Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Hardigan Pond is a 31-acre water in the Raquette Lake township — part of the sprawling network of ponds and wetlands west of the main lake itself. No fish stocking records on file, which typically means either native brook trout in low numbers or a pond that doesn't hold fish through winter drawdown. Access details are sparse in the standard trail databases, suggesting either private inholdings along the shore or a bushwhack approach through state land — worth confirming ownership and access with the local DEC ranger before planning a trip. If you're poking around this drainage, bring a map: the Raquette Lake quad is dense with unmarked ponds and old logging roads that don't always appear on phone screens.
Haymarsh Pond is a six-acre pocket water in the Raquette Lake township — small enough that it rarely appears on recreation maps and isolated enough that casual paddlers won't stumble onto it from the main lake corridors. The name suggests beaver activity or wetland margins, and ponds this size in the Raquette drainage typically hold brook trout if they hold fish at all, though no species data is on file. Access details are scarce, which usually means either private land or a bushwhack approach through mixed hardwood and spruce lowlands. Worth investigating if you're already in the area with a topo map and patience for light exploration.
Haymarsh Ponds — a 15-acre cluster in the Raquette Lake township — sits far enough off the main travel corridors that it draws almost no casual traffic and holds almost no fisheries data in the DEC records. The name suggests wetland margins and shallow bays, the kind of water that warms early in spring and holds pickerweed by midsummer. Without established trail access or nearby trailhead infrastructure, this is a water for paddlers willing to route in from larger systems or bushwhack from private-road edges — local knowledge required. No fish species on file, which usually means either unstocked and unsurveyed, or too shallow and weedy to winter over anything but sunfish.
Helldiver Pond is a 15-acre water tucked into the Raquette Lake township — remote enough that it doesn't show up on most recreational fishing reports, and small enough that it likely holds brook trout if it holds anything at all. The name suggests either old hunting-camp lore or a nod to the diving ducks that work these smaller ponds during migration, though no one seems to have written the story down. Access details are scarce in the DEC records, which usually means either private land complications or a bushwhack approach from a larger trail system in the area. If you're poking around the Raquette Lake backcountry and stumble across it, you've earned it.
Hess Pond is a five-acre pocket water in the Raquette Lake region — small enough that most paddlers miss it entirely, tucked into the drainage maze south of the main lake basin. No fish data on record, no formal trails marked on the quad, no lean-tos flagged in the DEC inventory — which means it's either a bushwhack destination for someone with a GPS track and a tolerance for blowdown, or it's a seasonal wetland that barely holds water past June. If you're poking around the Raquette Lake backcountry with a topo map and time to spare, it's the kind of dot that raises the question: *is there even open water when you get there?*
High Pond sits in the Raquette Lake township — a 48-acre water in the rolling country west of the main lake, far enough off the beaten path that it doesn't show up on most paddlers' radar. No fish species on record, no maintained trail markers in the DEC database, and no nearby High Peaks to anchor a day-hike loop — this is backcountry by virtue of distance and low visitation rather than terrain. The pond likely sees more moose than anglers. If you're poking around the Raquette Lake wild forest and looking for a quiet bushwhack objective, High Pond rewards the effort with solitude.
High Pond is a 9-acre water tucked into the Raquette Lake township — far enough off the main corridor that it doesn't show up on most recreational checklists. No fish data on record, no DEC-maintained access trail, no lean-to — which typically means it's either a beaver-dammed remnant on private land or a seasonal flow-through pond that dries to mud by late summer. The name survives on the USGS quad, but in practice this one's more map artifact than destination. If you're poking around the Raquette drainage with a topo and a compass, you might stumble across it — otherwise, there are fifty better ponds within ten miles.
Hitchins Pond is a two-acre water in the Raquette Lake township — small enough that it lives in the gaps between the named trailheads and the paddling routes that define the region. No fish survey data on file with DEC, which for a pond this size usually means limited depth, soft bottom, possible winter kill, or simply that no one has bothered to document what swims there. It's the kind of water that shows up on the quad map but not in the guidebooks — worth knowing if you're studying the drainage between bigger lakes or piecing together a bushwhack route, but not a destination on its own. If you're in the area and have local beta, it's worth a look; otherwise, this one stays quiet by default.
Home Pond is a 9-acre pocket water in the Raquette Lake township — small enough that it rarely shows up on recreational radar, set back from the main lake corridor where most of the region's traffic concentrates. No fish species data on file, no formal trails indexed to it, and no nearby peaks to anchor it in a day-hiking loop — the kind of water that exists primarily as a map name and a dot in the forest. If you're poking around the Raquette Lake backcountry by canoe or bushwhack, it's worth a GPS waypoint; otherwise, it stays quiet by default.
Hyde Pond is a 14-acre pond in the Raquette Lake township — small enough that it doesn't anchor its own trail system, quiet enough that it rarely shows up in trip reports. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means wild brookies or nothing at all, and either outcome fits the character of these back-basin ponds south of the Raquette corridor. Access details are sparse in the DEC records, suggesting either private inholdings along the shore or a bushwhack entry from one of the larger lake systems nearby. If you're poking around the Raquette Lake region with a topo map and a afternoon to kill, this is the kind of water worth investigating — but call the Ray Brook DEC office first to confirm access and avoid a wasted hike.