Santanonis to Duck Hole and beyond

[Buffalogal]

Hi everyone - I plan on finishing the ADK 46 this summer - have to do the Santanonis and Seward (just Seward). I was thinking that it might be fun to combine these peaks into a short backpacking trip. My thought was to do the Sants and then hike from Bradley Pond through Duck Hole and then over to Ward Brook, do Seward and then hike out to Coreys. It seems like everyone generally climbs the Sants and then backtracks out to Upper Works. The High Peaks guide book suggests that the trail from Bradley Pond to Duck Hole sees little use. Has anyone been this way before? Is it a nice route? Is there any reason not to do this? Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[Rick]

Buffalogal,

Duck Hole is one of my favorite areas in the 'Daks.
When I did the Sants, I came in from DH after doing trailwork (I used to maintain a couple lean-to's on Ward Brook Truck Trail).

Besides backpacking from DH to Bradley pond, I have explored that trail a few times when relaxing for a day at DH.
I cannot tell you what trail conditions are like now, or have been in a couple of years, but it is a beautiful trail. You will meander among a number of oxbows as the trail follows a stream, gaining approximately 800-1,000 Feet in elevation from DH to BP. I cannot recall if the stream's headwaters are BP, though you will cross it high up on an old tote road at the crest of a water falls. It is pretty cool!!.

You will be alone on the trail, I think it is only 3-4 miles long (from memory), but I have always thought of it as a great place to hike with completely solitude in the middle of nowhere.

I never saw the trail brushed out, but there were plenty of trail markers and there have been times where I need to get down low to see where the trail is heading.

The hike from DH to Coreys is a fast road walk until you get to the Blueberry footpath, which is a also nice walk. (Continuing on the road would bring you to private property)

Part of the Truck Trail a few miles outside of DH was flooded for a number of years due to beaver activity - You could try working your way around, but I think it is easier to cross in sandals.

Good Luck
Rick

 

[TCD]

I've done that same trip also. Great trip through a beautiful area.

Allow plenty of time, some of the sections are slow. Plan on mud to Bradley Pond (as is well known). Also plan on some mud early on on the route from BP to DH, gets better as you go.

Note: There is no bridge any more at Duck Hole. Trail crosses on rocks below Dam. In normal summer conditions, that's no problem, but in spring or after a big rain it could be a problem crossing.

Have fun!

 

[hillman1]

A few of us are doing that same trip sometime in august, from newcomb to coreys. Going up the ermine brook slide, summiting santanoni-panther-couchy, down couchy, across to the slide up emmons, then to donaldson-seward. The end of this month we are doing calkins brook up to donaldson-emmons, down the slide to duck hole, then out to coreys. Then the 46er dinner in lake placid. Post back before you go, if we have done it already, we'll have recent beta on the route and possibly some gps waypoints.--Doug

 

[Explorer Editor]

A few of us are doing that same trip sometime in august, from newcomb to coreys. Going up the ermine brook slide, summiting santanoni-panther-couchy, down couchy, across to the slide up emmons, then to donaldson-seward. The end of this month we are doing calkins brook up to donaldson-emmons, down the slide to duck hole, then out to coreys. Then the 46er dinner in lake placid. Post back before you go, if we have done it already, we'll have recent beta on the route and possibly some gps waypoints.--Doug

What is the trip like from top of ermine brook slide to santanoni summit? how long does it take? is a herd path developing?

similarly, what's the bushwhack like down couchy and up emmons slide?

 

[JimB]

Phil, the word scratchy comes to mind .

 

[redfield46er]

Buffalogal,
I did the trail from the sewards to the santanonis in Aug. 2004. the trail was ok for the most part but there is a rather large (estimate 150 ft) swamp between DH and the sewards. There didn't seem to be a good way around it and my group just went through. The swamp is mostly water with some plants, not too much mud, but the water came up to my thighs in certain areas (im 5'2'', so this might not be the case if you are taller). from BP to DH might be wet if it's been rainy, but it wasn't terribly muddy. The whole day is about 12 miles, but after you pass the swamp going toward the sewards its an old truck road that is pretty flat.

 

[Neil]

Phil, the word scratchy comes to mind .

Indeed, you might want to wear kevlar on your thorax, shins and forearms. Protective eyewear would surely be recommended by the American Opthalmologist Association if they knew about this activity.

Info on most of this "route" can be found in the guidebooks.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

from DH to Bradley pond,......


I never saw the trail brushed out, but there were plenty of trail markers and there have been times where I need to get down low to see where the trail is heading.

We went in and sidecut that trail a few years ago. If you look in the latest ADK guide, you'll note that Tony mentions that it is now in good shape.... At least as far as teh sidecutting goes. You still have a few walks through streams and such.

 

[MBresle]

Buffalogal,

You will be alone on the trail, I think it is only 3-4 miles long (from memory), but I have always thought of it as a great place to hike with completely solitude in the middle of nowhere.

I never saw the trail brushed out, but there were plenty of trail markers and there have been times where I need to get down low to see where the trail is heading.

Go early in the season, if that's what you are going to do, before the trail gets completely overgrown. I belive its official name is "the worst trail in the adirondacks" and it can be quite bad. As for Seward, go early in the day, i know of a few groups that have been stuck bivying at night due to losing the trail.

M.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Go early in the season, if that's what you are going to do, before the trail gets completely overgrown. I belive its official name is "the worst trail in the adirondacks" and it can be quite bad. .

It no longer holds that name. As I said before, we worked on that trail, and it is in good shape. Before doing the work, it had received no maintenence in over 15 years. The work we did, will be good for another 5 years, and it'll be another 10 years before it regains that title.

 

[MBresle]

It no longer holds that name. As I said before, we worked on that trail, and it is in good shape. Before doing the work, it had received no maintenence in over 15 years. The work we did, will be good for another 5 years, and it'll be another 10 years before it regains that title.

Wow. I'll have to get up there again and actually enjoy it. The Sewards and Sants are a good three day trip, providing you can get dropped off and picked up at the ends

 

[TCD]

Go back to Duck Hole for one more night and then walk out to upper works via Preston Ponds. Really pretty area. If you're inclined, you can throw in MacNaughton. From upper works, it;s only a couple road miles back to your car at the Bradley Pond trail. The best part is after hiking with the crowd all day on the Sewards, when you all come down and everyone heads out to Coreys, you go the other way, INTO the wilderness. Nice.

 

[rondak46]

trail maintenance

I was at Bradley Pond when trail guys were starting to brush it out. I saw them head through and walked a short ways to check it out. I am thinking it was '96 or '97.

Mike

 

[Buffalogal]

Thanks for the helpful info everyone. Doug - I'd appreciate an update after your May trip - I'm wondering about that "swamp" on the Ward Brook truck trail beyond Duck Hole. Have a nice hike. Karen

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I was at Bradley Pond when trail guys were starting to brush it out. I saw them head through and walked a short ways to check it out. I am thinking it was '96 or '97.

The trail betweek Bradley Pond and Duck Hole? There wasn't any (or much) work done then. We did it in 2002, and the DEC told us that it hadn't been done in something like 15 years before that. I hiked it in '98, and there certainly hadn'd been work done in the few years before that.

 

[rondak46]

what I saw was...

...small trees clipped at about 1 to 2 inches high, and other branches cut back to about a 4 ft width. Don't know how far it went, but there was a pile of tools and supplies and I was told (by a hiker who had arrived the day before)that a crew was clearing the trial as far as Duck Hole. I suppose it could have been '95 buit no earlier. My list is packed away so I cannot look up the date that I was there. I was only there once.

Mike

 

[woodstrider]

Bradley Pond to Duck Hole

I thought that they had abandoned this trail?

I once did this, though. I started at Lake Placid and hiked to Duck Hole and then up this trail to Bradley Pond and so on to the Santanoni's. I found that the trail between D.H. and B.P. was overgrown with many tree branches across the trail. I found my way, though. This was in 1997. There is a bridge at the duck hole end that was going- I don't know what shape it is in now- or if it is being kept up.