Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
L.D. Pond is a two-acre pocket water in the Speculator network — small enough that it likely sees more moose than anglers, and remote enough that it doesn't appear on most recreational inventories. No fish stocking records, no trail register, no DEC campsites — the kind of water that exists more as a cartographic marker than a destination. These minor ponds scatter across the southern Adirondacks by the hundreds, most of them unnamed, some of them spring-fed and tannic, a few holding wild brookies that arrived by stream connection decades ago. Worth knowing it's there if you're bushwhacking the drainage or studying a topo map, but not worth planning a trip around.
Lake Chartreuse is an 11-acre pond in the Speculator region — small enough that it likely sees minimal traffic and may require local knowledge to access. No fish species data on record, which could mean it's either unstocked, unfished, or just under-documented in the state surveys. The name suggests some history worth digging into (christenings in the Adirondacks tend to stick for a reason), but without established trails or nearby peaks in the immediate corridor, this one sits off the casual hiker's radar. Worth a conversation with the Speculator town clerk or a stop at the local DEC office if you're mapping unmaintained routes in the area.
Lake Pleasant anchors the village of the same name — a 1,449-acre broadwater that dominates the hamlet at the southern edge of the Adirondack Park, where NY-8 and NY-30 converge. The lake has been a resort destination since the 1800s, with a public beach, boat launch, and marina infrastructure that makes it one of the more developed waters in the southern Adirondacks. It's a reliable motorboat and paddling lake — long enough for a day's exploration, with coves and islands that break up the fetch — and the village offers the usual upstate lake-town amenities: general store, lodging, seasonal ice cream. Species data is sparse in the state record, but warmwater fisheries this size typically hold bass, pike, and panfish.
Lake Sound is a 22-acre pond in the Speculator area — small enough to hold no formal fish surveys on record, remote enough that most paddlers heading into this drainage are passing through on their way to larger water. The name suggests early surveyor's terminology or a cartographic quirk rather than any acoustic feature. Access details are scarce in the standard trailhead databases, which usually means either private inholdings along the shore or a bushwhack approach through state land with no maintained path. If you're plotting a route in, confirm access and ownership with the DEC Region 5 office in Ray Brook before you go.
Little Moose Pond holds 28 acres in the Speculator area — small enough to paddle in an hour, large enough to feel remote once you're off the access point. No fish species data on file with DEC, which often means either unstocked native brookies or a pond that's cycled out; worth a cast if you're already there, but not a destination fishery. The name suggests proximity to a larger Moose Pond or Moose River drainage, a common naming pattern in the southern Adirondacks where "Little" marks the quieter, less-trafficked option. Check the latest DEC atlas for current access — ponds in this size range near Speculator often pull from the Sacandaga watershed and sit on mixed public-private land.
Little Pond is a four-acre patch of water in the Speculator area — small enough that it doesn't pull traffic, which is the point if you know where it is. No fish data on file, no marked trails in the immediate radius, no lean-tos or designated campsites that would turn it into a weekend destination. This is the kind of water that shows up on the topo but not in the trip reports — a navigational landmark for bushwhackers, a tea-colored rest stop if you're moving cross-country, or a place to glass for moose at dawn if you're the type who walks in without a trail. Check the DEC unit management plan for the township before assuming access or camping permissions.
Lizard Pond is a 22-acre water tucked into the woods near Speculator — small enough that it doesn't pull crowds, but large enough to feel like a destination if you're working the backcountry ponds in the southern Adirondacks. No fish data on record, which either means it's been overlooked by DEC surveys or it's too shallow and warm to hold trout through summer — a common story for ponds in this elevation band. Access details are scarce, likely a bushwhack or unmaintained path from one of the logging roads that web through this part of Hamilton County. If you're poking around the Route 8 / Route 30 corridor and want water that isn't on the weekend circuit, this is the kind of name worth investigating.
Loomis Pond is a 32-acre water tucked in the Speculator region — small enough to feel isolated, big enough to paddle without looping back on yourself every ten minutes. No fish data on record, which typically means either unstocked or overlooked by DEC surveys; either way, it's not drawing fishing pressure. The pond sits outside the High Peaks corridor where most trail infrastructure and visitation concentrates, so expect quieter shorelines and less formal access — useful if you're looking to lose the weekend crowds without driving to the Western Adirondacks. Check local Forest Preserve maps for the nearest trailhead or bushwhack route.
Loomis Ponds sits in the low country west of Speculator — a pair of small connected basins that hold water through the summer and sit far enough off the main corridor that most traffic flows toward the better-known lakes to the east. The ponds drain south toward the Sacandaga drainage and are typical of the region's wetland-edge waters: shallow, tannic, buggy in June, and quiet by design. No fish data on record, which likely means either native brookies too small to register or none at all. Access is local-knowledge territory — dirt roads and informal routes that don't appear on the standard DEC trail maps.
Loomis Ponds sits in the Speculator region without much public data on record — no fish stocking reports, no DEC campsite markers, no trailhead signs pointing the way in. The 12-acre pond is small enough to fall between the cracks of the better-documented waters in this part of the southern Adirondacks, which means it's either privately held, landlocked by timber company gates, or simply overlooked in the regional inventory. Worth a call to the local DEC office in Northville if you're chasing obscure water in the area — they'll know if there's legal access and whether anyone's dropped a line in there lately.
