Muskrat Pond is an 18-acre water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough to slip past most maps, large enough to hold its own character. No fish records on file, no maintained trail markers leading in, no DEC campsites flagged on the shore — which means it's either privately held, lightly documented, or both. The Old Forge area is dense with small ponds like this: some are legacy hunting-camp waters, some are remnants of the town-lot survey grid, and most reward the kind of local knowledge that doesn't make it into guidebooks. Worth asking at the town office or a local outfitter before bushwhacking in.
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.
+7 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Write a field note →Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted.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.