Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Rabbit Pond is a two-acre pocket water in the Indian Lake township — small enough that it likely warms by mid-summer and holds more interest for a canoe paddle than a fishing trip. No fish species on record, no maintained trail data in the DEC inventory, and no nearby peaks to anchor it in a day-hike loop — this is the kind of water that shows up on the topo map but rarely in trip reports. It sits in the working forest south and west of Indian Lake village, where old logging roads and private inholdings make access a puzzle unless you know the local network. Best confirmed with the town office or a local outfitter before planning a visit.
Ridge Dam is a two-acre impoundment in the Indian Lake region — small enough that it reads more as pond than reservoir, though the name gives away its origin. No fish species on record, no maintained trail access in the DEC database, and no nearby peaks to anchor it in the standard High Peaks or Fire Tower lexicon — this is backcountry water in the quieter, less-trafficked center of the Park. If you're headed there, you're working from a topo map and local knowledge, not a trailhead kiosk. Expect wetland margins, possible beaver activity, and the kind of solitude that comes from being off the Instagram loop.
Rock Pond is an 11-acre water in the Indian Lake town complex — part of the scattered network of smaller ponds and wetlands that fill the valleys west of Indian Lake village. No fish stocking records on file, which typically means brookies if anything, or more likely a shallow basin that doesn't hold trout through summer. The name suggests either a rocky shoreline or a glacial erratic landmark, common enough in this stretch of the southern Adirondacks where the terrain flattens and the ponds sit lower and warmer than their High Peaks counterparts. Access details aren't widely documented — likely private land or unmaintained woods roads from the hamlet networks around Indian Lake and Sabael.
Ross Pond is a 21-acre water in the Indian Lake township — part of the lower-elevation, less-trafficked southern Adirondacks where the ponds tend to be warmer, muddier, and more remote than their High Peaks cousins. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means either natural brook trout populations in the inlet streams or warm-water species that arrived on their own. The surrounding terrain is second-growth hardwood and pine,典型 of the post-logging landscape in this part of Hamilton County — less dramatic than the peaks to the north, but quiet and genuinely off the main tourism corridors. Access details are sparse, so call the Indian Lake town office or the Northville DEC office before planning a visit.
Round Pond sits in the Indian Lake township — 138 acres, no fish stocking records on file, and far enough from the High Peaks circuit that it remains a local's water rather than a through-hiker destination. The pond is typical of the south-central Adirondack plateau: modest elevation, softwood shoreline, and the kind of quiet that comes from being neither on a major highway nor a named wilderness loop. Access and launch details vary by season and local road conditions — worth confirming with the town or DEC Ray Brook office before planning a paddle or fish survey trip. If brook trout are present, they're likely native holdovers in the inlet streams rather than stocked pond fish.
Round Pond is a five-acre pocket water in the Indian Lake region — small enough that it doesn't pull much traffic, remote enough that you won't find much published information on access or fish surveys. The pond sits in central Adirondack mixed forest, likely reached by old logging roads or unmarked paths that require local knowledge or a good map and a tolerance for bushwhacking. No DEC stocking records, no trail register, no lean-to — this is the kind of water that rewards the exploratory paddler or the angler willing to walk in blind. If you're hunting stillwater in the Indian Lake area, this one stays off most radars.
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 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.
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.
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.
Tennis Court Pond is a 2-acre pocket water in the Indian Lake region — small enough that it likely earned its name from shape or size rather than any actual sporting history. No fish species data on file, which typically means it's either too shallow for reliable trout habitat or simply unmapped by DEC survey crews. These minor ponds in the central Adirondacks often sit tucked behind private land or require local knowledge to reach; without public access documentation, it's worth checking with the Indian Lake town office or regional DEC outpost before planning a visit. If you find it accessible, expect a quiet, low-traffic water — the kind of place where a canoe and a quiet afternoon are the whole point.
The Vly sits in the Indian Lake township — a 26-acre pond with a name that nods to the old Dutch word for wetland or marsh, a term that shows up on maps across the original Hudson River drainage. No fish stocking records on file, and the lack of documented access or nearby trail infrastructure suggests this is either private, landlocked by surrounding parcels, or buffered by enough rough ground to keep it off the casual paddler's list. In a region dense with larger waters and state-managed access points, The Vly reads as a cartographic placeholder — present on the map, absent from the guidebooks. If you're determined to reach it, start with the Indian Lake town office or a local real estate broker who knows the parcel lines.
Thumb Pond is a 49-acre water in the Indian Lake township — part of the loose constellation of ponds and wetlands that sprawl west and south of the hamlet, away from the harder-edged High Peaks country. No fish species data on record, which often signals either limited access or minimal stocking history; many of these mid-sized ponds in the southern Adirondacks hold wild brookies or yellow perch that never make it into the DEC surveys. The name suggests some cartographic logic — a bulbous shape on the topo, a branching inlet, a peninsula — but without a marked trailhead or nearby lean-to, this is more of a local or bushwhack destination than a weekend traffic magnet. Worth checking the Indian Lake town maps or asking at the hardware store if you're serious about finding it.
Twin Ponds sits in the Indian Lake region — a 15-acre water without much public record, and likely split into two connected basins (hence the name). No fish stocking data on file, no marked trailhead in the DEC system, which usually means either private-land situation or deep-woods bushwhack territory. Worth noting: the Indian Lake Wild Forest holds dozens of small ponds like this one — named on the map, fished by locals who know the route in, invisible to the casual hiker. If you're working from a topo and a compass, bring a friend who's done it before.
Twin Ponds sits in the Indian Lake township — a small, 13-acre water in a region dense with remote ponds and working forest. No fish species on DEC record, which typically means either unstocked native brookies or a seasonal pond that doesn't winter over reliably. The name suggests a pair of connected basins or a neighboring twin just off the maps — common in this stretch of the central Adirondacks where wetlands, beaver work, and old logging roads blur the line between pond and marsh. Access details are scarce; if you're heading in, confirm the route with the Indian Lake town office or a local who knows the private-land boundaries.
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.
Wakely Pond covers 25 acres near the Cedar River Flow, with road access to the Wakely Mountain trailhead. Brook trout fishing and primitive shoreline campsites — a quiet base for the fire tower climb above.
Whortleberry Pond is an 18-acre water in the Indian Lake township — remote enough that it doesn't show up on the standard paddling circuits but accessible to anyone willing to work through the local road network and ask around. The name marks it as old Adirondack nomenclature (whortleberry being the colonial-era term for what we now call huckleberry or blueberry), which usually means it's been on the map since the tannery and logging era but never developed a recreational reputation. No fish stocking records on file, no established campsites, no trailhead signage — this is a pond you visit because you want to be the only boat on the water. Best confirmed with the Indian Lake town office or a local outfitter before committing to the drive.
William Blake Pond is an 8-acre backcountry water in the Indian Lake township — small enough that it likely sees more moose than paddlers, and remote enough that you won't find it marked on the DEC's stocked-waters list or clustered with the better-known ponds farther north. No fish species on record, which in Adirondack terms usually means either brook trout that never got surveyed or a shallow basin that winterkills. The name suggests an old lease or a surveyor's mark from the township days, but the pond itself has stayed off the recreational radar. Worth investigating if you're already in the Indian Lake backcountry and looking for stillwater solitude without a destination mandate.
