Northern Adirondacks 📍

Why Jones Pond is One of My Favorite Campsites

Jones Pond has 5 drive-in campsites on Jones Pond, a small public-private lake a little ways from Paul Smiths. A popular area on weekends, on weeknights, it is little used, but right on this beautiful lake.

Hiking Bettty Brook Road on Sunday 10/10


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All of the campsites have “filtered” views of Jones Pond with tall white pines growing throughout the campground. The sun, year round sets on the lake, with views of Saint Regis Mountain te background. There is much beauty at all of campsites, with high sand dunes a little ways behind campsites, and sand dunes providing sound and light barriers between campsites.

Reservoir

Part of the generalized St Regis Canoe Area, it one of many nearby lakes. It provides a great place to make the night after a long day paddling, after watching the sunset, and the fire burn as the night progresses. Walk down to the shoreline, and look at the stars sparkle in the sky.

Camp

It’s not perfect. There is some road noise from Jones Pond Road, and certainly part of lake shore is privately owned, so there are some power boats occassionally on the lake. But still, it’s a wonderful experience.

Saint Regis Mountain

Christmas Lights

Roadside Campsites I’ve Camped in Northern Adirondacks

North West

Streeter Lake Road

  • Campsites are nice
  • Many campsites are close to road
  • Road is an old railroad bed
  • Streeter Lake and Mud Pond are nice paddling, but a little small and with beaver dams

All Packed Up

North Central

Floodwood Road

  • Often crowded, hard to get a roadside campsite some nights
  • Campsites are clustered close together
  • High enforcement precence

Camping at Poliwog Pond

Jones Pond

  • Campsites are quite nice, but only 5 campsites and 3 tent sites
  • Road noise from nearby roads
  • Lake is larger then Mountain Pond
  • Nearby is the drive-in campsites along north-western portion of Rainbow Lake (not to be confused with Bucks Pond State Campground)

All Packed Up at Union Falls Campsite

Mountain Pond

  • Close to St Regis Canoe Area (10 miles south)
  • Quieter compared to busy canoe area
  • Located on an Old Routing of NY 30
  • Conviently located to Paul Smiths and NY 30 corridor

Getting Out and Stretch

North East

Union Falls Pond

  • A group of undesigned drive-in campsites along northeastern section of Union Falls Pond, shown on DEC maps
  • Across the way from a private campground
  • Union Falls Pond is large, can be choppy from the wind
  • Great views of Whiteface and other high peaks from the campsite.

Getting Out and Stretch

North-Central Central

Horsehoe Lake

  • Horsehoe Lake has several campsites along, as does the dirt road beyond it for a ways.
  • The best roadside campsites go fast on the lake, but you can always camp on the less desirable campsites, then check out Bog River Flow, and tent camp up there.

Campsite No 9

Kayaking Barnum Pond, July 2011

Barnum Pond, right behind the Adirondack Vistors Intreprative Center, offers some great views, and can be accessed for free from NY 30, one mile north of VIC and one mile south of Mountain Pond Camping Area. Click on the map below, to display a full-size version, perfect for printing and slapping in a plastic bag, to strap on your kayak.

Here are some pictures I took while was paddling around this lake, proceeding from NY 30, along the Southern shore until I got to the Barnum Pond outlet, which you can continue on for about a mile until a beaver dam. You can portage around the beaver dam, if you choose, however a 1/2 mile below that is a series of man-made dams in Paul Smiths you must go around, to get down to Lower St Regis Lake.

Rainy Tuesday Morning

Edge of Barnum Pond

Adirondack VIC Observation Deck

Barnum Pond Outlet

 Treeline

Through the Marshlands of the VIC

Clouds Over Barnum Pond Outlet

Lighthouse Stairway Window

Splader Dack and Boreas Forest

Heading Back to Barnum Pond

Boreal Trees

Reflections

Southern Edge of Barnum Pond

Untitled

Spatterdock

South West on Barnum Pond

West Kill Valley

St Regis Mountain Across Barnum Pond

If you visit here, consider camping at Mountain Pond.

Aldrich Pond Wild Forest

The Aldrich Pond Wild Forest Wild Forest Unit Management Plan mentions the following about Roadside Camping in the area…

“Most of the camping on this area occurs during the hunting season and much of this is along the Streeter Lake Road. Sixteen campsites have been designated along this corridor and two pit privies established to accommodate this use.”

— NYSDEC Aldrich Pond Wild Forest UMP.

Roadside Campsite.

Road Number of Sites
Streeter Lake Rd. 16

More Resources…


View Street Lake Campsites in a larger map

Saranac Lakes Wild Forest

Camping Only At Designated Sites

There are 16 designated campsites along Floodwood Road. Of those sites, one is located on Middle Pond, five densely spaced on Poliwog Pond, 10 others spread out along the road, approximently 1/4 mile apart. There has been discussion of closing and/or relocating some of the five designated campsites on Poliwog Pond. They literally are spaced within 10 feet of each other, with no buffers. The other sites are nicer along Floodwood Road. Note that there is an aggressive enforcement presence on Floodwood Road, so if you are going here just to hang out, be aware State Forest Rangers may be checking for compliance with law (camping in designated locations only, staying less then 3 nights without a permit, not being too noisey or disruptive).

The SUNY ESF/APA Roadside Camping in Adirondack Park Study also mentions 3 campsites on Hoel Pond Road which is just off Floodwood Road, and 9 campsites on Fish Hachery Road, just off of NY 30. The Unit Management Plan is not online, and they do not appear on State Land Interactive Mapper, so I can not confirm the current existence of these sites, so they are not included in the list.

Sarnac Lakes Wild Forest Map.

Please be aware that this map does not indicate campsite locations.

Confirmed Roadside Campsites.

Road Number of Campsites
Floodwood Road 16

More Resources…

Campsite on Polliwog Pond

Middle Pond