For those who seek out wild places in the southern Adirondacks one name stands out. The "three ponds" located in the heart of the Silver Lake Wilderness. The ponds are located in a high basin on an otherwise nondescript mountain that bears the same name (Three Ponds Mountain). Climbing up from the "Notch" road I visited only the first of the three ponds. Bushwhacking alone, and well off the route I had said I would be on, going further seemed like pushing my luck. Not to mention that it was 2:00 PM and the climb to the lower of the three pond had been strenuous to say the least.
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Starting at the Godfrey Road Parking area I followed the "old" Northville-Lake Placid Trail route to the bridge over Stony Creek North Branch. Just past the bridge the old route joins the new NLPT route. Heading south (towards Northville) it is a half mile back to the point where the long abandoned woods road through the notch forded the creek. The NLPT continues east and south and the notch route heads north following the old road (this not an official trail but for the first couple of miles it is easy to follow). At a mile from Stony Creek the road crosses a significant stream. From there it is just 1.25 miles (as the crow flies) to the lower pond. However, the climb covers 1000 feet and the upper half is characterized by dense brush. Following the stream there is a nice falls just a quarter mile from the old road. Continuing due north from there takes you up what is probably the least steep route to the ponds. I went up that way but came down following the outlet brook. The brook route is steeper but it avoids some of brush filled terrain near the top. In the image, the yellow line shows the "old" NLPT route. The dark blue line shows the route I followed. The light blue line is the approximate route of the abandoned woods road through the "notch". Image from Google Earth.
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And did I mention the Black Flies? It has been an atypical spring and there was some question of whether the Black Flies have emerged for their annual rite of tormenting creatures big and small. That question is now answered. I'm sure I've seen them worse but they were pretty bad. While climbing up to the ponds I inhaled several to extract a small measure of revenge.
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| Three Ponds: The Lower Pond. The notch at the far end of the pond provides the route to middle and upper ponds. From where this picture was taken it's just a quarter mile to the Middle Pond and another quarter mile to the Upper Pond. But don't let the distance fool you; it's tough bushwhacking the whole way. |
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| Basically the same shot as above, but this time with several black flies visible as dark blurs in the foreground. By this point my bug spray was not deterring them in the least. |
Along with the Blackflies the spring flowers have also appeared. Painted Trillium, Red Trillium and Trout Lily were all seen (Trout Lily being very numerous).
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| Red Trillium: Trillium erectum - common |
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| Painted Trillium: Trillium undulatum - Only saw these two |
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| Trout Lily: Erythronium americanum - very common |
While the ponds are not particularly scenic, the brook down from the ponds to Notch Brook is. There are a number of lovely cascades and at least one has a pool that should hold sufficient water for a cool dip even in the dog days of summer.
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| The outlet brook falls 1000 feet in less than a mile. Just a thin layer of top soil covers the bedrock and there are numerous attractive cascades. |
The final highlight of this trip is that much of the way passes through mature second growth forest. Higher up, in places where the jagged terrain appears to have shielded (from logging) what I took to be pockets of old-growth forest. Very large Maple, Yellow Birch and Hemlock are present.
