Airport Pond is a 6-acre water tucked somewhere in the Old Forge region — the kind of small, named pond that shows up on USGS maps but doesn't generate trail signs or DEC literature. No fish stocking records on file, no established access points in the usual references, and the name suggests it's tied to some airstrip history that may or may not still exist. These off-grid ponds tend to sit on private land or require bushwhacking through working forest, which means they're either local secrets or legitimately inaccessible depending on who owns the shoreline. If you're poking around Old Forge backcountry and stumble on it, you've done the work.
Closest parking lots within range, ranked by walking distance. Accessibility flags come from Google verified-data; surface and capacity from OpenStreetMap. Confirm hours and seasonal closures before you go.
+15 more on the map above
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Every page on this site gets better when readers contribute. Mark a peak you’ve climbed, drop a photo, file a field note, or flag a correction — every addition makes the next visitor’s page better.
Sunrise on the dock, a cairn at the summit, a bend on the trail. Your camera roll, our archive.
Add a photo →Trail conditions, water level, bug pressure, blowdown. The kind of detail that helps the next person plan.
Write a field note →Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted. We'd rather hear it than miss it.
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What to do, where to stay, and what's reopening across the Park as the snow melts and the calendar fills.
A complete planning guide: difficulty by peak, common combo days, seasonal realities, and a sortable, filterable table of every summit.
Overnight, day, and trip camps in the Park — the camp belt, choosing the right fit, costs and financial aid, ACA accreditation, and the questions every parent should ask before they commit.
