It is the site of St. John's in the Wilderness, a small chapel originally built of logs, that was formerly attended by the families of shoreline property owners that arrived in canoes, rowboats and sailboats.

[3] The lake's water quality is heavily impacted by road salt runoff, with chloride concentrations at 27mg/L or 135 times the background level.

The current biological community of Lower St. Regis Lake can be defined as a warm water aquatic ecosystem due to the changes caused by human development.

[5] Birds and mammals that can be seen at the lake include Common Loons, ducks, Canada geese, River otter, Fisher, and North American beaver.

[7] Wealthy families who came to visit Paul Smith's Hotel then decided to build their own houses and camps on the lake.

In the early 20th century, a group of Lower St. Regis Lake property owners including Dr. E.L Trudeau, Phelps Smith, and Dr. Walter B. James started to become concerned within the water quality.

[3] The Adirondack Watershed Institute with help from Paul Smith’s College have been monitoring Lower St. Regis Lake to maintain healthy water quality levels.

Recreational activities such as boating, paddling, fishing, and camping are the most popular that occur on the lake during peak summer season.

During the winter season when the lake is frozen snowmobiling, ice fishing, and cross country skiing are the predominant recreational activities that occur.