Hiking & Backpacking

Summer at the Siamese Ponds

by Bill Ingersoll

Last winter, I described the 6.7-mile trek to the Siamese Ponds through the Sacandaga wilds as a route for snowshoers and skiers. It probably will not surprise you to learn that this exact same trip is equally delightful in summer, too. The East Branch Sacandaga River is a joyful companion along the middle stretches of the trail, and the sand and gravel shoreline at the ponds make them an inviting destination for swimming. Loons serenade campers to sleep.

The trail follows the bed of a very old wagon road, with gentle grades and frequent views of the river. The exception is Eleventh Mountain itself, a shoulder of which you must cross before dropping into the valley. The first half-mile or so of trail is rocky and rough, but on the return trip it will be the 400-foot climb back up from the river valley that will get your attention.

This area forms the heart of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area, the fourth-largest protected area in the Adirondacks. It is a wilderness today almost by accident, because at one point these woods were dotted with small settlements, such as the post-Civil War homestead at Curtis Clearing. There, William Curtis established a farm while his brother Norman set up a sawmill. Other small communities sprang up around the tanneries at the forest’s edge. The river valleys became the routes by which the loggers, tanbarkers, miners and farmers entered the wilderness and attempted to tame it. These people certainly left their mark during their brief stay, but it will ultimately be the wilderness that overtakes the works of man.

How to Get There

This trip begins at the Eleventh Mountain Trailhead, which is large and spacious. It is located on NY Route 8, four miles southwest of Bakers Mills, or 13.5 miles northeast of the intersection with NY Route 30 near Wells.

The Trail

The trail begins with the rough, 200-foot climb over the shoulder of Eleventh Mountain. The trail across the height-of-land is flanked by lush green growth, and then you begin the long, 400-foot drop into the valley. There are cliffs not far away to your right on the flanks of Eleventh Mountain, but in summer the forest canopy does a fair job at concealing their presence.

Your first glimpse of the East Branch Sacandaga comes just before you cross the bridge over Diamond Brook. From this point to the lean-to, the trail is a gently winding and rolling course that never fails to please. At times, the trail is pressed very close to the river, while at other times the river’s twists and turns take it out of your view. Hemlocks, firs, spruces and pines shelter the banks, and here and there you may see a birch or maple arching gracefully over the ice.

Summer visitors find an abundance of weedy wildflowers growing on the riverbanks, including thistles, joe-pye weed, touch-me-nots and gentian. Sometimes it can be a brushy, tangled affair to get to the river, but if you are not in a hurry to get to the ponds, I highly recommend that you take the time to stop and enjoy this wild stream. Too many such rivers have paved roads beside them, and the fact that this one does not makes it that much more unique.

You pass through Burnt Shanty Clearing, which is now little more than a name on the map, and then reach a fork at 3.7 miles. Nearly everybody takes the left fork, which leads to an aging lean-to in another 0.5-mile. It is pleasantly situated overlooking a wide bend in the river, although the view is dominated by the large, metal suspension bridge on the trail to Siamese Ponds.

A trail leads north from the lean-to back to the main trail, which continues through the valley to the trailhead near Thirteenth Lake. This 11.7-mile through trip is a substantial but worthwhile haul for those who can arrange to shuttle cars at both ends of the trail. Many people feel that they have had a full enough day coming just this far. Others can’t wait to delve deeper into the wilds, and eagerly set off across the suspension bridge for the Siamese Ponds.

The trail beyond the bridge was also once a wagon road, but being more remote it is not maintained to quite the same degree as the trail beside the river. It generally follows the outlet of the ponds, crossing that stream and then beginning a long, gradual climb — about 480 feet total — to the camping area at the eastern end of the lower pond, 2.5 miles from the lean-to.

The trail ends at a sandy beach near the pond’s outlet, with the bottom slipping gently beneath the surface of the water. The lower pond was once enlarged by a small rock dam, and while this structure has been breached for many years, the forest surrounding the shore still reflects the higher waterline. As a result, you can easily walk around the shore for quite a distance in either direction.

There was also once a small cabin here, where there is now a designated campsite. For backpackers, this is the most obvious destination, but if you are looking for privacy you will want to go off-trail to the north side of the pond. The Siamese Ponds are well within reach for day-trippers, and so you do not need to stay the night to sample the wild beauty of this wilderness retreat.

Of course, as you backtrack to your car from the ponds you will face a 480-foot drop to the suspension bridge and a 400-foot climb at the very end of the hike. This final climb will certainly test your mettle if you are laboring under a heavy pack.

Bill Ingersoll lives in Barneveld. He has joined Barbara McMartin in revising the Discover series and is co-author of several books. For more information about this region consult Discover the South Central Adirondacks (Lake View Press).

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