Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Second Pond is a 49-acre water in the Indian Lake township — mid-sized by southern Adirondacks standards, large enough to hold fish but small enough that no one's mapped the public access in detail. The name suggests it's part of a chain or sits off a larger water, but documentation is thin: no recorded fish surveys, no marked trailheads in the DEC database, no lean-tos on the inventory. It's the kind of pond that shows up on USGS quads and property maps but not in guidebooks — likely private-access or remote enough that it flies under the recreational radar. Worth a closer look if you're working the Indian Lake blue lines with a topo and a sense of adventure.
Siamese Ponds — two connected bodies of water in the southern Adirondacks — anchor the 112,000-acre Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area, the second-largest wilderness in the park. The ponds sit deep in the backcountry south of NY-28 near Thirteenth Lake, and the surrounding trail network draws through-hikers and multi-day campers more than day-trippers; this is old-growth forest country, with sections of centuries-old spruce and hemlock framing the shorelines. The terrain is rolling rather than alpine — no dramatic peaks overhead — which keeps the focus on the water, the silence, and the tent-to-tent solitude that defines deeper Adirondack wilderness. Access requires a real hike in, and the reward is proportional.
Siamese Ponds sits in the southern Adirondacks near Indian Lake — a 31-acre water that shares its name with the better-known Siamese Ponds Wilderness to the east, but occupies quieter, less-trafficked country. The pond is part of a modest cluster of backcountry waters in the region, the kind of place where solitude is more reliable than the fishing reports. Access details are sparse in the state's online records, which usually means either private inholdings or an unsigned, local-knowledge approach — worth a stop at the Indian Lake town office or the Hamilton County tourism desk before you commit to the drive. No fish species on file, no nearby peaks flagged in the DEC database.
Split Rock Pond sits in the southeastern corner of the town of Indian Lake — a 99-acre water that holds its name close and its details closer. No fish data on file with DEC, no marked trailheads on the standard maps, no lean-tos in the system — which typically means either private land along the shore or a pond that's fallen off the recreational circuit. The acreage suggests decent size for paddling if access can be confirmed; the name suggests either a landmark boulder or a crevasse feature worth the trouble of finding. Check current ownership and access status with the Indian Lake town office or local outfitters before assuming entry.
Sprague Pond is a 58-acre water in the Indian Lake township — modest size, no formal fish stocking records on file, and far enough from the High Peaks corridor that it doesn't show up on most hiking itineraries. The pond sits in the southern Adirondacks where the terrain flattens into longer stretches of mixed hardwood and the lakes tend toward private shoreline or light-touch public access rather than designated campsites and marked trails. Without species data it's unclear whether the pond holds wild brookies, warmwater panfish, or has been left to its own devices — worth a reconnaissance trip if you're based in Indian Lake and looking for still water off the standard rotation. Check local access and ownership before launching; this part of the Park is a patchwork.
Squirrel Pond is a 12-acre water in the Indian Lake township — one of the region's smaller named ponds, tucked into the working forest and private land patchwork south of the hamlet. No public access is documented, and no fish stocking records appear in the DEC database, which typically means either private holdings or landlocked state parcel with no maintained trail. The name suggests old survey or logging-era usage — Squirrel Brook drains north through the area, and several "Squirrel" features dot the southern Adirondacks where 19th-century trappers and timber crews left their mark. Check the latest DEC access atlas if you're working the area; otherwise this one stays on the map as a place name, not a destination.
Stonystep Pond is a 7-acre pocket of water in the Indian Lake township — small enough that it doesn't register on most regional fishing or paddling lists, and remote enough that access details aren't widely documented. The name suggests old logging or trapping routes (stone steps laid across wet ground or stream crossings were common trail infrastructure in the 19th century), but without recorded fish species or maintained trail access, this is likely private, landlocked, or otherwise off the recreational grid. Worth noting only if you're doing title research or tracing old survey maps — not a destination for casual paddlers or anglers.
