Tirrell Pond and Spruce Mountain

By Bobby Clark & Cat Hadlow 

The Adirondack Mountain Club published Peaks and Ponds: Adirondack Day Hikes, by Bobby Clark and Cat Hadlow, in April 2022. This collection of 37 classic and lesser-known day hikes celebrated ADK’s 100-year anniversary by featuring beautiful remote spots throughout the park with side trips and snippets of history. 

ADK has been working to conserve resources, advocate for preservation of wild places, and educate people on having safe, low-impact outdoor experiences. They focus on sharing information by publishing guidebooks and maps, conducting research, and affiliating with other outdoor organizations for the common goal of protecting the Adirondack Park.

The 160-page book is written by two ADK staff members and both are seasoned outdoor adventurers. It includes GPS coordinates and QR codes for trailheads and parking areas, round-trip distances, difficulty ratings, maps and photos. Sections on wilderness safety and ethics help hikers have safe low-impact outings. Peaks and Ponds follows the smaller size, easy-to-read format of ADK’s other samplers with key trip info at the beginning of each description. The guidebook is available at local retailers or online: adk.org. Here are two book excerpts.

Tirrell Pond 

Key Trip Info – Round-trip: 6.6 miles (10.6K). Elevation change: 617 feet (188m). Difficulty: Easy+ (due to easy to moderate rolling terrain). Map: TI 744: S16. GPS coordinates: 43.874430, -74.431050 (parking area).

This Tirrell Pond trail passes through private property in the Township 19 Easement Tract and the Blue Mountain Wild Forest. The trail is on a conservation easement and crosses a power line right-of-way that is posted with no trespassing signs. Please be respectful of the landowners and the easement by remaining on the trail. 

Trailhead – The trail starts at the Blue Mountain and Tirrell Pond trailhead, near the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake. Parking is on the east side of NY Routes 30/28, 1.4 mi north of Blue Mountain Lake – just north of the Adirondack Experience museum. The trail register at the edge of the parking lot is used for both trails. (If this trailhead is too busy, Tirrell Pond can also be reached via the Northville-Placid Trail trailhead, 3.9 miles south on Route 30/28).

Starting at the north corner (left side) of the parking area, follow the yellow-marked trail past a steel gate across an old jeep trail on the right. The route briefly parallels the highway before bearing right into the woods. For the first 0.5 mile, the grade is primarily flat, before gradually gaining elevation. As the trail travels along a shoulder of Blue Mountain, the summit is visible through the trees on the right. This land is owned by a timber company, and former lumbering activities are evident in the newer growth of the forest. From here, the terrain undulates along the mountainside, and several partially grown-in logging roads – both former and current – crisscross the trail. Logging equipment might be seen or heard in the area.

At 1.6 miles, the trail crosses a dirt road (which is the power line right-of-way), after which there are ski trail markers as well as yellow hiking trail disks. Here the trail widens and begins to descend slightly before leveling off. Over the next 0.5 mile, the trail climbs moderately to the col between Buck and Blue mountains. At 2.1 miles, the trail passes through a mix of hardwoods and newer growth and begins a 470-ft descent toward Tirrell Pond. At 2.5 miles, the descent steepens along an eroded, stone-laden section of trail. A Forest Preserve sign at 2.6 miles signifies entry into the Blue Mountain Wild Forest. 

The trail follows the left bank of a brook, and at 3.0 miles arrives at the junction with the blue-marked Northville-Placid Trail. Turn right and follow the NPT over a narrow stream crossing. The well-trodden NPT narrows as it winds toward a small clearing and the popular Tirrell Pond Lean-To on the left at 3.3 miles. A brief walk down an unmarked path ends at the sandy south shore of Tirrell Pond. Looking to the left, the ledges of Tirrell Mountain are visible above this large pond. Evidence of beaver activity might be seen in newly chewed tree stumps near the pond’s outlet. This is a popular summer destination for NPT through-hikers and anglers, some of whom arrive via float plane.

Trail in Winter – Suitable for all snowshoeing and cross-country skiing experience levels, with full snow coverage required on the trail for enjoyable skiing.

Nearby Side Quests – Blue Mountain, 4.0 miles (6.4 km) round-trip, 1550 feet (473 m) elevation change. Upper and Lower Sargent ponds, 6.2 miles (9.9 km) round-trip, minimal elevation change. Adirondack Experience – Museum on Blue Mountain Lake is a wonderful place to spend a day learning about the cultural and natural history of the Adirondacks.

Northville-Placid Trail Centennial – Construction of the 138-mile Northville-Placid Trail, originally called the Long Trail, began in 1922 as ADK’s inaugural major project – and was completed in 1924. ADK’s first president, George Pratt, an officer of Standard Oil, funded the project to have the NPT cleared and marked by “two woodsmen,” Edwin “Doc” Noyes and Howard Rowe. Merely stepping foot on this iconic trail evokes a sense of utter wilderness unmatched by other trails in the park. Even today, ADK staff and volunteers continue to maintain the NPT and its many lean-tos. For more info on NPT 100 years and hiking the trail, visit: npt100.com.

Spruce Mountain

Key Trip Info – Round-trip: 3.1 miles (5K). Elevation change: 1,003 feet (306 m). Summit elevation: 2,005 ft (611 m). Difficulty: Easy+ (due to consistent gradual to moderate elevation change, but short distance). Map: TI 743: D24. GPS coordinates: 43.202070, -3.895780 (parking area).

This Spruce Mountain trail to a fire tower summit is in the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest, on the southeastern edge of the Adirondack Park. It briefly crosses private land and passes through a conservation easement held by the non-profit conservation group, Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature): saratogaplan.org.

Trailhead – The trail starts from the Spruce Mountain trailhead on Spruce Mountain Road, south of the Village of Corinth. From NY Route 9N, head west onto Wells Road. (This is a right turn if coming from Corinth, and a left turn if coming from Saratoga Springs.) Go two miles to a T intersection with Spruce Mountain Road. Turn right and drive 0.2-mile to the gravel parking area (also a snowplow turnaround) at the end of the road. Note: The trail is closed during big game hunting season, from mid-October to early December.

The yellow-marked trail immediately crosses a brook and veers to the right. It parallels the brook up a steep gravel section to a trail register at the top of a rise. Please sign in. At 0.2-mile, notice a short segment of stone wall serving as a private property line on the left. The trail bears to the right slightly and enters a section built in 2015 by ADK’s professional trail crew in conjunction with the NYSDEC.

The trail passes through a break in the stone wall and is a gentle grade through mixed woods with old growth and an open understory. It begins to climb more steeply at 0.8-mile, then at 1.0 mile, passes the Saratoga PLAN boundary sign and begins to level out. It traverses several fern-filled clearings, indicative of the area’s logging history. The trail winds toward the summit past an old trail that is no longer used, and at 1.3 mile, it passes a “Forest Preserve-Wild Forest” sign attached to a tree to the left. At this point, the fire tower base is glimpsed through the trees. The final clearing is reached at 1.4 miles, with the fire tower looming in the forefront. Because there are no views from the summit, hikers will need to climb at least partway up the 73 foot tower – the tallest fire tower in the Adirondacks – to enjoy sweeping 360-degree views. A nearby communications tower is also visible from the fire tower cab. 

Trail in Winter – Suitable for snowshoers of all skill levels, and advanced skiers.

Nearby Side Quests – Prospect Mountain, 3.4 miles (5.4K) round-trip, 1,600 feet (489m) elevation change. Hadley Mountain, 3.6 miles (5.8K) round-trip, 1,525 feet (465m) elevation change.