The Chateaugay Lakes region is the headwaters of the Chateaugay River. Pure snowmelt and rain water trickle over mosses and boulders on forested Lyon Mountain to feed Upper Chateaugay Lake, the jewel of the watershed.

The two lakes and the Narrows connecting them are a summer playground for hundreds of camp owners along their shores. 

The local Chateaugay Lakes Association tries to maintain a balance between the human enjoyment and natural protection of the area as do the state zoning laws of the Adirondack Park Agency.