CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING & SNOWSHOEING

Tubmill Marsh and Lilypad Pond Trail in the Eastern Adirondacks

by Barbara McMartin

There is usually less snow on the eastern side of the Adirondack Mountains than on the west, but often there is enough for a great winter adventure. The described trail in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area is an excellent cross country ski route, and offers an opportunity to carry snowshoes and climb one of the four sharp little peaks that can be reached from the main trail.

To get there, take NY Route 74 east of Northway Exit 28 for 8.4 miles to a parking area at the outlet of Eagle Lake. This is the principal trailhead for the routes to Tubmill Marsh and Lilypad Pond and south. You will enjoy this trail (3.3 miles, 2 hours, 400-foot elevation change) as a ski to Tubmill Marsh, or as a means of reaching the Bear Mountain bushwhack æ a wonderful snowshoe trip.

The trail, with blue markers, follows the old roadway, first crossing Paragon Brook, the outlet of Eagle Lake, on a good, new bridge. The trail then angles southwest, curves around the head of a marsh below Ragged Mountain, and continues west close to the base of Ragged Mountain to intersect the old Tubmill Marsh trail at 1-mile.

The roadway takes a level course except for a long, gentle hill just past the bridge; the grade and width make this most desirable for cross country skiers. The best part of the route is that it passes beneath the tall pines and hemlock for which the area is famous all the way from the highway to the Tubmill Marsh trail.

At 1-mile, the trail turns south, left, following the traditional route, and makes a sharp descent of 50 yards to a spring at the foot of Ragged Mountain. You skirt a swamp that extends from Pyramid Lake to the slopes of Ragged Mountain and at 1.15 miles you cross a stream and begin a steady climb.

The ascent continues to a level at 1.5 miles, then resumes to a height-of-land at 1.8 miles. Note this spot, for it marks the place to turn off for the Bear Mountain bushwhack. The trailside is rich in ferns and unbelievably tall poplar trees. You cross the height-of-land for 0.1-mile, then begin to descend. At 1.95 miles there is an enigmatic sign labeled Potter Mtn., but pointed back along the trail.

The trail continues to be easy to ski. Halfway down the slope, at 2.1 miles, there is a red trail forking right, downhill, for 0.1-mile to a lean-to which is situated back from the shore of Tubmill Marsh. Explore the shore for views and reflections. A stump forest fills the marsh, which is dominated by Pine Hill on the south and Bear Mountain on the northwest. A.T. Shorey wrote that this was the site of a shoe peg factory worked many years ago by one Tub Mill, hence the name Tubmill Marsh. More likely the name derived from a James Tubs who settled in 1804 near the outlet of Paradox Lake.

From the fork to Tubmill lean-to the blue trail continues downhill to cross a stream a 2.35 miles. Next, a small rise leads to a level at 2.55 miles. Honey Pond is visible on the left at 2.7 miles. In the past 20 years, it has doubled in size, with many drowned trees, all due to beaver activity.

The trail is now circling to the east of Pine Hill, and at 2.8 miles a sign points to that hill, indicating a good spot to begin a bushwhack. The trail continues climbing, gently, on the flanks of Pine Hill, following the outlet of Lilypad Pond. You reach a level stretch at 3.1 miles, and 40 yards across it reaches the intersection with the red trail to Lilypad Pond, 0.1-mile to the left. A lean-to sits on the rise overlooking that pond, which has also been enlarged in recent years, with many drowned trees rimming its shoreline.

The blue trail continues west to circle Horseshoe and Crab ponds on the way to Crane Pond. To follow the described route, turn around here.

Bear Mountain is a fault block with a west-facing cliff whose views offer an inviting bushwhack. The northwestern quadrant of Bear Mountain is privately owned, but it is possible to bushwhack to the top of the cliffs overlooking both Tubmill Marsh and Crane Pond and stay on state land all the way.

From the height-of-land of the Tubmill Marsh trail, take a compass course of 277 degrees magnetic. This course, about halfway between magnetic and due west, will take you up the long eastern slope of Bear Mountain. It will keep you below the summit, on state land, and let you wind across the long ridge, picking out the greatest number of open rock patches on the way. The boundary line runs generally east-west, south of and below the summit, crossing at 1,600 feet elevation.

Besides the overlooks of Tubmill Marsh on the way west, you will find a perch on the western edge, on top of the steep western cliffs, overlooking the eastern end of Crane Pond. Pharaoh Mountain fills the southern skyline.

It is a mile from the trail to the western cliffs on Bear Mountain, but you will wind about a bit between open patches along the way. Allow an hour for the 300-foot climb from the trail to the western perch.

An alternative, a real scramble, can be made from the far northeastern bay of Crane Pond. The spot is easiest if approached by water. A stiff 500-foot climb in 0.4-mile will take you to the western perch. Your route should be to the east of the cliff line on the sharp nose, and the direction for the bushwhack is toward magnetic north.

If you like the combination of ski and snowshoe trip, there are two other little mountains for snowshoe bushwhacks from the main trail, Potter and Ragged. The fourth, Peaked, is most easily reached from the Lilypad-Rock Pond trail, which branches from the main Tubmill Marsh-Lily Pad trail. You will find all of these described in my book, Discover the Eastern Adirondacks.

Barbara McMartin (adirbarb@telenet.net) is the author of many guides to the Adirondacks and several histories. For more information on other adventures in this region, consult her Discover the Eastern Adirondacks (Lake View Press).

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