The Loon Lake Challenge

Four scenic ponds in the Adirondacks in one day

By Phil Brown

Loon Lake has had its share of celebrated visitors over the years, among them  George Gershwin, Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, Red Skelton, and three U.S. presidents. Unless you know somebody, you can’t join the list. The entire 354-acre lake is surrounded by private land, and so its magnificent views of the Loon Lake Mountains remain largely hidden from the general public. Fortunately, you can soak in similarly striking vistas from four ponds in the vicinity.

This pond-hopping excursion differs from others in that you drive from one pond to the next, traveling along Franklin County Route 26, a two-lane road that passes through the storied resort community. The only carry of any length is at Debar Pond. Two of the ponds can be paddled together. Thus, there are three parking locations. You can find GPS coordinates for each below.

Call it the Loon Lake Challenge. It’s easier than most Adirondack tick lists as it can be done in a day. You won’t earn a patch, but you’re bound to discover other rewards while paddling more than eight miles.

Grass Pond & Fishhole Pond

Public access to both of these ponds is allowed under the Sable Highlands Conservation Easement. From Grass Pond, you can reach Fishhole by carrying over an old railroad bed. Visiting both ponds, you get more than four miles of paddling.

Driving north on County 26 from State Route 3, you come to a parking area on the right in 7.2 miles (44.579342, -74.115824), roughly four miles past the former Loon Lake golf clubhouse. Follow a short boardwalk to the water’s edge. A cattail marsh separates Grass Pond from a wide channel that leads to Fishhole. 

Grass is a shallow pond teeming with yellow pond lilies in summer. If you stick to the slightly deeper water, you can avoid most of them as you wind among spectral snags. The Loon Lake range rises in the southwest. Although the pond sits near the road, you won’t hear many cars, if any, in this remote part of the Adirondacks. Turn around when you reach a tussock swamp. The circuit of the pond is about a mile.

Upon returning to the put-in, drag your boat a short distance through the cattails and shrubs to the channel (be prepared to get your feet wet). Catamount Mountain looms prominently to the east as you put in. Maps identify the channel as an arm of Grass Pond, but it looks more like a lazy stream. Follow it about 0.6 miles, clamber over the railroad bed, and launch again in Fishhole Pond.

From Fishhole you enjoy an up-close view of Catamount and its rocky ledges. If you do the 1.5-mile circuit, you may notice the dirt D&H Road running along the north shore (an optional put-in). Two railroads once met at Tekene Junction near the northwest corner of Fishhole. You can still see old bridge abutments that supported a spur running west. Listen for flowing water: the pond drains into an artificial hole nearby. Returning to Grass via the channel, take in the postcard view of the Loon Lake Mountains, including the fire tower on the highest peak.

Motorboats are allowed on the ponds, but as a practical matter, only those with small motors could navigate the shallow waters. Electric motors are recommended.

Duck Pond

This 60-acre jewel sits just a few feet from the road, but paddling past its bog mats and gazing up at the Loon Lake Mountains, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve entered a pristine wilderness. Paddle around a bend and you’ll find the outlet, Plumadore Brook, winding through a lush bog. Follow the serpentine stream as far as you can. You won’t get far, but it’s worth the effort. 

The circuit is about two miles. Though most of Duck Pond is in the state Forest Preserve, there is a private camp, mostly hidden from view, at the end of a narrow arm to the north. 

   Directions: From Grass Pond, continue north on County 26 for 2.4 miles. Park on the wide shoulder next to Duck Pond. There is no official put-in. 44.602254, -74.144715

Debar Pond

Of the four ponds, Debar is the best known, not just for its beauty. After the state acquired the pond, it proposed to raze a 1940s-era lodge on the north shore and erect picnic pavilions. Historic preservationists objected to the demolition. Wilderness advocates objected to establishing a picnic area beside a quiet pond. The controversy is unresolved.

As you slip into your boat, the scenery may make you forget the world’s hubbub: before you a sheet of water stretches between two forested mountains–Baldface on the left, Debar on the right–and through the gap at the end of the pond you see, once more, the Loon Lake Mountains. With luck, the view will be enhanced by a pair of loons diving for dinner. On the return, look for the unusual outlet just west of the old lodge: the water drops a foot into a sort of metal box and rushes through a culvert before entering a marsh. The circuit of the 86-acre pond is less than two miles.

Directions: From Duck Pond, continue north on County 26 for 5.1 miles to the Debar Pond access road. Turn left and go 0.7 miles to a parking area on the left. The road is gated beyond here. To reach the pond, go around the gate and carry along the road 0.35 miles. 44.632247, -74.199760