Shiras Pond is an 8-acre water tucked into the Speculator area — small enough that it likely holds brook trout even without formal stocking records, typical of these backcountry ponds that sit off the main corridors. The name suggests early surveyor or logging-era heritage, common in this stretch of the southern Adirondacks where most waters were named for the men who cut timber or ran the first survey lines through in the 1800s. Access details are scarce, which usually means old logging roads or unmaintained footpaths — worth a local inquiry at the Speculator town offices or a stop at a nearby sporting goods shop before committing to the bushwhack.
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
Free, takes thirty seconds. Yours forever.
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Write a field note →Wrong elevation, outdated access notes, a coordinate that's drifted.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.
Suggest an edit →
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.
