Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Upper Bartlett Pond is a one-acre pocket water in the Lake Placid township — small enough that it's functionally off the recreational radar, with no fish stocking records and no maintained trail access in the DEC inventory. These micro-ponds typically serve as headwater feeders or wetland buffers rather than destinations, and Upper Bartlett fits that profile: it's the kind of water you'd only encounter if you were bushwhacking between larger systems or studying wetland hydrology on a quad map. No camping infrastructure, no angler pressure, no reason to visit unless you're a completist or a drainage nerd. If there's a Lower Bartlett, it's not showing up in the state's named-water records either.
Upper Beech Ridge Pond is a 16-acre pocket water in the Old Forge tract — small enough to miss on a map, large enough to hold your attention if you're the kind of paddler who prefers solitude over amenities. No fish data on file with DEC, no maintained trail marked on the standard-issue maps, and no nearby peaks to anchor a day hike — this is backcountry by virtue of isolation rather than terrain. Access likely involves old logging roads or beaver-flooded corridors; worth checking current USGS quads and asking at the Old Forge visitor center before committing to the bushwhack. Bring a compass and don't expect cell service.
Upper Browns Tract Pond is one of three Browns Tract ponds in the Raquette Lake Wild Forest — a cluster of small, shallow waters that sit in second-growth forest between Raquette Lake village and the Fulton Chain corridor. At 51 acres it's the largest of the trio, though still quiet, marshy-edged, and far enough off the main roads to filter out casual traffic. Access typically requires navigating unmarked woods roads or following old logging cuts — this is not trailhead-and-signpost territory. The pond drains into the Browns Tract Inlet, which feeds into Raquette Lake proper; no fish species data on file, but the shallow, weedy character suggests warmwater habitat if anything holds.
Upper Cacner Pond is a two-acre pocket of water in the Great Sacandaga Lake region — small enough that it likely sees more moose than boats, and remote enough that finding reliable access information is half the challenge. The pond sits in the transitional zone between the southern Adirondacks and the working forests around the Sacandaga basin, where public and private land checker the map and old logging roads may or may not still connect. No fish species data on record, which either means nobody's surveyed it or nobody's bothered — both plausible for a pond this size in this corner of the Park. Worth a look if you're already in the area with a topo map and low expectations.
Upper Cat Pond is a small, seven-acre water tucked into the Long Lake township — remote enough that it doesn't appear on most recreational fishing or paddling circuits, and obscure enough that access details remain largely undocumented in standard DEC or trail guides. No fish species data on record, which typically signals either minimal stocking history or limited angler pressure to generate survey work. The "Upper" designation suggests a companion Cat Pond downstream or nearby, but without clear trail or put-in information, this one sits in that quiet category of Adirondack ponds known mostly to hunters, trappers, and the occasional bushwhacker with a topo map and a reason to be there.
Upper Dam Pond is a three-acre water in the Indian Lake township — small enough that it likely lives in the margin between named feature and local reference point. No fish species on record, no nearby peaks, no formal trailheads in the immediate catalog: this is either private, landlocked by surrounding parcels, or tucked into working forestland where access follows old logging roads rather than marked DEC trails. The name suggests historical infrastructure — a dam, a flowage, possibly tied to 19th-century timber operations when every creek in the central Adirondacks had a sluice or splash dam. Worth a call to the Indian Lake town office or a check of the DEC Region 5 Warrensburg office if you're chasing it down.
Upper Feeder Pond is an 18-acre water in the Paradox Lake region — part of the drainage system that feeds south toward the lake itself. The name tells the story: this is working hydrology, not a destination pond, and it sits in quieter country east of the High Peaks corridor where the landscape flattens into mixed hardwood and the trail traffic thins out. No fish data on record, no maintained access that shows up on the standard DEC maps. If you're out here, you're likely threading your way through on a longer route or you've got a reason to be poking around the Paradox watershed — this isn't a trailhead-to-shoreline proposition.
Upper Goose Pond is a two-acre pocket water in the Tupper Lake region — small enough that it likely doesn't see much pressure beyond the occasional local angler or paddler who knows where to find it. No fish species data on record, which in the Adirondacks usually means either it's too shallow to winter over, stocked irregularly, or simply under-surveyed. Waters this size tend to be access-dependent: if there's a nearby camp road or an old logging trail, it gets used; if not, it stays quiet. Worth checking the DEC's public access mapper before committing to a bushwhack.
Upper Moose Pond is a 40-acre pond in the Long Lake town corridor — part of the Moose Pond chain that includes Lower Moose and Little Moose, though access and connectivity details remain obscure in most trail literature. The pond sits in working forest country where private land and easement access can shift season to season; if you're planning a visit, confirm current put-in options with the town or local outfitters before you load the canoe. No fish species data on record, which usually means either unstocked or simply unreported — brook trout are the default assumption in most Long Lake backcountry ponds, but you're fishing on faith. This is quiet-water paddling territory, not a trailhead destination.
Upper Pine Lakes is a small, unmapped water in the Speculator region — the kind of pond that appears on USGS quads but not in guidebooks, and rarely in trip reports. At six acres, it's likely a beaver meadow or a glacial remnant tucked into second-growth forest, accessible only by bushwhack or unmaintained logging trace. No fish stocking data on record, which usually means brook trout *might* be present if there's inlet flow and depth, but just as often means it's too shallow or too warm to hold anything year-round. A local-knowledge spot, if it's a spot at all.
Upper Pine Lakes is a 4-acre water in the Speculator corridor — small enough that most USGS quads label it as a pond, not a lake, despite the plural name. No fish data on file with DEC, which typically means put-and-take stocking history at best or a shallow, winterkill-prone basin at worst. The water sits in working forest land west of the hamlet, accessible by logging road or private easement depending on the year and the landowner — confirm access and parking before you drive in. If you're after wild brook trout or a guaranteed put-in, look to nearby Lake Pleasant or Sacandaga Lake instead.
Upper Pond is a small backcountry pond accessible by bushwhack or unmarked path — no trail designation, no maintained route. Remote, quiet, and often overlooked; best suited for experienced navigators seeking solitude off the beaten track.
Upper Preston Pond is a remote backcountry pond in the western High Peaks Wilderness, reached by bushwhack or unmaintained herd paths — no official trail. Brook trout reported; expect solitude and navigation skills required.
Upper South Pond is a 15-acre water in the Old Forge township — one of dozens of small ponds scattered across the working forest and private land west of the main tourist corridor. No public fish stocking records on file, which usually means either private access or a pond that doesn't hold fish through summer draw-down and winter kill. The name suggests a companion water (South Pond proper) somewhere downstream, a common naming pattern in the southwestern Adirondacks where glacial kettles cluster in chains. If you're chasing this one down, confirm access and ownership before you go — Old Forge-area ponds live on a patchwork of state land, timber company holdings, and private clubs.
