Wilson Pond

By Bill Ingersoll

Tiny Wilson Pond might not have ever become an obvious backpacking destination were it not for the lean-to on its north shore, which transformed this obscure trout pond into an attractive and popular hike. The lean-to exploits a rock ledge on the shoreline, revealing an enchanting view of remote Blue Ridge, an unimaginatively named mountain that forms the centerpiece of the namesake Blue Ridge Wilderness. It is a place to daydream – or to fish, if that is more your style. The visibility of the trailhead ensures this is a popular year-round hike.

A few caveats should be mentioned first. A few short sections of the trail can be hopelessly wet, and while these conditions have rarely turned people away, some of the obstacles are notable enough to recommend this as a dry-season hike – from late spring to early fall, say.

Second, the only camping option at Wilson Pond is the lean-to itself. Unlike many of the other lean-to sites in the Adirondacks, there are no other legal campsites to serve as alternates should you arrive intending to camp only to find the shelter already occupied. Many people visit Wilson just for the day, so a crowded parking area isn’t necessarily an indicator the lean-to is full. Nevertheless, be sure to check the trailhead register to see how many people may be out ahead of you, and perhaps be prepared to select a different destination if you’ve arrived with an overnight backpack on a busy day.

Getting There

The trailhead is easily found on NY Route 28 by driving 2.7 miles west from the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake. Prominent signs mark the turnout on the south side of the road, which provides ample parking.

The Trail

One highlight of this hike is that nearly all of it passes through mature forests – few if any signs of past logging anywhere, despite the fact that much of the route follows the trace remains of an old wagon road.

From the parking area, the trail passes through a shady hemlock forest. Technically this first section is on private land, and the faint cross-trail encountered at 0.2-mile marks the state land boundary. If you miss these details, don’t worry – there has traditionally been little signage to mark this event. Soon you will begin to spot Grassy Pond to the left, and at 0.5-mile you reach a bend in the trail where herd paths lead left into the bog to such scenic views as may be found here. Grassy Pond is round and lined with trees such as spruce, fir, and tamarack, but it is otherwise indifferent to the numerous hikers passing through trying to take pictures.

I mentioned the trail to Wilson Pond could be wet at times. The first encounter comes at the outlet of Grassy Pond, a tiny stream that resists containment; a haphazard array of logs and planks is humanity’s best attempt at a bridge. A few minutes later the old roadbed (really a nice trail!) circles around to the foot of a beaver meadow that opens up to your right. For a brief time, the trail may be muddy or even partly submerged below the dam – problems in early spring perhaps, but less so in mid-summer.

The most notorious obstacle, though, comes at 0.9-mile where a sprawling beaver flow fills the bottom of the next valley with no obvious way around. Fortunately for hikers there has always (somehow) been a feasible route directly through this wetland, although the exact location of that route has been slowly drifting downstream over the years as the beavers periodically reconfigure their dams. The current crossing is maybe 80-100 feet east of where it used to be when I first came this way, yet improbably it works. Thus my recommendation to come here in the summer, when this robust stream should be less of an issue.

Upon reaching the far shore, signs alert you to a little-used connector trail to Cascade Pond. The Wilson Pond trail bears right and hugs the edge of the wetland for about 200 feet, with fading signs marking where past crossings used to terminate. Then it rejoins the old roadbed and begins the long climb up to the pond.

This next phase of the hike is characterized by a gentle but persistent ascent through tall hardwoods. Occasionally the tread is marred by mud or the erosion of a passing stream, but mostly the walking is easy. The roadbed eventually fades away, although it is difficult to pinpoint exactly where.

The final phase begins at 1.9 miles, where conifers crowd the trail and you are presented with your next stream crossing – a tributary of the beaver flow, but also the combined outlets of Slim, Brady, and Wilson ponds. Again, there is no bridge, only big rocks to serve as stepping stones. The trail then winds through the spruce-birch forest – a real delight. When the conifers again disperse to make way for the return of the hardwoods, the winding continues unabated. You may notice, though, that some of these bends are vertical, sharp ups and downs as the trail cuts against the topographical grain.

Somewhere off to your left is the wetland known as Slim Pond, although the glimpses of open space visible from the trail are the nameless wetlands located elsewhere on its outlet. After climbing up, over, and down five or so consecutive knolls, the trail finally bends east and descends to a stream crossing at 2.8 miles – a branch of the same stream you have already crossed twice before. This iteration is the outlet of Wilson Pond, and as before there is no bridge. If necessary there are stepping stones a short distance upstream.

The final push to the lean-to is a 0.2-mile jaunt through the cool shadows of a conifer forest. The shelter is approached from behind, standing roughly 50 feet back from the shoreline and turned at a 90-degree angle from the water, three miles from the trailhead. An ovoid area around the lean-to, roughly 200 feet long has been scavenged closely over the years for firewood, but beyond that signs of human passage fall off sharply. My favorite part of the shelter is the electrical outlet carved ironically into the wall.

Two paths lead out to the rock ledge, which offers the best water access. A tiny island partly obscures the view of Blue Ridge, but clearer views can be found from points east along the shore. Also, the pond’s outlet trails off to the west into a rock-lined cove that is also worth seeing, for those people with an itch to explore once camp has been set up.

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