Pharaoh Lake Wilderness

Hello everyone. Just signed up as a new user hoping to get some good information. I've been desperately searching the internet for the past week looking for some detailed information on the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness area - and your site seems to be the best information I've found thus far. It's been hard trying to find direct information about trails, past trips, etc....

A couple of buddies and I are looking to go on a backpacking trip (long weekend, about 3 nights or so) in early to mid September. We're looking for something not extremely difficult, great views, wilderness type area, possibility for a little fishing. I've stumbled on this Pharaoh Lake area and think this should work.

All of us have some experience backpacking/hiking, but mainly in desert type areas (Arizona, New Mexico, many times in the Grand Canyon) - but we thought, why go all the way west - when we have (from what we've heard) great areas right here.....

Long story short - any suggestions on this Pharaoh Lake Wilderness area?

Is it realistic to travel all the trails in this area over 3 nights (difficulty, timing) and still get some fishing in?

Any suggested itiniaries..... where should we stop for the nights.....

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on where to enter.... what's yours... (unfortunetely we will most likely be driving up in a mini-van.... no jokes please....)

Anywhere close where we can rent equipment, etc. (I'm only used to salt water/ocean fishing, so don't have the freshwater equip. -- have done it a couple of times out in Colorado though...)

Would it be a good idea to avoid bushwacking off the trails, mainly the western portion of the area or is that doable....

Any help would be appreciated......

I did a 3-day loop in the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness last year that may work for you. I started from the Mill Brook trailhead and hiked to Pharaoh Lake and did a loop over Pharaoh Mountain, past Glidden Marsh, Oxshoe Pond, Crab Pond, Houseshoe Pond, and stayed at Lilypad Pond the first night. The next day I hiked past Rock Pond, Clear Pond, Mud Pond, up and down Treadway Mountain, hiked past Grizzle Ocean, Wolf Pond, and back to Pharaoh Lake. The last day I hiked back to the Mill Brook trailhead.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/161357814/161360466avoSGO
Most of the ponds contain brook trout, Pharaoh Lake has lake trout, but they are hard to catch without a boat. I didn’t get to fish on this trip as the season was over.

It's a big area. As with all the areas in the Adks, it's easy to get lots of information by picking up the Adirondack Mountain Club's Guidebook to the area.

lumberzac's route is terriffic we did a variation on that one by starting at Putnam Pond DEC Campground. Road access to either trailhead is good other approaches could be difficult depending on your vehicle. We have visited all the ponds in the area and it would be too difficult to say which is the nicest. They are all pretty good.

I have no problem saying that Rock Pond is the best pond in the area. Well, that and Clear Pond. Oxshoe is nice too. Can't forget Pharaoh Lake...they're all nice.

I've done the loop a couple of times starting from Putnam Pond camping at Clear Pond, then stopping at Rock Pond (taking time to jump into the strip mine,) camping at Oxshoe, then camping at Pharaoh Lake, and hiking out from there.

I'm heading up from the Mill Brook trailhead to Pharaoh Lake tonight after work. (Hiking in the dark is cool...) Probably doing Pharaoh Mountain for the first time saturday as well as doing some bushwacking around the cliffs.

8 hours till departure and counting...

Thanks everyone. I did pick up the book and it absolutely was helpfull. Now I just need to decide which trailhead to start at and which route. Hopefully I'll have good weather.

Anyone have any ideas of a place to rent supplies once up there (fishing gear, etc.) How about the bug problem, is it really bad here (again middle of September sometime)?

Once I'm back - I'll post how it went....

Thanks again....

I'm not really sure where you can rent fishing gear from as I use my own gear.

The bugs shouldn't be a problem in mid September.

Very nice area. But as for hiking all the trails in 3 days, that would be kind of a waste. There is way to much to see in there with the ponds, the rocky summits.

If you sit along some of the shallow ponds you have a decent chance to catch a moose eating in the early evening. I've seen tons of sign of moose in that area.

peak_bgr said:

Very nice area. But as for hiking all the trails in 3 days, that would be kind of a waste. There is way to much to see in there with the ponds, the rocky summits.

Click to expand...

To put that in perspective here is some basic information of the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness:
Size: 45,883 Acres
Miles of Trails: 62.8
Lean-tos: 14
Bodies of water: 39
Acres of water: 1,100
http://www.gvc-adk.org/outings/extended/quest/wilderness.php

Interesting point guys - in our planning we figured we would need at least four days, three nights to do just the following: (not our final plan, but more or less, most likely reversed)

Enter at Putnum Pond
S on Grizzle Ocean
Down Pharaoh Lake's East shore
Around and onto the Pharaoh Mtn. Trail
Around to Tubmill Marsh Trail
Lilly to Rock Pond Trail
North Rock Pond Trail
Over to Clear Pond Trail
Putnum to Clear Pond
Up to Treadway Mtn.
Then back out to Putnum Pond Campground

My calcs say this is approx. 27.3mi

Think this is doable - or not really enough time to really appreciate the surroundings - which I think we can all admit is the purpose.....

sbell said:

Interesting point guys - in our planning we figured we would need at least four days, three nights to do just the following: (not our final plan, but more or less, most likely reversed)

Enter at Putnum Pond
S on Grizzle Ocean
Down Pharaoh Lake's East shore
Around and onto the Pharaoh Mtn. Trail
Around to Tubmill Marsh Trail
Lilly to Rock Pond Trail
North Rock Pond Trail
Over to Clear Pond Trail
Putnum to Clear Pond
Up to Treadway Mtn.
Then back out to Putnum Pond Campground

My calcs say this is approx. 27.3mi

Think this is doable - or not really enough time to really appreciate the surroundings - which I think we can all admit is the purpose.....

Click to expand...

That looks like a great trip and very doable.