Ha De Ron Dah Wilderness
The Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness contains 26,600 acres and is located in the western foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, west of the hamlet of Old Forge and the Fulton Chain of Lakes and east of Independence River Wild Forest. While not the grandeur of a “High Peaks” wilderness experience, Ha-De-Ron-Dah has plenty to offer for those seeking solitude within the Adirondack Forest Preserve.
The Ha-De-Ron-Dah terrain features hilly, rocky, scenic views, with a variety of streams, swamps, meadows, lakes and ponds. It has tranquil, rolling woodland areas and interesting rock-faced shorelines on ponds and lakes. Big Otter Lake, part of the Independence River Wild Forest lies adjacent to the northwest boundary of the area and it is the largest, most scenic of the many lakes in the vicinity. There are no outstanding topographic features in this Wilderness Area. Unit elevations have a total difference of 800 feet and they rise from 1,500 feet in the western portion to the higher hill elevations in the east which do not exceed 2,360 feet. The area appears as gently rounded, rocky hills, interspersed with swamps, beaver meadows, small streams, ponds and lakes.
There are many trails to explore, along with lean-tos along the trails to provide shelter in this remote, rolling country in the Western Adirondacks.