 The
Adirondack Park is a patchwork of private and public lands,
unlike any other park in the US. So while the back country
is immense-the nation's largest trail system with more than
2,000 miles-so too are the nearby comforts. The day hikes
offer diverse experiences and are rated for various levels
of ability. There are short and/or easy hikes to ponds and
views suitable for families with children, long circuits,
steeper hikes to mountain summits and destination walks to
waterfalls.
From
the High Peaks of the Adirondacks to the shores of Lake Champlain,
The Department of Environmental Conservation own and maintains
2,000 miles of hiking trails throughout the Adirondack Park.
Although
most state-maintained trails are marked, hikers are encouraged
to consult topographical maps or other guides when planning
to venture into the back country.
For
more information, visit the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council
web site at
Hiking
Safely
Safety
is important whether you are day hiking or winter backpacking.
Proper planning, preparation, proper clothing and taking appropriate
gear are essential to safe and enjoyable excursion.
Emergency
Contacts
To
report injuries, accidents or lost hikers in Region5 (Clinton,
Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington
Counties), dial 911 for emergency assistance or phone (518)897-1300
or (518)891-0235.
Hiking
safety information
http://lakeplacidmedia.com/uploads/PDF/HikingSafety.pdf
Access
For People With Disabilities
Access
for people with disabilities
New
York's campgrounds, educational centers and other facilities
offer many recreational opportunities including camping, picnicking,
fishing and nature viewing for people with disabilities. In
addition, people with disabilities can obtain special hunting
licenses and permits for access to the Forest Preserve. Contact
DEC regional office 5 at (518)897-1300 or (518)891-0235 for
more information.
Useful
Web sites:
The
Adirondack Park
www.adk.com
Hiking
in New York State - DEC
www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dlf/publands/hike.html
www.visitadirondacks.com
PUTNAM
POND CAMPGROUND
is a state campsite
that is the trailhead for a number of hiking trails, such
as Bear Pond Loop, which passes a series
of wilderness ponds. Treadway Mountain is
a rewarding hike with outstanding views, and Rock
Pond Mine features the remains of an old graphite
mine. Grizzle Ocean is another picturesque
pond with a lean-to and a trail that circles the pond.
Bear
Pond and Grizzle Ocean are both an easy 5 mile loop, Treadway
Mountain is 7.8 miles RT, moderate, and Rock Pond Mine Trail
is 5.4 miles RT, moderate. Trailhead is at the state campground
at 763 Putts Pond Road. Take Route 74 West from Ticonderoga
and go 4.3 miles. Turn Left on Putts Pond Road, and go 0.7
miles.
BEAR
POND TRAIL
This
blue marked trail makes a loop with the Rock Pond - Clear
Pond Trail from Heart Pond to Bear Pond and back to Rock Pond.
It is 1.0 miles from Heart Pond to Be
ar Pond and 1.5 miles from Rock Pond to Bear Pond.
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 ROCK
POND - CLEAR POND TRAIL
This trail is a yellow marked trail 3.25 miles long traveling
past Heart, North, Rock, Little Rock and Clear Ponds. There
are Adirondack lean-tos at Rock, Little Rock and Clear Ponds
and each offers fine trout fishing. The trail leaves Putnam
Pond at the public campground and returns to the pond at the
opposite shore near the channel to North Pond. The hiker may
complete a circuit of Putnam Pond by taking the blue trail
south from Clear Pond, passing Mud Pond, crossing the Treadway
Mountain Trail and then reaching the yellow trail from Grizzle
Ocean to Putnam Pond Public Campground. There is a red trail
from around Rock Pond, east 1.7 miles to Lilypad Pond. One
lean-to is located at this pond.
ROCK
POND MINE
(5.4
miles RT, easy, entrance fee to state campground) The remains
of the mine site include a huge metal steam boiler, a drainage
tunnel, tailings, an open pit mine and stone foundations.
If you choose to walk around Rock Pond, use caution on the
section of trail along the north shore which is narrow, rocky
and difficult to negotiate.
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TREADWAY
MOUNTAIN (7.8
miles RI, moderate, entrance fee to state campground)
This is a rewarding hike with outstanding views along the
way and trees the three knobs that form the open rocky summit.
Options for either a longer or shorter hike include: A return
via Clear, Rock, North and Heart ponds which adds only 1.5
miles to the RI distance; or shorten your hike to 5 miles
RT by paddling across Putnam Pond to a trailhead on the opposite
shore. The canoe option makes for an interesting trip and
requires less effort and time - this is perhaps the best choice
for young hikers.
Trailhead:
starts at a trailhead parking lot in the Putnam Pond State
Campground (entrance fee). Take route 74 west from Ticonderoga
and go 4.3 miles. Turn left on to Putts Pond Road and go 0.7
miles. The first part of the trail round the southwest end
of Putnam Pond leads over rolling terrain 1.8 miles to the
turn-off for Treadway. In the summer if you have a small boat,
you can paddle across Putnam Pond to a short spur trail which
leads up to the trail junction. In the winter, if the ice
is thick enough, you can hike across the lake on snowshoes
to the same spur trial. This will take about 1.2 miles off
of the 7.8 mile round trip as well as same some additional
up and down.
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GRIZZLE
OCEAN
You must pay an entrance fee to the campground, but it is
well worth, when you take this easy walk around the shore
of this very pretty lake.
COOK
MOUNTAIN (2.6 miles RI, moderate, Lake George Basin
Land Conservancy)
There is just one short steep ascent to reach this incredible
view of the Champlain Valley, northern Lake George and the
Adirondacks.
Trailhead:
Approximately 1.0 mi. south of the monument and traffic circle
in Ticonderoga on Rte. 9N, turn E onto Essex Co. Rte. 5. The
Ticonderoga Elementary and Middle School is soon passed on
the right, and a pair of intersections is reached in about
1.2 miles. Lord Howe Road is on the Left and Baldwin Road
on the Right. The trailhead is exactly 1.5 miles South on
Baldwin Road on the right at a gate on an old logging road
with Lake George Basin Land Conservancy signs. Just beyond
on the left is a state historical marker referring to this
area as "Abercrombie's Landing," where 15,000 men landed
to attack Ticonderoga which was successfully defended by Montcalm
in July 1758
Trail
in Winter: With adequate snow cover, this is a great snowshoe,
though rather steep in a few spots. Snowshoe crampons are
recommended. Views are great without leaves on the
trees.
[
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DEER
LEAP (1.6 miles minimal elevation change.) Great
for snow-shoeing and picnicking.
The
trail follows an old horse trail, well built up with sizable
stones by the Civilian Conservation Corps. You will reach
the height- of -land for this trek at about 1.0 mile after
climbing 300 feet. The height- of- land defines the transition
from the tall hardwood forests of the western slopes scrubbier
oaks and pines of the eastern slopes. Beyond a intersection
you cross the brow of a small ridge, quickly beginning to
descend 0.16 mile into a valley and wind across it and up
to a ridge at 1.1 miles. Continue across the ridge line for
0.2 miles, passing a faint path right to a small overlook.
For 0.2 mile you descend again, with good views north to the
east west facing fault scrap of Bloomer's cliffs and reach
the partially wooded overlook at 1.6 miles.
Trailhead:
Take NY9N south through Silver Bay to the top of Tongue Mountain
where you will find parking on the right and a few spaces
shortly in the woods to the left.
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FIVE
MILE MOUNTAIN(3.6 miles, 1190 foot elevation change)
Great for snowshoeing and camping.
Walk
the first 1.0 mile as for the trail to Deer Leap and at the
intersection turn sharply right, heading south, and continue
on the blue trail. You reach a small overlook summit of Brown
Mountain at the 1.45 mile, a climb from Brown's summit, you
continue walking along the ridge which is mostly level, pleasant
and open, with blueberries, some big red pine, trailing arbutus,
and twisted stalk. At 1.75 miles you cross a three log bridge
to a ledge with a lookout toward Northwest Bay. You climb
again to 2.05 miles than an open patch that leads at 2.45
miles to a lean-to where you can see the range of hills across
Northwest Bay. The views both up and down the lake are lovely,
but from here intervening hills in the range make it impossible
to see the Point of Tongue.
Trailhead:
Take NY9N south through Silver Bay to the top of Tongue Mountain
where you will find parking on the right and a few spaces
in the woods to the left.
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BLACK
MOUNTAIN , at 2646 feet, is the highest peak in the
two ranges of mountains that shelter Lake George. It lies
about halfway along the Lake's eastern shore, and views form
summit are more than proportional to its height. One of the
trails to its summit rises steeply from the shore of Lake
George, but it is accessible only by water. Your route on
Black Mountain is a loop that requires a bit less climbing,
but still traverses part of the reputedly more handsome trail
from the lake. This loop also allows you to visit a series
of charming ponds that lie south and east of the summit. There
is a fire tower on Black Mountain, and although you might
appreciate climbing it to identify distant mountains, Black's
summit is mostly o0en rock, so overlooks in every direction
can be found at ground level.
Trailhead:
At Clemons, drive 2.6 miles west toward Huletts Landing on
County Road 6, and then bear south(left) on Pike Brook Road
for 0.8 mile to the trailhead. You will have views of Black
Mountain as well as Knob Hill and Sugarloaf, two unusual small
mountain whose distinctive shapes you will be able to identify
again clearly from Black's summit. Signs at the trailhead
indicate that the Black Mountain Fire Tower is 2.8 miles away,
and that the Lapland Pond Lean-to, which you pass on your
return leg is 2.5 miles distant.
PHARAOH
MOUNTAIN TRAIL
This trail (marked with red trail markers) is approximately
4.7 miles long with an ascent of 1,550 feet. The summit of
the mountain is 2,557 feet above sea level.
Trailhead:
Access is gained by turning east from Route 9 onto Alder Meadow
Road, about 1.5 miles north of Schroon Lake Village. Proceed
eastward for a little more than 2 miles, where Crane Pond
Road continues eastward from the intersection of the East
Shore Road. The new trailhead and parking area is located
at the end of Crane Pond Road, just within the wilderness
boundary. Crane Pond is 1.9 miles from the new trailhead.
At
0.8 miles, the trail to Goose Pond departs southward. Continuing
beyond this intersection, the trail forks at 2.6 miles, with
the blue trail leading to Glidden Marsh, Oxshoe Pond and a
lean-to; continue on the red trail for Pharaoh Mountain. The
hiker using this trail is rewarded with an extensive panorama
of the lake-dotted countryside surrounding Pharaoh and the
high peak country to the north. From the summit, the red trail
continues south and east approximately 1.5 miles to Pharaoh
Lake.
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GOOSE
POND TRAIL
This trail departs from the trail to Crane Pond at a point
0.8 miles from Crane Pond Road trailhead. The yellow marked
trail leads 0.6 miles to the pond.
BERRYMILL
POND TRAIL
This trail is 4.9 miles long and is marked with blue markers.
Trailhead:It
starts at Putnam Pond Public Campground and terminates at
New Hague, approximately 7 miles northwest of Hague. The trail
passes Berrymill Pond which is reported to be very good northern
pike fishing. There is one lean-to at Berrymill Pond.
[
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LOST
POND TRAIL
The Lost Pond Trail is 4.9 miles long and is marked with blue
markers.
Trailhead:The
trail starts just east of the Putnam Pond Public Campground
at the western edge of an old clearing. The pond is stocked
with trout by the department.
OTTER
POND TRAIL
This trail is a blue marked trail slightly more than 0.5 miles
long which starts in the small bay on the east shore of Eagle
Lake. Otter Pond is reported to have excellent trout fishing.
photo by Rebekah White
ARNOLD
POND TRAIL
This trail is a short blue trail just a little more than 0.25
miles long. The climb is steep, but hardly noticeable over
such a short distance.
Trailhead:
The trail leaves NY Route 74 at a point 1.5 miles west
of the Eagle Lake Causeway. The pond is stocked with trout.
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THE
LONG SWING TRAIL
This trail is 12 miles long and passes by Alder Pond, Crane
Pond, Glidden Marsh, Pharaoh Lake and Grizzle Ocean and on
to Putnam Pond.
Trailhead:
It leaves New York Route 74 at a point 0.2 miles west of the
Paradox Lake Public Campground entrance and terminates at
Putnam Pond Public Campground, 3 miles south of Route 74 and
Chilson. The first 3 miles are marked with blue markers, red
markers lead 1 mile south from Crane Pond and for the last
8 miles the trails follow yellow markers. There are four open
camps or lean-tos on or near this trail-one on the south shore
of Oxshoe Pond, two on Pharaoh Lake and one on the north shore
of Grizzle Ocean. The lakes and ponds are reported to have
the following species of fish:
Crane
Pond -Kokanee salmon, lake trout, smallmouth bass,
northern pike.
Glidden
Marsh -brook trout.
Pharaoh
Lake -brook trout, lake trout.
Grizzle
Ocean -brook trout.
Putnam
Pond -smallmouth
and largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike.
TOUNGUE
MOUNTAIN RANGE TRAIL
This trail system contains over 18 miles of foot trails located
for the most part on the high ridges and affording many fine
views of the surrounding territory. The most popular section
of the system follows the ridge of Tongue Mountain 10 miles
from it's point on the lake to Rt. 9N, north of Bolton Landing.
The top of Tongue Mountain is dry, and hikers are advised
to bring canteens. A word of caution is due regarding rattlesnakes.
The situation is not dangerous, if normal precautions are
observed. Located 12 miles north of Bolton Landing, NY
[
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Cyclists
who ride in the Champlain Valley know it has all the
right ingredients for a premier bicycle touring destination:
peaceful country roads, picturesque villages, breathtaking
scenery, charming B&B's and inns, country stores and farmstands,
bicycle tour outfitters, impressive historic sites and museums,
lovely shoreline parks and campgrounds, convenient connections
to passenger rail lines and ferry crossings, and access to
numerous lakes and rivers. 
Fort
to Fort - 17 miles - Ticonderoga & Crown Point
