Berrymill Pond .. A quiet place in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness

Berrymill Pond is a nice destination for a picnic lunch in a quiet setting. Is is located in the Pharaoh Ponds Wilderness almost due south of the Putnam Pond State campground.   There are two trails to the pond, one from the north starting at the State campground and one from the south.   The trail from the north is shorter (2 miles vs 3 miles from the south) and it requires less ascent (360 feet vs 775 feet from the south), however considering the price of gasoline in the fall of 2005, I chose to hike from the south because the trailhead is much closer to where I live (near Saratoga Springs).   The trailhead is about 0.2 miles past the end of the May Memorial cemetery when traveling east on West Hague road and is well marked by a sign on the north side of the road.   There is a nice pull through parking lot there.

Berrymill Pond

For the most part the trail is a very nice single track footpath with moderate gradients.   In the spring there would be several moderately short sections that would be wickedly wet or muddy, but on the day I hiked the trail was all practically dry. It passes both through open woods and through a “thicket” section where you are grateful for the open path that it affords.  

When you approach the lake from the south, you will reach an intersection marked with arrows telling you that the trail makes a right angle bend there. If you follow the arrows, you will end up at another junction with a sign pointing you to the new lean-to on the edge of the pond. This is an good place to camp, environmentally speaking, but it is not the best place to enjoy a lunch beside the lake.   (This shows a view from the area of the lean-to.) If you want to sit beside the like proper, at the first intersection go straight ahead on the unmarked path which soon leads you to a nice spot to sit along the edge of the main part of the pond.   The picture at the top was my view as I sat on the shore with a warm breeze blowing across the pond on this last day of summer.   This may not be the most spectacular pond in the Adirondacks, but was is a nice place for a quiet time at the end of summer.

NOTE: For a more complete description of the trails, please see ADK's GUIDE to ADIRONDACK TRAILS - Eastern Region, pp 115-116.

Have a great hike!
Bob Goodwin