Pharaoh Lake Trailheads

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jbrown

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When hiking the Pharaoh Lake loop in the past, I have only parked at the Putnam Pond trailhead, which costs money. I'll be hiking there two weeks from tomorrow. The planned itinerary was to park at Putnam Pond, hike in to Big Rock Pond, overnight there, then hike to Pharaoh Lake going counterclockwise, i.e. toward Oxshoe and Glidden Marsh around the loop. Possibility of hiking Pharaoh Mountain, but not definite...then hike out from Pharaoh Lake.

I'm wondering the pros and cons of choosing another trailhead to hike in. I've heard mixed reviews about using the Crane Pond trailhead, but the most positive thing was that it is shorter than the Putnam Pond access according to Barbara McMartin(50 Hikes in the Adirondacks.)

What do y'all think? (I expect Percious to reply to this as he seems to be another Pharaoh afficionado...)
 
don't have reservations about using the crane pond trail head...the road maybe the worst road in the ADK's but the fun factor by crossing the water is where it's at....

i read in the trail conditions about a guy who turned around when the water went to the floor boards of his exTerra... my buddy has had his VW golf through the water everytime he has been.... i took my Subaru across without problems... but if you need, take a truck and you will have no problem.


as far as going into a new area and experienceing the joys of new trails, i say go for it....plus paying to hike sucks, unless it's for trail upkeep


happy hiking...
 
I've gone into the Crane Pond trailhead 3 times, once with a buddy's toyota in a rainstorm and had no probs crossing the creek. It's really a good approach to the mountain, but a little busy around the trailhead. Lots of day campers and boy scout troops using the area, primarily for canoeing and camping. You should have no problems with this approach right now if you choose to use it.
 
a bummer in a beamer

The Crane Pond t/h is not my favorite. Besides not being able to cross the creek in my car, the water went over my knee-high boots !! With all the rain we have had lately, don't be surprised if it is still really high.

PS JBrown, what do you mean when you said that the Putnam Pond t/h cost you money?? Is there a parking fee or did you get towed or ticketed?? I am thinking about using this t/h next time and want to bring enough $$$$. ;)
 
Crane Pond terailhead?

I was there a couple weeks ago, and I couldn't make it in in my Corolla (I think thats what my car is... some small toyota...)
It wasn't the waterthat stopped me either. I didn't get that far. It was a deep ditch caused by running water. If I had a higher clearance vehicule I would have continued.

Putnam pond? A few tenths of a mile before the entrance to the campgrounds, is another trailhead. I park there, and walk the half mile or so to the trailhead...(trailwork at Putnam Pond this weekend. Say hi to us if any of you-all pass by)
 
iceNsnow,

They charge a fee per vehicle for parking at the trailhead in Putnam Pond State Park. There is another trailhead on the road to Putnam that is under a mile from the park entrance where we have left our second vehicle, piling packs and hikers in and on the car like an Afghani bus.

If the water at the Crane Pond trailhead is as bad as advertised here, I may very well have to park at Putnam anyway. I have a honda civic and the other vehicle would probably be my cousin's ford focus. Not exactly made for fording streams...

Thanks for the input...
 
jbrown said:
I'm wondering the pros and cons of choosing another trailhead to hike in.
I've gone in from Brant Lake: muddy but passable access road and easy access the south end of Pharoah Lake (2 miles?). I've also taken the horse trail from Adirondack: good trailhead, but a longer trail (7 miles?).
-bob m.
 
I've hiked in from Beaver Pond/Brant Lake. The trail is about a mile off Beaver Pond Road on the northeast end of Brant Lake. If you are on Rt. 8 coming off the Northway, head towards Brant Lake. You travel past Brant Lake with it on you left. At around 10 miles from the Northway you will come to the end of Brant Lake. At the end of Brant Lake (you can't see it from the road) You hang a left onto Palisades Rd. It's the only left since the previous left which was Palisades Rd about 5 miles back. After making the left, Brant Lake is in view in 1/4 mile on left. You will then loop into a wooded area. You will notice a right for a Boy Scout Camp of sorts and a nice stone house on your left. Go past these and soon you will see farmland on your right and you will come to Beaver Pond Road - make a right. In less than a mile you will see a dirt road to your right that looks dark and somewhat forboding, make that right. It can be a bumpy, dark dirt road. You'll see various little parking spots scattered about. It's a mile or so all the way to the end where you catch the trailhead. From here it's a little more than a 2 mile hike to Pharoah Lake. There is very little climb to it, from here you can hang a left and go up the mountain or fork right and hike around the south end of the lake.

Hope this helps for you or anyone else.
 
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