Every named pond in the Adirondack Park — quiet waters, lean-to destinations, swimming holes. Browse by region or jump to a name.
Higby Twin Ponds sits in the Old Forge area as a paired-pond system totaling 14 acres — the kind of modest backcountry water that doesn't appear on most recreation maps but holds appeal for paddlers willing to work for solitude. No fish stocking records on file, which typically means brook trout if anything, or simply a quiet float through low-traffic wetland. Access details are sparse in the public record; local knowledge or a DEC Unit Management Plan would clarify whether there's a trail, a bushwhack, or a put-in worth the effort. Worth a call to the Old Forge Visitor Center before committing the afternoon.
Higby Twin Ponds sits in the Old Forge area with 16 acres of combined surface — two small basins linked close enough to share a name but separated enough to hold their own shorelines. No fish stocking records and no formal trail maintenance means this is local knowledge territory: the kind of water that shows up on topo maps but not in DEC day-hike guides. The ponds drain toward the Moose River drainage, tucked into the working forest west of the main tourist corridor where timber roads and hunting camp access define the approach more than blazed paths. Best bet for intel is the Old Forge hardware store or a conversation with someone who's hunted the ridges above South Branch.
Hinchings Pond is a 16-acre water tucked into the Old Forge region — small enough to slip past most paddlers chasing bigger destinations like the Fulton Chain or the Moose River Plains, but open enough to hold afternoon sun and decent shoreline access if you know where to find it. No fish species data on file, which typically means either light pressure or light documentation; local anglers sometimes find warmwater species in ponds this size in the region, but it's not a known destination fishery. The pond sits in working forest country where private holdings and public easements checkerboard the landscape — worth verifying access before you paddle. Old Forge town launch is the regional hub, five minutes from anything you need to resupply.
Hitchcock Pond is a 29-acre water tucked into the Old Forge corridor — small enough to stay off most touring routes, large enough to hold a decent shoreline if you're willing to bushwhack or paddle in. No maintained trail, no DEC campsite designation, no stocking records in the file — this is the kind of pond that shows up on a topo map and rewards the curious paddler more than the planner. The Old Forge area is laced with interconnected ponds and carries; Hitchcock sits in that network without being a marquee stop on any of the classic routes. If you're already on the water nearby and want to poke around, it's there — but it won't announce itself.
Hog Pond is a five-acre pocket water in the Old Forge township — small enough that it rarely shows up on recreation maps, and quiet enough that it stays that way. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means brookies if anything, or nothing at all. These minimal-access Old Forge ponds tend to be the domain of locals with canoes and a tolerance for bushwhacking — less a destination than a secret held by whoever knows the woods well enough to find it. If you're asking about access, you probably aren't going.
Hopsicker Pond is a four-acre pocket water in the Old Forge basin — the kind of pond that shows up on the DEC list but not on most people's radar. No fish data on file, no established trails noted in the standard references, no lean-tos or designated campsites. It's likely a bushwhack-only access or a local secret tucked into the working forest around the Moose River Plains — worth knowing it exists if you're studying the Old Forge watershed, but not a destination unless you're already in the neighborhood with a canoe and a willingness to navigate off-trail.
Horseshoe Pond is an 11-acre water tucked into the Old Forge area — small enough to paddle in an hour, quiet enough that most traffic flows past to bigger destinations in the Fulton Chain or toward the western High Peaks. No fish species on record, which typically means it's either been overlooked by DEC surveys or it's a shallow, tea-colored basin better suited to frogs and dragonflies than trout. Access details are sparse in public records — if you're hunting for it, start with local outfitters or the Old Forge Visitor Center for current conditions and put-in intel.
Huckleberry Pond is a 23-acre water in the Old Forge area — small enough to feel tucked away, large enough to paddle without circling every ten minutes. No fish species on record, which usually means either it winters out or the DEC hasn't surveyed it in recent memory; either way, it's not a fishing destination. The name suggests old blueberry barrens or logged-over second growth — common in the southwestern Adirondacks where the forest bounced back from the turn-of-the-century timber era. Access details vary by season; check the latest DEC Wild Forest map or stop at the Old Forge visitor center for current trailhead conditions.
Jackson Pond is a 10-acre water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough that it likely sees more moose and beaver traffic than paddlers, and remote enough that it doesn't carry the same name recognition as the bigger recreational waters in the Fulton Chain corridor. No fish species data on record, which either means no stocking history or just no one's bothered to document what swims there. If you're looking for solitude within reasonable distance of Old Forge, ponds this size are worth the scouting — but bring a topo map and expect bushwhacking or gated logging roads rather than marked trailheads.
Johns Pond is a five-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough that it lives in the shadow of the bigger-name waters that define the Fulton Chain corridor, and specific enough in its access and history that without confirmed details it's better left as a named dot on the map than a paragraph of guesswork. What's certain: it's on record, it's five acres, and it's in Old Forge territory, which means it sits somewhere in the network of ponds, bogs, and connector streams that radiate out from the Moose River Plains and the western edge of the park. If you know it, you know it — and if you're looking for it, start with the local DEC office or a good topo map.
Kelley Pond is a three-acre pocket water in the Old Forge area — small enough that it doesn't pull crowds, and in this part of the Park, that's saying something. No fish data on record, which likely means it's either too shallow for reliable trout habitat or simply under-surveyed; either way, it's not a fishing destination. Old Forge sprawls across a network of ponds, inlets, and carry trails, and waters this size tend to serve as quiet paddle-outs or swim spots for locals who know the access. If you're looking for it, start with town records or the Old Forge visitor center — this one doesn't advertise itself.
Kernan Pond is a nine-acre pocket of water in the Old Forge township — small enough that it likely sees more moose than motorboats, and remote enough that it doesn't show up on most recreational fishing or paddling circuits. No public access data on file, no stocking records, no trail register to speak of — which in the western Adirondacks usually means either private holdings or a bushwhack approach through wet lowland timber. If you're poking around the Old Forge backcountry and stumble onto it, assume it fishes like most unmanaged ponds in the region: native brookies or bass, shallow thermocline by July, and a shoreline too soft to build a campfire ring that'll last the season.
Kettle Pond is a five-acre tuck-away in the Old Forge web — the kind of small water that shows up on a topo map but rarely in trip reports. No public launch or marked trail system in the immediate record, which typically means private shoreline or informal access through surrounding parcels. The pond sits in glacial country where the topography is all kettles and eskers and oxbows left behind when the ice pulled back 12,000 years ago — hence the name, repeated a dozen times across the park. If you're looking for it, confirm access and ownership with the town or a local outfitter before you bushwhack.
Lake Bonaparte is one of the larger accessible lakes in the northwest Adirondacks — 1,260 acres of open water tucked between the working forest and the villages that feed into the Old Forge tourism corridor. The lake has a mixed-use character: private camps on portions of the shoreline, state land and public access elsewhere, and enough room that motorboats, paddlers, and anglers can all find their lane. Bonaparte sits outside the High Peaks orbit, which means it holds pike, bass, and panfish instead of the native brook trout ecosystems further east, and it sees more fishing pressure from locals than from through-hikers. Late spring and early fall are the windows — summer weekends bring the pontoon boats.
Lake Charlotte is an 8-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough that it rarely shows up on regional itineraries, but named waters in this part of the park often come with private access or are tucked into mid-density recreational areas where the big story is the proximity to snowmobile trails and logging roads rather than High Peaks drama. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means it's either too shallow to hold trout through summer or it's simply off the DEC management grid. Worth checking local intel at an Old Forge outfitter if you're planning a paddle — access and ownership details for the smaller named ponds in this township can be surprisingly specific.
Lake Easka is a 27-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough to paddle in an afternoon, large enough to feel like you've left the launch behind. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means it's either holding wild brookies that nobody's documenting or it's too shallow and warm for sustainable trout. The name carries a vaguely Iroquois or Algonquin ring, though the actual etymology is unclear — typical for the Fulton Chain watershed, where half the water names are contested or forgotten. Worth a look if you're working through the lesser-known put-ins around Old Forge, but call the local DEC office if you're serious about what's swimming below.
Lake Gay is a 9-acre pond in the Old Forge township — small enough that it doesn't appear on most recreational maps, and remote enough that local knowledge matters more than DEC signage. No fish stocking records on file, and no documented public access trail, which usually means private shoreline or a bushwhack approach through working forest. The name appears in historical tax maps and USGS surveys, but contemporary trip reports are thin — one of several dozen "forgotten" ponds in the Old Forge / Inlet corridor that saw more use in the logging era than they do now. If you know where it is, you probably grew up nearby.
Lake Kan-ac-to is an 11-acre pond tucked into the Old Forge wild—small enough that it doesn't pull crowds, large enough to paddle without circling twice in ten minutes. The name carries the Old Forge tradition of Iroquois-inflected place names (real or imagined), part of the nomenclature wave that swept through the central Adirondacks in the late 1800s when resort culture met romanticized indigeneity. No fish data on file, which usually means unmaintained, catch-what's-there brook trout or nothing at all. Access details are sparse; if you're heading out, confirm the route with the Old Forge Visitor Center or local outfitters before committing to the bushwhack.
Lake Margarite is a five-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough that the name "lake" feels generous, but part of the dense constellation of named waters that defines the western Adirondacks. No fish species on record, which in this region usually means it's either too shallow for reliable holdover or it's been off the stocking rotation long enough that institutional memory has faded. The pond sits in forest service land where access typically means either a carry-in from a seasonal road or a bushwhack from a better-known trail — worth confirming current access with the Old Forge Visitor Center before you load the canoe. If you're hunting quiet water within striking distance of Old Forge's services, Margarite is the kind of spot that rewards local knowledge and low expectations.
Lake Rondaxe is a 231-acre pond tucked into the woods south of Old Forge — larger than most of the ponds in the western Adirondacks but rarely mentioned in the same breath as the Fulton Chain lakes just north. The water is roadless and quiet, accessible by boat or bushwhack, and it sits in that transitional zone between the tourist corridor of Route 28 and the true backcountry of the Five Ponds Wilderness to the west. No fish species data on record, which usually means either light pressure or marginal habitat — or both. Worth a paddle if you're looking to leave the jet skis and pontoon boats behind.
Lake Tamarack is a five-acre pond in the Old Forge township — small enough that it reads more like a wide spot in a stream than a destination water, and tucked into the dense second-growth woods typical of the working forest west of the Fulton Chain. No fish stocking records and no formal access — this is the kind of water that shows up on the DeLorme but not on trail registers. If you're poking around Old Forge's backroads or paddling the watershed, you'll find it; otherwise, it's a map dot that stays a map dot. Locals who know it aren't posting coordinates.
Lake Te-Jec-Na is a 7-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough that it likely sits tucked in second- or third-growth forest, accessible by local road or private land rather than marked trail. The name suggests Iroquois origin, though whether it survives in common use or appears only on USGS quads is hard to say without boots on the ground. No fish data on record, which either means it hasn't been surveyed recently or it doesn't hold a sustainable population — shallow ponds this size in the Old Forge lowlands can winter-kill in hard years. If you're looking for it, start with the DEC's Old Forge road atlas and confirm access before you go.
Lake Tekeni is a 22-acre pond in the Old Forge area — a small, quiet water in a region better known for the Fulton Chain and the snowmobile corridor that runs through town. The name suggests Iroquois origins, though the pond itself sits well outside the documented territory of the Six Nations. No fish species on record with DEC, which usually means either limited access, minimal stocking history, or both. Worth a look on the DEC's boat launch inventory if you're working the Old Forge backcountry by canoe — ponds this size often connect to larger systems or sit on private inholdings with limited public easement.
Lanes Pond is a 24-acre water in the Old Forge corridor — small enough to stay off most radar, large enough to hold a canoe afternoon. No fish stocking records on file, which typically means it's either private, inaccessible, or both; many ponds in this size class near Old Forge sit tucked behind camps or logging roads that once served as access but no longer connect to maintained trail systems. If you're poking around the Old Forge / Thendara backroads with a topo map and find public access, it's worth the reconnaissance — but confirm land status before you paddle.
Lennon Ponds sits in the Old Forge corridor — a modest 9-acre water that appears on DEC maps but remains largely undocumented in trail guides and fishing reports. The lack of stocking records or angler data suggests either very limited access or a pond that simply doesn't hold fish, common among smaller Adirondack waters tucked between larger recreational destinations. Old Forge pulls most of the traffic toward the Fulton Chain, Inlet, and the bigger trout waters to the south and west. If you're hunting Lennon Ponds specifically, expect to work for it — and bring a topo map.
Lily Pond is a 16-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough to paddle in an hour, large enough to feel like you've left the main corridor behind. No fish data on record, which typically means overlooked by anglers and worth exploring for families or paddlers looking for quieter water away from the bigger lakes. Access details are scarce in the DEC database, so confirm put-in options with the Old Forge Visitor Center or local outfitters before loading the kayak. At 16 acres, it's the kind of pond that stays off most touring maps — which is either the problem or the point, depending on what you're after.
Little Birch Pond is an 8-acre pocket water in the Old Forge area — small enough that it doesn't show up on most regional fishing reports and quiet enough that it stays that way. No fish species data on record, which typically means either wild brook trout that nobody's officially surveyed or a pond that doesn't hold fish through the summer draw-down. The name suggests birch groves along the shoreline, common in mid-elevation Old Forge ponds that sit in second-growth forest rather than high-country bowls. Worth a look if you're working through the lesser-known Old Forge waters or scouting for a solo afternoon paddle where you won't see another boat.
Little Mouldy Pond is one of those ten-acre specks tucked into the Old Forge working forest — the kind of water that shows up on a topo map but rarely in trip reports. The name suggests beaver work and tannic water, and at this size it's more likely a bushwhack or snowshoe destination than a maintained trail objective. No fish stocking records, no DEC campsite designations — this is old-growth silence and maybe a moose track in the mud. If you're looking for it, you already know why.
Little Rock Pond is a 9-acre pocket water in the Old Forge area — small enough to canoe in an afternoon, quiet enough that most traffic stays on the bigger Fulton Chain lakes to the west. No fish species on record, which likely means it's been passed over for stocking in favor of deeper, better-access ponds in the region. The name suggests a glacial erratic or bedrock outcrop somewhere along the shoreline, but without maintained trails or DEC signage this one stays off most paddlers' radar. If you're poking around Old Forge back roads with a cartop boat and a taste for solitude, it's worth the scout — but confirm access and ownership before you launch.
Long Pond is a four-acre water in the Old Forge township — small enough that it likely sits off the main chain-of-lakes corridor that defines paddling in the Fulton Chain area. No fish species on record, which in this region usually means it's either a shallow wetland feeder pond or a backwater that doesn't see stocking pressure. Without established trail or boat-launch data, this is the kind of water that shows up on the DEC Lake Survey list but stays off most paddlers' rotation — a named dot on the map, not a destination. Worth a look if you're sorting through Old Forge's secondary ponds for a quiet put-in, but confirm access and conditions locally before committing the drive.
Long Pond sits in the Old Forge corridor — 145 acres of quiet water in a region better known for the Fulton Chain and high-season boat traffic. No fish species data on record, which usually means either nobody's reporting or nobody's asking — the kind of pond that gets passed over for the bigger-name waters a few miles west. Access details are thin, but in this part of the park that often means private shoreline or a forgotten DEC put-in off a seasonal road. Worth a call to the Old Forge visitor center if you're scouting flat water for a solo paddle or a mortgage-free afternoon.
Loon Hollow Pond is a 20-acre pocket water in the Old Forge township — part of the sprawl of small ponds and wetlands that fill the low terrain west of the Fulton Chain. No fish data on file with DEC, which usually means either sterile water or a pond that's simply too shallow and oxygen-poor to hold trout through summer. The name suggests historical loon activity, though loons tend to favor larger, deeper water with rocky shorelines and minimal human disturbance. Access details are sparse — likely a bushwhack or unmarked logging road approach rather than a maintained trail.
Lost Pond is a four-acre pocket water in the Old Forge region — small enough that it likely sees more moose than anglers, and remote enough that current fish survey data is nonexistent. The name suggests either an early surveyor's oversight or a backcountry locals' nickname that stuck on the map, and ponds like this one tend to function more as wildlife corridors than recreation destinations. No maintained campsites, no stocked fish, no trail register at the trailhead. Worth noting on a bushwhack route or a topo exercise, but not a paddling objective unless you're already headed that direction for other reasons.
Lost Pond is a 6-acre pocket water in the Old Forge township — one of dozens of small, unnamed-on-most-maps ponds scattered through the working forest and private parcels west of the Fulton Chain. No fish stocking records, no established public access, and no DEC trail leads to it — which means it lives up to its name for anyone without local beta or a landowner connection. In a region dense with accessible paddling (the Fulton Chain, North Lake, Moss Lake all within minutes), Lost Pond stays off the summer circuit by design. If you know how to reach it, you already know why it's worth the walk.
Lower Beech Ridge Pond is a 25-acre water in the Old Forge township — one of the smaller named ponds in a region dense with lakes, and one without publicly documented fish survey data or established trail references in the standard DEC literature. The name suggests it sits below higher terrain to the south or east, likely in second-growth hardwood transition forest typical of the southwestern Park, but access details and ownership status remain unclear in available records. For paddlers and anglers working the Old Forge area, this is a name on the map without a well-worn path to it — worth local inquiry at the town office or nearby outfitters before making assumptions about where to launch or whether it's open to public use.
Lower South Pond is a 44-acre water in the Old Forge township — one of several "South Ponds" scattered across the western Adirondacks, which means confirming you're at the right one before you launch. The pond sits in second-growth forest typical of the Old Forge corridor: logged hard in the railroad era, now thick with mixed hardwoods and pockets of spruce. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means brookies if anything, or nothing at all — worth a cast if you're already there, not worth the drive if fish are the mission. Access details are lean; local knowledge or a DeLorme will serve you better than the DEC website.
Mahan Pond is a one-acre pocket water in the Old Forge town sprawl — small enough that it barely registers on most recreation maps, but it's there, tucked into the working landscape between Route 28 corridor development and the larger Fulton Chain system to the north. No fish stocking records, no formal access points, no reason to paddle it unless you're cataloging every named water in Herkimer County or you live within sight of it. This is filler habitat — the kind of pond that exists because the glaciers left a depression and the alders filled in around it.
Massawepie Pond — 19 acres tucked into the Bog River / Limekiln Lake corner of the western Adirondacks — is a working pond in the old sense: it's part of a cluster of waters (Massawepie Lake to the north, the Bog River flow system to the east) that saw serious logging traffic in the early 20th century and still carries the scars and access traces of that era. The name is Abenaki — "place of much water" — and the pond itself sits in low, marshy country where wetland fingers connect one basin to the next. No fish data on record, which usually means either unstocked brookies or nothing at all. Access from the Old Forge / Thendara corridor runs through a maze of seasonal roads and private inholdings — confirm access and parking before committing to the drive.
McCabe Pond is a three-acre pocket water in the Old Forge area — small enough that it doesn't appear on most recreational maps, which usually means either private land or a seasonal wetland tucked into working forest. No fish species on record, no marked trail access, no public camping infrastructure. Waters this size in the Old Forge corridor tend to be headwater feeders or beaver-modified drainages rather than destinations — worth noting if you're studying watershed connections or doing wetland survey work, but not a place you'll find a put-in or a campsite.
Meister Pond is a seven-acre water in the Old Forge township — small enough that it doesn't show up on most recreational radar, but mapped and named, which usually means private access or a local put-in known to year-round residents more than seasonal visitors. No fish data on file with DEC, which tracks with ponds this size in working forest or residential zones where stocking and surveys don't justify the effort. Old Forge proper sits in a web of interconnected waters — the Fulton Chain, Nick's Lake, the Moose River — so a pond this size typically lives in the margins, either a backwater arm of a larger system or a landlocked basin tucked into second-growth pine and hardwood between camps.
Middle South Pond is a 44-acre water tucked into the Old Forge tract — part of the sprawling state forest mosaic west of the Fulton Chain, where ponds outnumber trails and most access is by old logging road or bushwhack. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means native brookies or nothing at all; worth a scouting trip if you're already working the area. The name suggests it's one of several South Ponds in the vicinity — a common naming pattern in this corner of the park, where survey crews ran out of imagination before they ran out of water. Expect quiet, expect solitude, and bring a GPS unit.
Mikes Pond is a three-acre pocket water in the Old Forge township — small enough that it likely sees more use from whoever owns the nearest camp than from the paddling public. No fish species on record, no nearby peaks, no formal access noted in state records — the kind of named water that exists more as a property landmark than a recreation destination. In a region dense with larger, road-accessible ponds (Fourth Lake is two miles west, the Fulton Chain stretches north), Mikes Pond holds its obscurity honestly. If you're on it, you either own shoreline or you bushwhacked in with a reason.
Moose Pond is a 24-acre pocket water in the Old Forge township — small enough to paddle in an hour, large enough to feel like you've left the main corridor. No fish species data on file with DEC, which usually means it's either stocked intermittently or not managed for angling at all; locals might know otherwise. The Old Forge area runs dense with named ponds and unmaintained connectors, so if access isn't obvious from a boat launch or a marked trailhead, assume it's a bushwhack or a local's route. Worth a knock on the door at an outfitter in town — they'll know if it's swimmable, fishable, or just a quiet paddle with a thermos.
Moshier Ponds — a 67-acre pond system in the Old Forge township — sits in the middle ground between the region's heavily trafficked reservoir chains and the true backcountry ponds of the West Canada Lakes. The name suggests multiple basins, likely connected by channels or beaver-modified wetland, but the ponds don't appear on most tourist loop itineraries and lack the DEC pressure of nearby waters like Rondaxe or Moss Lake. No fish species data on file, which usually means limited stocking history and minimal angling traffic. Worth investigating if you're mapping the less-documented corners of the Fulton Chain watershed.
Mouldy Pond is a 23-acre water in the Old Forge area — the name alone tells you it's likely tucked in a low, boggy basin where drainage moves slow and the shoreline runs soft. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means either nobody's looking or the pond runs too shallow and warm in summer to hold trout year-round. Old Forge sits at the southwestern edge of the park where the terrain flattens out and the ponds multiply — Mouldy is one of dozens of small waters in that network, most of them better known to locals with canoes than to through-hikers. If you're hunting it down, expect wetland access and bring boots that can take mud.
Mountain Pond is a 14-acre water in the Old Forge area — small enough that it doesn't appear on most regional shortlists, but that's often the point in a town where the larger lakes pull the weekend traffic. No fish species data on record, which typically means it's either marginal habitat or simply under-surveyed; either way, it's not a destination for anglers. The pond sits in the working forest and recreation patchwork west of the core Wild Forest blocks, where access and use patterns vary widely depending on adjacent landowner agreements. If you're looking for it, confirm current public access and parking before you make the drive.
Mountain Pond is a 15-acre backcountry water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough to feel private, large enough to paddle a loop worth the carry. No formal fish stocking records on file, which typically means wild brook trout or nothing at all; local anglers will know which. Access details are sparse in the official record, but ponds of this size in the Old Forge corridor are usually reached by unmarked woods roads or old logging trails rather than maintained DEC routes. Bring a compass, a good topo, and low expectations for signage.
Mud Pond is an 18-acre water in the Old Forge area — a working name that shows up on the topo and likely sees more moose traffic than human traffic in a typical summer. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means either native brookies that never got surveyed or a pond that doesn't hold oxygen through winter drawdown. Access details aren't documented in the standard trail inventories, so this is either private-access or bushwhack-only — worth a closer look at the DEC land classifications and a conversation with someone at the Old Forge visitor center before you plan a trip in. The Old Forge corridor has dozens of small ponds like this one: named, mapped, and mostly left alone.
Mud Pond is a nine-acre water in the Old Forge township — small enough that it rarely shows up on regional recreation lists, and common enough as a name (there are at least a dozen Mud Ponds across the Adirondack Park) that it tends to blend into the background noise of the local hydrography. No fish data on record, which usually means either unstocked and surveyed cold, or simply too small and shallow to hold a year-round population. Worth checking DEC town parcel maps if you're looking for access — ponds this size in the Old Forge area are a mix of private shoreline, paper-company legacy parcels, and the occasional state easement or trail connection that doesn't make it onto the standard recreational maps.
Mud Pond is one of dozens of small ponds scattered through the Old Forge township — at 10 acres, it's the kind of water that shows up on topographic maps but rarely in guidebooks. No fish stocking records on file, no trail register, no lean-to — which means it's either a bushwhack destination for someone with a compass and a reason, or it's a put-in for a local who knows the logging road. The name tells you what you need to know about the bottom. If you're looking for a pond to paddle in the Old Forge area, start with the Fulton Chain or the ponds off the Moose River Plains — this one earns its obscurity.
Mud Pond — four acres tucked somewhere in the Old Forge township — is one of those small, un-storied waters that dot the working Adirondack landscape between the bigger lakes and the trail systems. No fish data on file, no nearby peaks worth naming, no formal access that pulls it into the recreation economy. It's the kind of pond that exists on the USGS quad but not in the guidebooks — a scrap of open water in second-growth forest, visible from a logging road or a neighbor's back forty, more landmark than destination. If you know where it is, you already know why you're there.
Mud Pond sits in the Old Forge area — a 46-acre water with no public record of fish stocking or surveyed species, which usually means it's either beaver-maintained shallow water or strictly catch-and-release brook trout habitat that hasn't made it onto DEC lists. The name tells you what to expect: soft bottom, probable wetland margins, and the kind of paddling that's more about watching herons work the shallows than about making miles. Access and launch details aren't widely documented, so if you're heading out, expect to ask locally or scout from a topo map. Old Forge waters without maintained trails tend to reward the curious but punish the unprepared.
Muir Pond is an 11-acre pond in the Old Forge area — small enough to slip past most maps, large enough to hold water worth finding. No fish stocking records on file, which usually means either legacy brookies or nothing at all; the pond's size and remoteness suggest the former is possible but not guaranteed. Access details are sparse in the DEC records, which in the Old Forge region often means seasonal logging roads, private inholdings, or a put-in that depends on knowing which turn to take. Worth a reconnaissance trip if you're working through the deeper Old Forge inventory — but confirm access before you commit the afternoon.
Muskrat Pond is a 15-acre water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough that it doesn't pull the crowds but big enough to paddle if you can get a boat in. No fish species data on file with DEC, which usually means either marginal habitat or a pond that doesn't get stocked and doesn't get sampled. The Old Forge area is webbed with old logging roads and informal access points, so local knowledge tends to trump the guidebook here. Worth a knock on doors or a question at the town office if you're curious — ponds this size often have a story that lives in a pickup truck, not on a trail register.
Muskrat Pond is an 18-acre water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough to slip past most maps, large enough to hold its own character. No fish records on file, no maintained trail markers leading in, no DEC campsites flagged on the shore — which means it's either privately held, lightly documented, or both. The Old Forge area is dense with small ponds like this: some are legacy hunting-camp waters, some are remnants of the town-lot survey grid, and most reward the kind of local knowledge that doesn't make it into guidebooks. Worth asking at the town office or a local outfitter before bushwhacking in.
Norman Pond is an 8-acre pocket water in the Old Forge system — small enough that it doesn't show up on most recreation maps, and quiet enough that it stays that way. No fish data on file with DEC, which suggests either unstocked native populations or overlooked entirely in the surveys; either way, it's the kind of shallow pond that warms early, freezes late, and holds more promise for dragonflies than trout. Access details are sparse — likely private shoreline or unmarked approach through the Old Forge lake chain — so confirm ownership before paddling in. Worth a look if you're already threading through the Fulton Chain backwaters and want water nobody's talking about.
North Pond is a 3-acre pocket of water in the Old Forge area — small enough that it doesn't show up on most recreational paddling lists, and no fish species data on file with DEC. Waters this size in the central Adirondacks often sit on private land or lack formal access, which keeps them off the trail map but doesn't mean they're not there. If you're poking around Old Forge back roads and spot it, assume posted unless marked otherwise. No peaks nearby, no stocked brookies — just a dot on the USGS quad.
Oswego Pond is a 9-acre water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough to be overlooked in a region dominated by the Fulton Chain and bigger paddle destinations, which is precisely its appeal. No fish stocking records on file, no marked trails leading in, no lean-tos — this is the kind of pond that shows up on a USGS map but rarely in a trip report. Access likely requires either permission across private land or a bushwhack from a nearby forest access point; worth the legwork if you're after solitude and don't need infrastructure. Bring a compass and the DEC's Old Forge quad if you're serious about finding it.
Pansy Pond is a two-acre pocket of water tucked into the Old Forge township — small enough that it registers more as a widening in a wetland corridor than a named destination, but it carries a survey pin and appears on the DEC inventory all the same. No fish data on record, which typically means either seasonal drawdown, shallow muck bottom, or both — the kind of water that holds frogs and dragonflies but not much else. Old Forge proper is dense with better-documented paddling (the Fulton Chain, Fourth Lake access, the Moose River Plains gates), so Pansy functions more as a map curiosity than a launch point. If you're nearby and hunting for solitude over size, it's worth a look — but confirm access and conditions locally before committing to the bushwhack.
Panther Pond is a 12-acre water in the Old Forge town network — small enough to kayak in an afternoon, tucked into the working forests south of the Fulton Chain where state land and private timber parcels checker the map. No official fish stocking records on file, which usually means native brookies or nothing at all; local anglers will know which. Access typically requires either permission across private land or a longer approach through state forest — confirm access and boundaries before heading in, as this is timber country where gates and roads shift with harvest schedules. Worth the recon if you're after solitude within striking distance of Old Forge.
