
How to Plan a Trip

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The Siamese Ponds Wilderness is one of the largest wilderness areas in Adirondack State Park in Upstate NY. However, the area is not super trafficked, making it a perfect place to escape for some fresh air. The area is great for hiking, camping, fishing, and swimming. This guide will cover everything you need to know about hiking and camping in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness.
We visited this park during early May, when the weather was just starting to warm up in Upstate NY, and found very few other hikers on the trail. This made it the perfect outdoor getaway for us, but definitely something to consider if you are hiking or camping alone.
The trails are very well-marked, so you shouldn’t have any issue following the trails. From the trailhead, all of the trails follow the same path for about 4 miles, before they split off into different directions.
There are tons of options for long hikes in this area, but given the weight of our packs, we stuck to the four-mile trail to the Sacandaga Lean-to. The start of the trail is quite intense, with lots of quick elevation gain, and little protection from the sun. Eventually you’ll come to a river with only the remains of a bridge to cross. If you follow the river to the right about 100 meters, you’ll find a new, makeshift bridge. This is much easier than walking through the ice cold water, which is exactly what we did the first time around.
If you’re looking for a longer hike, you can continue on to the Siamese Ponds, or even further to the Old Farm Trailhead. It’s definitely a great area to get lost in for a few days! If you decide to stay at the Lean-to, and don’t want to hike all the way to the ponds, I recommend continuing straight. Rather than crossing the bridge, continue straight with the Lean-to on your right-hand side. There are some wooded trails in this direction that are great for a short 2-3 mile hike.
Just before you reach the lean-to, you’ll come across two perfect camp spots on the left hand side. Located right on the river, with a little bit of shade from the trees, we couldn’t have asked for a better place to camp out for a few nights. There was a fire pit set up, which made it easy to contain any fires that we made. The easy access to the river was perfect for cooking, especially since we had our LifeStraw for purifying the water to make it safe to drink.
There are also campgrounds closer to the Siamese Ponds, which are an additional 2 miles from the Lean-to.
You will need to pack quite a bit if you plan on camping out. Here is a list of my recommended must-pack items: