Big Bad Luck

By Bill Ingersoll

Often, the name of a backcountry landmark suggests an interesting tale. For instance, Calamity Pond in the High Peaks got its name when a gun accidentally discharged and killed a man. Good Luck Pond near Arietta was named when the same event occurred but no one was injured. Between those two ponds is Big Bad Luck Pond near Indian Lake. I’m sure there is a story here too, but so far, I haven’t come across it.

There has been a marked hiking trail to Big Bad Luck and its neighbors for about 20 years, although ever since the opening of nearby OK Slip Falls to the public, the ponds have been getting short shrift. Since social distancing measures were first implemented in March there has been a crowding issue at the trailhead parking area, but I recently revisited the area confirmed that nearly everyone has been going to the waterfall. The branching trail network to the ponds has been cleared out this spring, but it sees far less use.

Getting There

The trailhead parking area can be found on NY Route 28, 7.8 miles east of the hamlet of Indian Lake (or 9.7 miles northwest of the hamlet of North Creek), at a fork with an unnamed side road. You will need to walk westward along the shoulder of the highway for 0.2-mile to find the sign for the start of the trail.

The Trail

The trail to Ross, Whortleberry, and Big Bad Luck ponds shares a common trailhead with the route to OK Slip Falls. Begin by following that trail down from the highway and through a short muddy area, intercepting an old road within minutes. Bear right and follow the marked foot trail for 0.7-mile, over a small hill to a junction where the new blue-marked trail to OK Slip bears right.

The trail up to this point has become a well-worn route ever since the OK Slip purchase. The old trail to the left seems like a faint wilderness track by comparison, although it is marked and relatively easy to follow. It follows the trace of an old roadbed north and downhill into the valley of Bell Mountain Brook. This stream, which you reach at 1.1 miles, does not have a legitimate bridge but is easy enough to cross. On my spring visit, I kept my boots dry by stepping on an assortment of small logs placed in a bridge-like position.

The trail then embarks on its longest climb, rising 220 feet in 0.4-mile to a rugged little notch with rock outcrops. A prolonged descent follows, with the trail passing close to beaver meadows, which appear forlorn and muddy with their dams in disrepair. The trail circles through a muddy area, with a few stepping stones erratically placed, and at 2.2 miles you reach the junction with the side trail to Ross Pond (see map).

Continuing northwest, you dip through a glen and reach the side trail to Big Bad Luck Pond at 2.6 miles (see map). Still following the main trail to Whortleberry, watch for a right turn 0.1-mile later. The trail is arcing northeast through a coniferous forest, but an unmarked trail continues straight, enticing you to stray in the wrong direction.

The rest of the hike to Whortleberry Pond passes through a thick forest of spruce, balsam, and pine, with the marked trail ending at 2.9 miles at a campsite in a rocky clearing. You are very close to Whortleberry Pond at this point, although you can barely see it from here.

There are two ways to proceed. The shortest route to the shoreline is an unmarked path that leads northwest and downhill for about 250 feet to the pond’s southern shore. This area is wooded and boggy, and the view of the pond will entice you to seek out something better.

The better option used to be to follow another unmarked trail leading northeast from the campsite for 0.2-mile. I speak in the past tense because beaver flooding has effectively cut off easy foot access to the scenic campsite at the east end of Whortleberry. The path led toward the outlet of the pond, crossed it, and then hooked west to reach the campsite. Northern Frontier, the nearby youth camp on OK Slip Pond, keeps a small fleet of boats stashed on the south bank of the outlet, presumably to make this crossing easier.

Side Trail to Ross Pond

A yellow-marked side trail (see map) leads to a very charming campsite on the south end of Ross Pond. The spur is 0.3-mile long and has a very faint tread, but basically it circles the shoreline around the southernmost tip of the pond, hops up a small rock ledge, and ends at the prominent campsite. A herd path leads down to a scenic ledge. The campsite is spacious, and the water seems inviting for a summer swim – I haven’t had the chance to try that yet. Because the total one-way hiking distance from Route 28 is only 2.5 miles, this is probably the popular favorite of the three ponds.

Side Trail to Big Bad Luck Pond

This is the largest of the three ponds, although admittedly the trail experience always leaves me wanting more. The blue-marked hiking trail turns left from the stem trail to Whortleberry (see map), leading generally west for 0.7-mile. Much of that distance takes you through a coniferous forest, but there is also a prolonged section – very pleasing! – that leads along the southern edge of Big Bad Luck’s wide outlet.

The problem is that the marked trail ends well shy of the pond’s widest point, meaning that you can only see a corner from land. There is a small fleet of rowboats here, and you would definitely need a boat to explore more of the pond. There is also an attractive campsite here – you can see it from the trail, about 0.2-mile away on the opposite shoreline.

Wilderness Recreation in the Time of Covid-19

Our favorite outdoor recreational pursuits are perhaps more vital to our mental health than at any time previously. However, not only do social distancing guidelines remain in effect, but many facilities and services in the Adirondacks remain closed.

Key Guidelines for Outdoor Recreation – 1) Stay local, keep visits short, and avoid high-traffic destinations. 2) Be safe by keeping a six-foot separation from other people on the trail. 3) Be ready to move quickly through places where other people might be congregated, including parking areas and scenic vistas. 4) Stay home if you are not feeling well, or fall within one of the high-risk groups for contracting Covid-19.

Bill Ingersoll of Barneveld is publisher of the Discover the Adirondacks guidebook series (hiketheadirondacks.com). For more info, consult Discover the Central Adirondacks or his recently-published 50 Hikes in the Adirondack Mountains (Countryman Press).