Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Makomis Pond is a 7-acre pocket water in the Keene town boundaries — small enough that it rarely shows up on regional fishing reports or trail maps, and remote enough that most through-hikers in the area never register it. No DEC fish stocking data on file, which usually means either wild brookies in low density or a pond that doesn't hold fish through winter drawdown. The name itself — Makomis — carries Algonquian roots, though whether it references a historical figure or a landscape feature has been lost to local memory. If you're hunting it down, expect bushwhacking or an unmarked approach; this is old-map water, not trailhead water.
Marie Louise Pond is a one-acre tarn tucked somewhere in the Keene region — small enough that it likely doesn't appear on most trail maps, and remote enough that it holds a name but no formal access or species data in the state records. Ponds this size in the Keene corridor are typically old logging-era holdovers or high-elevation seeps reached by bushwhack or forgotten spur trails, the kind of water you find by accident or long memory. If you know where it is, you're probably not looking for directions online.
McGinnity Pond is a one-acre pocket of water in the Keene township — small enough that it likely sits on private land or tucked into forest where public access isn't formalized. No fish species data on record, which often means either seasonal warmth that won't hold trout or limited angler attention due to access constraints. Ponds this size in the Keene area typically function as drainage features or beaver-maintained wetlands rather than destination waters. If you know where it is, it's probably because you live within walking distance.
Military Pond is a 22-acre water in the Keene town limits — a name that suggests Civil War-era history or surveyor's nomenclature, but the record is thin and the pond keeps a low profile in the drainage between Hurricane Mountain and the Ausable valley. No fish stocking data on file, no marked trailhead in the DEC inventory, and no lean-to or designated campsite in the immediate shed. It's the kind of pond that shows up on the topo but not in the trip reports — either private-adjacent, bushwhack-access, or simply passed over in a region dense with bigger, better-documented options.
Mill Pond sits just off NY-73 south of Keene — a shallow, reedy 51-acre water that most people pass without noticing on the way to the higher-drama climbs and ponds farther up the valley. The pond has gone quiet in recent decades: no official fish survey data, no maintained access, no reason to stop unless you're curious about the kind of lowland wetland that once fed local mills and now feeds wood ducks and herons instead. It's the Adirondack water that doesn't ask for attention — a placeholder on the map between the trailheads people actually use. Worth a glance from the road if you're into wetland birding; otherwise, keep driving toward Chapel Pond or the Ausable Club lots.
Moss Ponds — a pair of small, shallow basins tucked into the woods northeast of Keene — sit well off the typical High Peaks circuit and see almost no traffic beyond locals who know the access. The water warms early in the season, which can mean decent early-June fishing if the ponds hold any population at all, though DEC records show no stocking and no recent surveys. The surrounding forest is second-growth mixed hardwood; the kind of wet, buggy terrain that keeps most hikers pointed toward higher ground. If you're looking for solitude within ten miles of Keene Valley, this is where you find it.
Moss Ponds — plural, though often mapped as singular — sits in the Hurricane Mountain Wild Forest northeast of Keene, tucked into a low drainage basin that doesn't show up on most recreation maps. The ponds are wetland-adjacent, shallow, and beaver-active — more of a bushwhack destination for anglers testing the viability of native brook trout populations than a swimming or paddling draw. Access is informal, likely via old logging roads or unmarked trails from nearby Hurricane Mountain Road or Crow Clearing Road, though the precise put-in isn't well-documented. No fish records on file, which usually means either unstocked or unreported — but 19 acres of quiet water in the Keene drainage often holds brookies if the inlet stays cold.
Mud Pond in Keene occupies 27 acres in a town dense with trailheads and named peaks, but this one sits off the main corridor — no Fish & Wildlife stocking records, no DEC lean-to within shouting distance, no obvious trailhead signage pulling day-hikers off the road. The name tells the story: shallow, mucky bottom, likely ringed by alder and cattail, the kind of water that hosts frogs and red-winged blackbirds more reliably than anglers. Ponds like this are common in the Adirondacks — ecologically productive, scenically unremarkable, and easy to overlook unless you're hunting for solitude or studying wetland ecology. Check with the town clerk or local paddlers if you're curious about access; this one doesn't advertise itself.
Mud Pond is a 19-acre pond in the town of Keene — one of several Mud Ponds scattered across the Adirondacks, and typically the kind of water that stays off the summer crowds' radar by virtue of name alone. No fish species data on record, which usually means a shallow, weedy basin that winterkills or simply doesn't hold trout — the DEC stocks where there's habitat worth stocking. The pond sits in the Keene drainage, east of the High Peaks corridor, in territory that tends toward private land and working forests rather than marked trailheads and lean-tos. If you're heading to Keene for Giant, Hurricane, or the Johns Brook Valley, this one stays in the rearview.
Mud Pond in Keene is a five-acre wetland pocket — the kind of small water that appears on the topo but rarely makes it into trip reports or fishing logs. No fish species on record, no maintained trails leading in, no nearby peaks to anchor a day hike around it. These small ponds tend to be beaver-active, marshy-edged, and better suited to birding or bushwhacking practice than destination paddling. If you're in Keene and looking for a swimming hole or a trout pond, keep driving — this one's a map dot, not a feature.
Mud Pond in Keene is a five-acre water tucked into the backcountry—small enough that it rarely shows up on casual itineraries but accessible enough that locals know it as a midday detour or a quiet spot when the high-traffic waters are overrun. No fish data on file, which usually means either the pond winters out or nobody's bothered to sample it in years. The name is literal: expect soft margins, beaver work, and the kind of shoreline that demands waterproof boots if you plan to get close. Worth a look if you're already in the area and curious, but not a destination pond on its own.
Mud Pond in Keene is a four-acre pocket water tucked into the wooded terrain east of the village — small enough that most hikers walk past it without a second look, which is precisely its appeal. No fish records on file, no nearby peaks to draw the summit crowd, no lean-tos or designated sites: it's the kind of pond that exists for the person who wants to sit on a log with a thermos and watch the water for an hour. The name tells you what to expect underfoot if you bushwhack to the shore — soft margins, alder thickets, and the quiet hum of a wetland doing its work. If you're in Keene and need an hour away from trail traffic, this is where you go.
Murrey Pond is a two-acre water in Keene — small enough to slip off most maps, which is usually the point. No fish data on file, no developed access, no nearby peak trailheads to anchor it in the usual High Peaks navigation grid. The name suggests old family land or a long-gone logging camp; the size suggests a spring-fed bowl worth finding if you're the type who measures success in ponds per season rather than summits per weekend.
