Pine Pond Trail.
Pine Pond Trail covers 4.7 miles through the Adirondack backcountry, offering a moderate day hike to a remote water body. The route sees lighter traffic than more popular destinations in the region, making it a solid option when you want distance from the parking lot without technical difficulty. Best done as an out-and-back unless you're connecting to a longer loop system.
- Half-day hikeA few hours round trip
- Good for snowshoeingNon-technical grade that carries a snowshoe track
- Peak foliage window — color starts up high and works down the valleys through mid-October.
Seasonal pattern for this trail · tops out ~2,211 ft · live closures appear above
- DirtSurface
Read the line before you walk it.
What the trailhead is doing today.
Where the hike begins.
Guides, outfitters & shuttles.
If you’re already out here.
Saranac Lake.
The corner of the Park this trail calls home — its hamlets, waters, lodging, and the rest of its field record.
Read the Region→
Make a weekend of it.
Closest editorial picks for a meal, a scoop, a pint, a bed, and a sight worth your time.
Eat.
4- Blue Line Brewery4.5 mi
A brewery and restaurant on Lake Flower Avenue in Saranac Lake, doing thin-crust South Shore-style bar pizza and Wing Wars-winning wings alongside the house beer. The third-oldest brewery in the Adirondacks.
- Tail O' the Pup4.6 mi
A roadside stop offering barbecue, seafood, and casual fare, with a history stretching back over a century.
- ADK Street Eats4.6 mi
Food trailer at 1179 NY-86 in Ray Brook, between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Chef-driven menu of tacos (Carne Asada, Al Pastor), lobster rolls, ADK Spiedies, and Rochester Hot Meats. Tuesday–Sunday.
- Red Fox4.7 mi
The Red Fox Restaurant is a longtime Saranac Lake landmark known for its Steak, Seafood, and Italian dishes, offered in a spacious Adirondack-style setting.
Sip.
4- Blue Moon5.3 mi
Blue Moon Café in Saranac Lake offers dine-in, pick-up, and curbside delivery services. Guests can enjoy weekly specials, restaurant menus, baked goods, coffee, grocery items, and adult beverages.
- Origin Coffee5.3 mi
Origin Coffee Co is a specialty coffee shop with locations in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake serving a chef-driven breakfast and lunch menu.
- Nori's Village Market5.5 mi
Nori's Village Market and Riverside Cafe offers a market with organic and local produce, bulk foods, coffee, and teas, alongside a cafe serving natural, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and local meat options.
- Simply Gourmet7.7 mi
Simply Gourmet in Lake Placid offers daily breakfast and lunch with a focus on clean food, using fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients free of additives or preservatives. They also provide comprehensive catering services for various ev…
Sweet.
4- Donnelly's Soft Ice Cream4.3 mi
A fourth-generation Saranac Lake institution on a former dairy farm, serving exactly one rotating soft-serve flavor each day — twisted with vanilla on the same 1953 machine. Cash only; check the daily flavor. Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- Mountain Mist Custard4.3 mi
A summer fixture on the shore of Lake Flower in Saranac Lake, with picnic tables and a dock you can tie a boat to. Frozen custard and soft serve with weekly-rotating flavors, shakes, and sundaes.
- Mark Twain Maple Works5.0 mi
Mark Twain Maple Works produces New York State maple syrup on the shore of Saranac Lake in the Adirondack Park. They have been making syrup since 2013, expanding their operation and offering various grades.
- Emma's Lake Placid Creamery8.0 mi
A 1950s-themed creamery in the heart of walkable Lake Placid, famous for its Maple Creme soft serve alongside 16 hard flavors, gelato, sorbet, and old-fashioned malts. The reliable apres-hike treat.
Drink.
4- Ray Brook Brewhouse4.6 mi
Ray Brook Brewhouse is a unique brewery in Ray Brook, NY, offering wild and traditional brews paired with adventurous dishes made from local and exotic ingredients.
- Bitters & Bones5.5 mi
Saranac Lake's only downtown brewery, restaurant, and bar, Bitters & Bones offers craft beer brewed upstairs, fresh local cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and craft cocktails. It features rooftop decks and unique private event spa…
- RiverTrail Beerworks5.5 mi
RiverTrail Beerworks is Saranac Lake’s only riverfront brewpub, located on the Saranac Lake River Walk and Rail Trail. It features a heated patio, firepits, two golf simulators, and serves lunch and dinner daily with house-brewed beers and…
- Lake Placid Pub & Brewery8.2 mi
A brewpub on Mirror Lake Drive in Lake Placid since 1996, with 12 house beers on tap including the original Ubu Ale, a downstairs Irish pub, and a deck over Mirror Lake.
Stay.
4- Kiwassa Lake Adirondack Bed & Breakfast2.8 mi
A lakeside B&B on Lake Kiwassa Road in Saranac Lake, with vintage knotty-pine cabins and boathouse-style lodge suites on 20 wooded acres, three miles from village.
- Branch Farm Bed and Breakfast4.3 mi
Branch Farm Bed and Breakfast offers three private accommodations on the shores of Lake Flower, complete with home-cooked breakfasts and direct access to outdoor pursuits.
- Traverse Lodge4.4 mi
Traverse Lodge is a lodging establishment on the outskirts of Saranac Lake, offering a variety of rooms and cabins. It provides a base for exploring the Adirondacks, featuring a new pavilion, campfire area, outdoor kitchen, and close acces…
- Morenos Cottages4.4 mi
Moreno's Adirondack Cabins offers camp-style cabins, cottages, and a vacation home rental in Ray Brook, NY, near Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. They provide one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and pet-friendly options, with some available year-round.
See.
4- Sail Adirondacks: Saranac Lake-Lake Placid4.4 mi
A crewed sailboat charter operation with bases in Saranac Lake and Port Henry on Lake Champlain, running learn-to-sail lessons and skippered cruises on a fleet of classic sailboats.
- Ice Palace at the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival5.1 mi
The Ice Palace is a prominent feature of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival, a historic annual celebration in New York State established in 1897.
- Adirondack Birding Center5.3 mi
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation protects common loons in the Adirondack Park through research, conservation, and education. They focus on understanding and mitigating human impacts to ensure loons thrive as environmental sentin…
- Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation5.3 mi
The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation works to protect common loons in the Adirondack Park and educates communities about the importance of these iconic birds and their lake ecosystems.
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Frequently asked.
- How long is the Pine Pond Trail?The Pine Pond Trail is approximately 4.67 miles (7.5 kilometers) — a typical day-hike length.
- How long does it take to hike the Pine Pond Trail?Most hikers complete the Pine Pond Trail in about 2 hours 45 minutes at a steady pace with roughly 601 feet of elevation gain. Allow extra time for rest stops, photos, weather, and trail conditions.
- How difficult is the Pine Pond Trail?Based on its length and elevation gain, the Pine Pond Trail is a moderate hike (601 ft of climbing over the route) — steady climbing that rewards a reasonable base of fitness. This is an estimate from route data, not an official trail rating — check current DEC advisories before heading out.