Aldrich Pond Wild Forest

Discover

Aldrich Pond Wild Forest spreads across 26,702 acres in the western Adirondack foothills, reaching through parts of St. Lawrence, Lewis and Herkimer counties. Hardwood woodland, conifer swamps, open water and bog give the unit a varied texture. Its southeastern part is comparatively flat, while much of the remaining ground is hilly. A visit gains shape by choosing one of its named approaches and following the relationship between the trees, the water and the landscape's working past.

The Round Lake Trail offers a particularly interesting thread through that story. DEC describes a 2.9-mile route with about 300 feet of elevation gain, passing the Scuttle Hole wetland on its way toward the lake. The wetland brings open space into a wooded setting, making the approach part of the destination. Allow time to notice the changing vegetation and the different way light reaches the ground beside an opening in the canopy.

Scuttle Hole also has a connection with logging. At the historic Jackworks site, logs brought down Scuttle Hole Creek were loaded onto a logging railroad. That piece of history changes the way a present-day visitor can read the landscape. Water once helped move a commercial resource, and a railway carried it farther. The woodland now invites a slower kind of attention, with the historical account providing context for the terrain and waterways encountered along the way.

Other trails show how the forest relates to its neighbors. The Tamarack Creek Trail runs 3.5 miles between Youngs Road and Streeter Lake, much of it following the edge of the Five Ponds Wilderness. The Francis Hill Trail extends 4.1 miles from Streeter Lake toward Bassett Creek, passing the Middle Branch of the Oswegatchie River. Part of its early course also follows the wilderness boundary. These are separate routes through a large landscape, each with a different destination and return plan.

For another woodland connection, the Maple Hill Trail extends 0.9 mile from Jackworks Road to the Middle Branch of the Oswegatchie. Streeter Lake supplies an additional focus for the unit, approached by a seasonal road and associated with primitive camping. South of the lake, a bog contributes another wetland setting. Together, these places explain why the forest rewards a selected outing: there is enough variety for several visits, with a lake approach, a river connection and a wetland walk offering different experiences.

A personal winter account gives one view of that variety. Writing after a February 2021 snowshoe outing on Tamarack Creek Trail, hikingtheTrailtoYesterday admired the combination of green spruce, blue sky and bright snow. The writer described both breaking trail and following existing snowmobile tracks. It is an individual memory of a particular day, illustrating how seasonal color and the effort of travel can become as memorable as the named destination.

Choose the intended trail with the current official map and seasonal access notices. In particular, DEC describes Jackworks Trail as frequently flooded and unmaintained, so the historic site's name should not be treated as a recommendation for that route. Keep the adjacent wilderness and private easements in mind when planning. Within a well-chosen approach, Aldrich Pond's appeal is wonderfully concrete: mixed trees, wetland openings, inland water and a glimpse of the transport networks that once worked through the forest.

Fun facts

1. Aldrich Pond Wild Forest covers 26,702 acres in three counties.
2. Round Lake Trail passes the Scuttle Hole wetland.
3. The historic Jackworks site connected creek-borne logs with a logging railroad.
4. Tamarack Creek Trail follows part of the boundary with Five Ponds Wilderness.

Read the official sources →

Visitor perspectives

hikingtheTrailtoYesterday, February 2021: a Tamarack Creek snowshoe outing was memorable for green spruce, blue sky and snow. The writer described both trail-breaking and existing tracks; this is a historical personal experience.

Capture

1. From the selected route, compare a wetland opening with the surrounding woodland.
2. Use ordinary mixed trees and water reflections as subjects when visible from suitable public access.
3. Use gentle side light to separate the layers of trees beside a wetland opening, keeping your position on the selected route.

Social

Aldrich Pond Wild Forest spans 26,702 acres of western Adirondack landscape. #Cre8Travel

Hardwoods, conifer swamps, bog and inland waters give the forest several different settings.

Round Lake Trail passes the Scuttle Hole wetland.

The historic Jackworks site linked creek-borne logs with a logging railroad.

Tamarack Creek Trail follows part of the Five Ponds Wilderness boundary.

Francis Hill Trail connects Streeter Lake with the Bassett Creek direction.

Select one mapped approach and check seasonal access before the trip.

Would you start with the wetland landscape or the forest’s logging history?

Hashtags

1. #Cre8Travel
2. #NewYork
3. #Adirondacks
4. #WoodlandHistory

Sources & visitor information

• Source — Aldrich Pond Wild Forest
• Hiking the Trail to Yesterday (personal blog) — hikingtheTrailtoYesterday