Ha-De-Ron-Dah Loop

By Bill Ingersoll

I regard the 25,000-acre Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness as an old familiar acquaintance. My relationship with it dates back to the late 1990s, and it’s always fun times when I return. Over the past two decades I’ve enjoyed many mornings and afternoons exploring its trails, as well as some memorable evenings camping next to its small interior ponds. Likewise, ours is a friendship that can be easily taken for granted; what was new territory for me in my twenties has now become a reliable source of accessible outdoor bliss, always there when I need it.

Ha-De-Ron-Dah is a pocket-sized wilderness that exists alongside one of the Adirondack Park’s busiest highways, and just a short drive from the tourist hub known as Old Forge. As a tract of wild Forest Preserve land, it was pieced together by the state a century ago from scraps that had lost their timber value after a bout of devastating fires. The area is well known, but not overrun – a wilderness that abuts the old housing development at the Okara Lakes and yet remains expansive enough to host dozens of modest outdoor adventures every week.

There are many ways to enjoy the Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness, and I’ve sampled most of them. A recent fall hike reminded me of one adventure I used to enjoy on an almost annual basis: a 10.7-mile loop through the heart of the area, including side trips to three ponds, each one more scenic than the last. This is a great balance between rugged adventure and modest time investment, because with an early start you can be done by early afternoon without feeling you were cheated out of a wilderness experience. It’s a perfect hike for late fall, with its short days and ever-impending nightfalls.

Getting There

The starting point for this hike is often called the Scusa Trailhead, referring to a prior landowner, although that name is inconsistently used on the state’s signage. It is located on NY Route 28 near the Okara Lakes, about three miles south of the train station in Thendara; look for the large highway parking area on the east side of the road and the brown trailhead sign on the west side.

The Trail

Navigating this loop, with its frequent turns and trail junctions, is made possible by the fact that Ha-De-Ron-Dah’s trail network is reasonably well maintained. I’ve completed this loop several times over the years, always preferring the counterclockwise direction since that places the ever-popular Middle Settlement Lake as the finale. Note that there are several stream crossings and frequent battles with mud.

Begin the hike by crossing Route 28 and crossing the footbridge into the woods. As accessible as Ha-De-Ron-Dah is in general, the Scusa Trailhead is confined by a large wetland on one side and a residential area on the other – both of which force the trail to climb steeply (make that very steeply) over a rocky knob immediately after the register station. This 130-foot ascent gives a curious first impression, but it is not representative of the rest of the trail system.

Once you clear the rock knob, the trail rounds a survey post marking the private property corner; only then are you introduced to the rolling terrain that better typifies the area. After dipping through some low, wet glens and climbing back to higher ground, you reach a trail junction at 0.6-mile. Both left and right will be part of your loop, but for now bear right, following the signs for Cedar Pond, Grass Pond, and Middle Branch Lake.

The trail bends away from the Okara Lakes development before you see it and crosses some bog bridging to reach the next trail junction at 0.8-mile. This time bear left, now on a red-marked trail that climbs slightly as it skirts the lower slopes of Cross Hill.

At 1.1 miles you reach yet another trail junction, this one perhaps more subtle than the previous two. Look for a side trail leading right toward Grass Pond, the first of three highly recommended side trips that branch outward from the core loop. Grass Pond may be more grass than pond, but it is very much a scenic destination. The yellow-marked side trail is 0.5-mile long and drops slowly toward the pond’s outlet. Be sure to follow the extension trail through the brush toward the beaver dam, where you will find the best views.

After completing this side trip and returning to the junction, you are now 2.1 miles into your hike. Continue northwest along the red trail, in the direction of Cedar Pond, as it dips to cross several moderate-sized streams (each of them bigger than you might expect) and rises over each intervening hill. There are occasional views of the wetland complex surrounding Cedar Pond, but mostly the trail keeps to the higher ground away from all that.

At 3.9 miles you reach the next trail junction, just north of Cedar Pond. This is the start of another “mandatory” side trip, although as you bear right toward Middle Branch Lake you are immediately faced with a long muddy wallow. The mile-long segment between Cedar and Middle Branch is characterized by gradual climbs over low hills punctuated with descents into muddy basins. The deepest of these valleys had some marginal beaver activity in 2021, but then that’s all part of the wilderness adventure. At 4.8 miles you reach a trail junction within sight of Middle Branch Lake; bear left to reach the lean-to, located 5.0 total miles into your day.

By the time you backtrack all the way to the Cedar Pond trail junction, you have now covered a cumulative total of 6.1 miles. The loop itself is half complete, with one more destination yet to see. Bear west toward Middle Settlement Lake, reaching a major rock-hop stream crossing 0.4-mile later that could easily be the most difficult feature you will encounter all day. If it has rained heavily, you will get wet feet, but otherwise there may be just enough exposed rock to hop from one bank to the next.

The trail angles south and skirts past the edge of an open wetland before reaching the next junction at 7.1 miles. This is a noteworthy area because of the huge rocks, cliffy hillside, and the initial views of Middle Settlement Lake. It goes without saying that you should head out past the boulders and follow the trail that hugs the northern shoreline to the lean-to perched atop a scenic rock ledge 0.5-mile away. (If the shelter is occupied and you don’t want to encroach, there are two alternate sites en route where you can stop and enjoy the setting.)

The Middle Settlement side trip adds a mile to your running total, putting you at 8.1 miles by the time you return to the junction near the huge boulders. Now it’s time to begin the hike out, so follow the blue-marked trail southeast. This section passes much like the others – low hills, muddy hollows – with the exception that you’re more likely to encounter other hikers here.

You reach the next junction at 9.2 miles, and here you need to turn left to complete the loop. This yellow-marked trail seems unremarkable compared to the others, but it is historically noteworthy: for most of the nineteenth century, this was the primary wagon road to what is now Old Forge. You follow it for just less than a mile, returning to a familiar trail junction at 10.1 miles – the same junction where your loop began just a few hours earlier. Now bear right on the red-marked trail, crossing the rock knoll and descending steeply toward the busy highway, which you reach at 10.7 miles.

Bill Ingersoll is a co-founder and the vice-chair of Adirondack Wilderness Advocates. For more information on this area, please visit adirondackwilderness.org/ha-de-ron-dah-wilderness.