent much of our time. It is like an outdoor living room with a collection of fun bird print pillows on the comfortable sofa and chairs. We enjoyed morning coffee watching the birds and looking at the trees and water. We ate dinner and played several games of monopoly at the large table. You really feel like you are outside. We really enjoyed using the kayak and canoe to paddle to the beach on Lake Clear. The water and sandy bottom is refreshing and beautiful. We drove around to another beach on the other side of the lake several times. It is also close to Paul Smith conservation center which we went hiking on their lovely trails several time. Enjoyed being in the quiet but near amenities in Saranac Lake. A highly recommended rental.
Camp Joal is a beautiful vacation home with all of the amenities and comforts of home. The house and linens were immaculate. There is enough space to separate and retreat from the group and enough space for all to gather together to eat or socialize. The kitchen has everything you need to prepare a gourmet meal (we made prime rib one night). It was so handy to have a washer and dryer right there as well. The caregiver lives down the road and was very helpful with any questions we had. There are kayaks and canoes to go out on the water which is beautiful. You can not really swim right there at the property but there is a lovely beach 8 minutes away with sand and sun or shade to choose lounging around in. 8 minutes in the other direction is Upper Saranac Lake which has a fantastic boat launch that we brought our Jetboat to several times and still didn't see the whole thing! We had a rainy forecast for the week but we made the most of every day. There is a seasonal greatroom that is screened in which was beautiful to sit out in when the rain did come. It would be hard not to enjoy your stay here!
My husband and I live in Illinois and have traveled to the Adirondacks to spend a week with extended family for 40 years. Our children and their cousins have memories of canoe trips, High Peaks hikes, picking raspberries, and songs and skits around the campfire. They continue to come to gather from Texas, Utah, California, and Dubai. They now have their own families and want to continue making memories and strengthening relationships.
This property gives us waterfront to send off canoes and to play. It is on 9 acres, so we can sing and play without disturbing others. It has a comfortable place to sleep and a wonderful huge screened in porch for gathering.
This property is close to canoe routes and High Peaks hiking trails, near cultural activities and attractions, and a short drive from Saranac Lake and Lake Placid for shopping and restaurants. At the same time you are surrounded by forests and across the water from quiet state land.