Rols said:
Sawyer Pond (the trail starts just a bit past the Carrigan trail head). Hiked in there probably 6 years ago with my wife and young kids.
It's still a gorgeous place. I was there a couple of days ago. The pond is unusually clear, and it's easy to get down next to the water at a number of spots. I saw no one there the week day I went out, but this campsite probably gets quite busy on weekends. There are not as many options to dayhike a mountain from Sawyer Pond as there are at some of the other locations mentioned above, but I have to say that when I saw Sawyer Pond again, I wished I were staying the night. I spent an hour at pond-side watching a loon dive for food just offshore. Here's a recent piece on the pond by Stev Smith that originally ran in the
Mountain Ear:
[start quote]
Sawyer Pond is backcountry gem: An easy hike with a great reward
by Steve Smith
From the shore of Sawyer Pond hikers can see Mt. Tremont (left) and Owl's Cliff (right) looming across the water. The pond is accessible via an easy 1.5 mile hike on the Sawyer Pond Trail from the end of the Sawyer River Road off Route 302. (Photo by Steve Smith)
08/10/2005 - The MountainEar
Of the dozens of backcountry ponds sprinkled around the White Mountains, few can rival Sawyer Pond for beauty of setting and ease of access.
This 47-acre gem sparkles in serene isolation below the cliff-studded ridges of Mt. Tremont and Owl's Cliff. Its clear waters are up to 100 feet deep. Numerous openings along the shore beckon for a leisurely break and perhaps a refreshing dip. There are trout there, too. A shelter and several tent platforms provide the option for an overnight stay. (Note that this area can be very busy on weekends.)
The easy 1.5-mile hike in on the Sawyer Pond Trail from the end of the Sawyer River Road is an ideal half-day outing for hikers of all ages. Indeed, it is featured in the AMC's "Nature Hikes in the White Mountains," which is geared towards hiking with kids, and also in the just-released "Old Codger's Guide to Hiking and Climbing in the White Mountains," published by Bondcliff Books and targeted towards senior hikers.
My wife Carol and I, for whom the latter of the two books mentioned above is certainly more appropriate, chose Sawyer Pond as our hiking destination for a recent hot, humid morning. Hazy sunshine was predicted to give way to early afternoon thunderstorms, so a short trip seemed sensible.
From Route 302, about 3.7 miles north of Bartlett, we followed the gravel Sawyer River Road another 3.8 miles up to the trailhead. This remote parking area is notorious for break-ins, so overnighting hikers should make sure to leave no valuables in their cars. Surprisingly, ours was the only vehicle there on this midweek morning.
Beyond a gate we followed the Sawyer Pond Trail left across a high, sturdy bridge over the boulder-strewn Sawyer River. The first part of the trail rambled through a deep mixed forest with some fine specimens of red spruce. A plank bridge led us over the outlet brook from the pond, and for a while the trail shadowed this attractive stream.
The grade remained easy and at times level all the way to the pond, the only problems being a few rocky, muddy stretches and a persistent hatch of mosquitoes. A quarter-mile before reaching the pond, a kiosk announced that we were entering a Forest Protection Area; beyond here camping is prohibited except at the shelter and designated tentsites.
The trail brought us down to the edge of the pond next to the outlet stream. Here the main trail turns right to head for the Kancamagus Highway, 4.5 miles away. We veered left onto the well-beaten side path that leads 0.2 mile along the spruce-wooded shore to the shelter. To the left were tent sites tucked back in the forest; on the right we passed several inviting rest spots at the water's edge. Each of these opened a gorgeous view across the pond to the rounded knob of Owl's Cliff, with a crag centered on its face like a great Cyclopean eye, and the hulking mass of Mt. Tremont.
At the shelter we found sun, a breeze, no mosquitoes and another great view across the pond. We spent a long time there, gazing out over the drifting water. The place was alive with darting dragonflies and fluttering White Admirals, handsome butterflies sporting black wings adorned with white stripes. Though the shelter can be a party spot on popular weekends, on this day Sawyer Pond was a blessedly peaceful place.
The special beauty here was recognized by the Forest Service back in 1961, when the 1130-acre Sawyer Ponds Scenic Area was created. This small semi-wilderness area includes the pond's broad basin and the slopes up to the surrounding ridgelines, and is managed to protect its scenic integrity.
After our sojourn at the shelter we paid a quick visit to Little Sawyer Pond, hidden away on a wooded shelf up behind the big pond. We climbed a steep path up past the privy and veered right on an unmarked footway that led in about 0.2 mile to the outlet brook of the smaller pond. The path was strewn with blowdown, and it was harder to get at the shore than I remembered from previous visits. We found a spot with a view over the water to the looming ridge of Mt. Tremont, but concluded that Little Sawyer was of interest mainly to anglers looking for a quiet place to cast a line.
We returned to the lean-to and followed the main path northeast along the shore of Sawyer Pond, clambering over and ducking under several fallen trees. In about 0.1 mile this led to a sunny sittin' rock where one can see the ominous Green's Cliff rising off to the right. This perch also provides a close look at Sawyer Pond's island, which appears as a pine-topped knoll to the left.
This island made a comedic cameo in "Skyline Promenades," a quirky book about a two-week hike through the White Mountains written in 1925 by J. Brooks Atkinson (who later became a Pulitzer Prize winner and drama critic for the New York Times). In the midst of their journey Atkinson and his buddy, Pierre, hiked across the Albany Intervale and arrived at the south shore of Sawyer Pond late in the day. Finding a terrible tangle of shrubs along the shoreline, they decided to take to the water, pushing their packs along on an improvised raft.
They aimed for a knoll that seemed to offer a dry campsite, set up camp after dark, and weathered a brief thunderstorm during the night. In the morning, however, "there were difficulties as yet unknown and unconsidered.....Looking towards Mount Tremont, Pierre suddenly let out a savage howl: 'Good God, we're on an island!' And so we were!"
To resume their trek, they had to wade across to the pond's north shore, holding their clothes and packs above the shoulder-deep water.
When visiting Sawyer Pond, please take care to protect its fragile beauty. Heed the camping regulations (camping is not allowed on the island), stick to established paths, avoid trampling vegetation, use a stove instead of a fire, and don't use soap in the pond. [end quote]
