Northern Adirondacks

Why Jones Pond is One of My Favorite Campsites

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Kayaking Mountain Pond, Aug 14

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Mountain Pond is located about 2 miles North of Paul Smiths College on an old routing of NY 30. It is a mile long, has catch and release fishing, and good place for some solitude and flat water paddling. It is in Debar Mountain Wild Forest, with 2 large campsites on the pond, 3 smaller ones on or near the pond, and 10 other along Mountain Pond Road. It’s little used due to it’s remote location, and easy to even get one of the large sites on the lake on the weekends.

Paddling. Just paddling along Mountain Pond in the kayak.

Paddling

Tall Pine. Lining the edge of Mountain Pond, as I ride around in the kayak.

Tall Pine

Towards Jenkins Mountain. The last hill that makes up Jenkins Mountain is where Mountain Pond gets it’s name from.

Towards Jenkins Mountain

From Southern End of Mountain Pond. This is looking from Campsite 1 at the Southern End of Mountain Pond, looking North. Old NY 30 winds right along the shore of NY 30, the New Routing is about a 1/2 mile away for NY 30.

From Southern End of Mountain Pond

Campsite No 1. This is campsite No 1 at Mountain Pond. It was never used on the Saturday Night I was there, but it looks nice, if not a bit small.

Campsite No. 2

View from Campsite 1. Here my kayak is parked at Campsite 1, where I got out for a stretch. Looking south at this rather spectacular looking lake on a great day. The lake winds back and forth, for about a mile.

View from Campsite in Evening

Along Edge of Pond. This is looking at the eastern, more mountainess shore of Mountain Pond.

Along Edge of Alder Pond

Central Part of Lake. On the left is the western shore, by where NY 30 runs. It is a beautiful, if not humongous lake with lots of shoreline and bys.

Central Part of Lake

Many Downed Trees. There where many downed trees that had fallen into the lake, from the often steep eastern edge of mountain pond. Campsites are on the other side of the lake, and they all where in good shape.

Many Downed Trees

Northeastern Bay. Here is an Northeastern Bay at Mountain Pond. Not as pretty as farther south with the steep rock ledges against the lake, but still a classic Adirondack Lake.

Northeastern Bay

Loons. While this picture is somewhat in shadow, there where loons on Mountain Pond. They were not all that noisy, compared to Polliwog Pond or especially Mason Pond, where they howled quite bit more in the evening.

Mountain. This is the Mountain at Mountain Pond. It’s not much more then a hill, because Jenkins Mountain has largely petered out before reaching here, but it’s still a lot higher then surrounding elevation.

Mountain

Campsites No 4 and No 5. As I had previously noted, Campsites 4 and 5 where pretty close to one an another. Nobody ended up staying at No 5, although somebody parked there for a while to go paddling.

Music

Treeline. This is the tree line towards the top of Mountain Pond, on this rather beautiful day for sure.

Treeline

Campsite No 4. This was taken from the lake. It was great to be right on the lake, at this very remote Adirondack Pond.

Campsite No 4

Here is a map of the pond.


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Camping at Mountain Pond, Aug 14

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Mountain Pond is located about 2 miles North of Paul Smiths College on an old routing of NY 30. It is in Debar Mountain Wild Forest, with 2 large campsites on the pond, 3 smaller ones on or near the pond, and 10 other along Mountain Pond Road. It’s little used due to it’s remote location, and easy to even get one of the large sites on the lake on the weekends.

Old NY 30 Signs. Along Mountain Pond Road/Old NY 30, you can see the road signs dating back to the 1960s or maybe even earlier, prior to modern alignment of NY 30.

Old NY 30 Signs

Campsite 4. Here is the view of Campsite 4 from Old NY 30/Mountain View Road and down by the lake. A nice campsite, big, roomy, and private, although the much smaller Campsites 5 is fairly close.

Campsite No 4

Making Up Blueberry Cake Mix. Here I’m the Blueberry Cake Mix, and getting ready to add the Blueberries I picked up at Moose River Plains. Should be real good.

Making Up Blueberry Cake Mix

Baking in Dutch Oven. That sure smells good, doesn’t it. I put the pan that the mix was in dutch oven up on rocks, so it didn’t burn the bottom of the cake, and made sure to add adequate coals to the top to keep things cooking evenly.

Baking in Dutch Oven

Mountain Pond in the Evening.

Mountain Pond in the Evening

First Rays of Sunshine. I purposefully picked this campsite, and parked my truck so that the first rays of the sun, would come through the truck cap, and wake me up around the crack of down (around 6:35 AM this time of year).

First Rays of Sunshine

Getting Out and Stretch. That’s my rig with all the messy camping gear and sleeping stuff around, as I first awake in the morning.

Getting Out and Stretch

Sunshine. Sparkling on the pond, first thing in the morning. Real purty.

Sunshine

Ropes. These are the ropes and bungee cords I use to secure the kayak on the roof. Seems to work well on the kayak blocks.

Ropes

Gear All Packed Up. Now just to get the kayak up on the roof.

Gear All Packed Up

Here is a map of the camping area.


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