Chub Lake

By Bill Ingersoll

I blame the parking – or rather, the lack thereof. This is the main reason why I think Chub Lake in the Pigeon Lake Wilderness doesn’t get the love you might expect.

The hike that I am about to describe has its flaws, but all of these are worth overcoming. The trailhead may be a private driveway without a designated parking area for the public, and the trail may be obnoxiously wet in places, but the tradeoff is a chance to hike through old-growth forests past one charming pond on your way to another. And the campsite at the destination is a classic, perched atop a rock ledge with an unimpeded view of the pond.

But yes, traffic is moderate to light on much of this trail, perhaps because the start is not obviously marked as an entrance to state land. Be aware that this trail begins on private land, and the right of way to access the wilderness does not include the right to leave the designated corridor, or to drive the private road.

Getting There

From NY Route 28 in the hamlet of Eagle Bay, turn northwest onto Big Moose Road and follow it for 3.8 miles. Here, bear right onto Higby Road and continue for another 1.3 miles to the start of Judson Road, a gated private road on your right. Although there are few signs, this is an authorized access point for state land. Leave your car parked on the shoulder, being careful not to block the driveway.

The Trail

Beginning at the Judson Road gate, follow the private lane for 0.2-mile, watching for the well-marked fork where the public hiking trail veers right into the woods. It begins by following a section of Constable Creek – a feature you will encounter more than once – reaching the state land boundary moments later. Even on good days the trail may be muddy, but at 0.5-mile you reach a junction with a trail to the right that cuts over to Queer Lake. For Chub Lake, bear left across the bridge over the creek.

This interlude on state land is brief, and soon you reenter private land – with ample signage to inform you precisely when. At 0.9-mile, the hiking trail intersects another gravel road, and turns right to follow it across a second bridge over Constable Creek. As soon as you reach the far side, look for the trail signs pointing left back into the woods.

Although you are done with the roads, the muddiest sections are encountered in the next half-mile. This is not a new development; the trail has been this way as long as I’ve known it. This is an unfortunate distraction, and a defect that could be easily remedied, if someone were to ever invest the time and resources. Nevertheless, it isn’t all bad, and remember there are better times ahead.

At 1.3 miles you cross back into state land – this time for good – just before reaching a second trail junction. The route to the right leads to Mays Pond, but you want the trail that continues straight ahead. This is a narrow path through a rich forest, never known to be logged. The state acquired this land in 1897 as part of the settlement for a lawsuit with a private landowner and would-be lumber baron, who was frustrated in his ambitions by the creation of Stillwater Reservoir several miles to the northwest. His loss was the public’s gain, and the trees still grow as big as they did before the invention of the automobile.

Eventually Constable Creek widens into Constable Pond, which you can glimpse at several points along the trail – although the path never quite approaches the shoreline. What side paths you do see leading down to the water were probably worn by hungry beavers venturing inland in search of fresh wood. The one exception comes at 2.5 miles, when you finally reach the junction with the side trail to Chub Lake. 

Before you make that turn, set down your backpack for a moment and venture in the opposite direction, toward Constable. The crudest of herd paths leads down to a spot on the shore where a rock tucked away in the grasses and shrubs provides the best view I’ve ever found of this pond. Graceful pines sprout up from random points all along Constable’s long shorelines.

Turning southeast on the Chub Lake trail, you climb gently past a wetland for 0.4-mile and arrive at another T-intersection. This time turn left onto the dead-end side trail to Chub Lake’s highly attractive campsite, located three miles from Higby Road.

There are several reasons to recommend this campsite: there is space for several tents, a well-sited fireplace, and ledge with a view that is hard to argue with. Chub Lake is a circular pond with a protected brook trout fishery. Once you reach this spot you may find it hard to leave.

Bill Ingersoll is a cofounder and the vice-chair of Adirondack Wilderness Advocates. For more information on this area, visit: adirondackwilderness.org/pigeon-lake-wilderness.