The Schroon Lake-Putnam Region is considered one of the most scenic sections of the Adirondacks. It is characterized by a rolling topography, numerous lakes and ponds and large tracts of forests unbroken by roads.
Schroon Lake is reported to have been named in honor of the wife of Paul Scarron, French wit and dramatist. She was later notorious as Madame de Maintenon and as the wife of Louis XIV. Paradox Lake derives its name from the fact that its outlet, in times of high water in the Schoon River, reverses its flow and becomes an inlet.
Besides hiking, paddling in the area is also excellent. Schroon Lake is the largest lake in the region with an area of 6.61 square miles and a length of 9.1 miles. Paradox Lake is 3.9 miles long and 1.44 square miles in area. Eagle Lake, considered by many to be the most beautiful, is 2.5 miles long and 0.64 square miles in area. Other important bodies of water are Pharaoh Lake, Crane Pond and the interconnecting Putnam and North Ponds.
The highest mountain is Pharaoh Mountain, which lies within the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness just east of Schroon Lake and has an elevation of 2,557 feet above sea level. Other important peaks are 2,444-foot Owl Pate; 2,439-foot Moose Mountain; 2,248 Treadway Mountain; 2,127-foot Putnam Mountain and 2,032-foot Knob Mountain.
The larger villages of Ticonderoga, just to the east, and Schoon Lake and the hamlets of Severence, Paradox and Chilson have excellent accommodations of various types for the vacationer. Many resorts, hotels and motels, tourist homes and cabins are found in the villages and along major highways of the area.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation maintains several developed public campgrounds in the area: Paradox Lake, on the shores of Dark Bay; Eagle Point on Schroon Lake; Sharp Bridge on the Schroon River, 16 miles north of Schroon Lake Village; and Putnam Pond which is located at the end of a county road 3 miles south of Chilson.
The large tract of state land in the area south of Route 74 constitutes the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness. North of Route 74, the Hammond Pond Wild Forest stretches almost to Elizabethtown. Both areas are part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Visitors to Wild Forest areas may enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities, including the limited use of motorized vehicles and mountain bikes on designated roads and trails. In contrast, areas of the Forest Preserve classified as Wilderness offer visitors greater opportunities to find solitude in settings more remote from civilization. The use of motorized vehicles is prohibited. In harmony with wilderness management principles, the Crane Pond Road and the Pharaoh Road have been closed to motor vehicles at the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness boundary.
There are more than 30 miles of trails in the area that are marked and maintained by the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Peaked Hill Trail
This trail is 2.2 miles long and is marked with blue markers. Currently, the trailhead is only accessible by boat. The trail leaves the north shore of Paradox Lake at Legoys Bay opposite the Paradox Lake Public Campground. It travels north one mile to Peaked Hill Pond, passes around the western end of the pond and then north through a ravine to Peaked Hill. Peaked Hill affords very fine views of the surrounding area and Peaked Hill Pond has smallmouth bass and yellow perch fishing.
Pharaoh Mountain Trail
This trail (marked with red trail markers) is approximately 4.7 miles long with an ascent of 1,550 feet. The summit of the mountain is 2,557 feet above sea level. Access is gained by turning east from Route 9 onto Alder Meadow Road, about 1.5 miles north of Schroon Lake Village. Proceed eastward for a little more than 2 miles, where Crane Pond Road continues eastward from the intersection of the East Shore Road. The new trailhead and parking area is located at the end of Crane Pond Road, just within the wilderness boundary. Crane Pond is 1.9 miles from the new trailhead.
At 0.8 miles, the trail to Goose Pond departs southward. Continuing beyond this intersection, the trail forks at 2.6 miles, with the blue trail leading to Glidden Marsh, Oxshoe Pond and a lean-to; continue on the red trail for Pharaoh Mountain. The hiker using this trail is rewarded with an extensive panorama of the lake-dotted countryside surrounding Pharaoh and the high peak country to the north. From the summit, the red trail continues south and east approximately 1.5 miles to Pharaoh Lake.
The Long Swing Trail
This trail is 12 miles long and passes by Alder Pond, Crane Pond, Glidden Marsh, Pharaoh Lake and Grizzle Ocean and on to Putnam Pond. It leaves New York Route 74 at a point 0.2 miles west of the Paradox Lake Public Campground entrance and terminates at Putnam Pond Public Campground, 3 miles south of Route 74 and Chilson. The first 3 miles are marked with blue markers, red markers lead 1 mile south from Crane Pond and for the last 8 miles the trails follow yellow markers. There are four open camps or lean-tos on or near this trail-one on the south shore of Oxshoe Pond, two on Pharaoh Lake and one on the north shore of Grizzle Ocean. The lakes and ponds are reported to have the following species of fish:
- Crane Pond—Kokanee salmon, lake trout, smallmouth bass, northern pike.
- Glidden Marsh—brook trout.
- Pharaoh Lake—brook trout, lake trout.
- Grizzle Ocean—brook trout.
- Putnam Pond—smallmouth and largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike.
Pharaoh Lake Trail
The new trailhead on Pharaoh Road, which heads northward from Beaver Pond Road, is 1.0 miles south of the old trailhead at Mill Brook. The Pharaoh Lake outlet is 3.4 miles from the new trailhead. The trailhead to the lake, which is an old road, is marked and maintained as a horse trail. Another horse trail begins near the village of Adirondack and leads north, then east for 7.4 miles before intersecting the Pharaoh Lake Trail just south of the Pharaoh Lake outlet.
The trail along the east shore of Pharaoh Lake begins at the outlet and is marked with yellow trail markers. The trail offers may fine views of the lake and Pharaoh Mountain. It intersects the Long Swing Trail at the north end of the lake, 2.3 miles from the outlet dam. There are three Adirondack lean-tos on the east shore.
The west shore trail marked in yellow and red, passes three lean-tos within the first mile. The summit of Pharaoh Mountain is reached 3.2 miles from the outlet dam.
The Short Swing Trail
This trail is 9.7 miles long and is marked with blue markers. In addition to Alder Pond, Crane Pond and Glidden Marsh, this trail takes the hiker to Oxshoe, Crab, Horseshoe, Lilypad and Honey Ponds. There are three lean-tos along this trail; one each at Oxshoe and Lilypad Ponds, and one on the north edge of Tub Mill Marsh. The western end of this trail meets NY Route 74 at a point 0.2 miles west of Paradox Lake Public Campground entrance and the eastern terminus meets the same highway at a point 1.4 miles east of Paradox Village and 5.1 miles west of Chilson. Most of the ponds along this trail not mentioned in the Long Swing provide fine trout fishing.
Berrymill Pond Trail
This trail is 4.9 miles long and is marked with blue markers. It starts at Putnam Pond Public Campground and terminates at New Hague, approximately 7 miles northwest of Hague. The trail passes Berrymill Pond which is reported to be very good northern pike fishing. There is one lean-to at Berrymill Pond.
Lost Pond Trail
The Lost Pond Trail is 4.9 miles long and is marked with blue markers. The trail starts just east of the Putnam Pond Public Campground at the western edge of an old clearing. The pond is stocked with trout by the department.
Rock Pond-Clear Pond Trail
This trail is a yellow marked trail 3.25 miles long traveling past Heart, North, Rock, Little Rock and Clear Ponds. There are Adirondack lean-tos at Rock, Little Rock and Clear Ponds and each offers fine trout fishing. The trail leaves Putnam Pond at the public campground and returns to the pond at the opposite shore near the channel to North Pond. The hiker may complete a circuit of Putnam Pond by taking the blue trail south from Clear Pond, passing Mud Pond, crossing the Treadway Mountain Trail and then reaching the yellow trail from Grizzle Ocean to Putnam Pond Public Campground. There is a red trail from around Rock Pond, east 1.7 miles to Lilypad Pond. One lean-to is located at this pond.
Treadway Mountain
This trail is a red marked trail, 2.5 miles long and fine views of the surroundings can be found at the summit of this mountain. The trail starts on the western shore of Putnam Pond near the Mud Pond outlet. There are no open camps on this trail.
Goose Pond Trail
This trail departs from the trail to Crane Pond at a point 0.8 miles from Crane Pond Road trailhead. The yellow marked trail leads 0.6 miles to the pond.
Spectacle Pond Trail
This trail is 1.6 miles long and marked with yellow markers. Access to the trail is gained by traveling east on Alder Meadow Road for 2 miles from Route 9 to a road on the right leading along the eastern shore of Schoon Lake. Follow this road 2.7 miles to the start of the trail. The trail follows Spectacle Brook for a short distance and then turns south to the pond.
There are no lean-tos on this pond but trout fishing is reported to be very good in both the pond and the brook.
Gull Pond Trail
This trail is approximately 0.5 miles long and is marked with yellow markers. It starts on the East Shore Road about 1.6 miles south of the intersection with the Alder Meadow Road.
Bear Pond Trail
This blue marked trail makes a loop with the Rock Pond - Clear Pond Trail from Heart Pond to Bear Pond and back to Rock Pond. It is 1.0 miles from Heart Pond to Bear Pond and 1.5 miles from Rock Pond to Bear Pond.
Otter Pond Trail
This trail is a blue marked trail slightly more than 0.5 miles long which starts in the small bay on the east shore of Eagle Lake. Otter Pond is reported to have excellent trout fishing.
Arnold Pond Trail
This trail is a short blue trail just a little more than 0.25 miles long. The climb is steep, but hardly noticeable over such a short distance. The trail leaves NY Route 74 at a point 1.5 miles west of the Eagle Lake Causeway. The pond is stocked with trout.
Severence Hill Trail
This trail is a yellow marked trail just over 1.0 miles in length. It leaves Route 9 at a point 1.5 miles north of Schoon Lake Village. The summit of Severence Hill is 1,693 feet above sea level and a short exploration of the summit will reveal many fine views.
from Away.com
