#StonyCreekPonds – Sharon's Iconic Travel Photography Blog

It was a dark, windy day. What should I do? Kayak of course. If I waited for sunny days with blue skies I would hardly ever kayak.

I made this trip in August. Stony Creek Ponds is southwest of the village of Saranac Lake. You can go there by taking Route 3 from Saranac Lake or Tupper Lake. You turn onto Corey’s Road. Not far down the road is a wider area along the road next to a badly maintained road/path on the east side of the road. The path was not well marked from the road when I made this trip. You need to park along Corey’s Road and carry your kayak/canoe in on that path. It is a long carry, so use a kayak/ canoe wheels/ cart or go with a buddy. Be careful of the roots and potholes on the path.

Boat Launch and Parking

The boat launch itself is nice. It is a gradual descent into the pond. It is perfect for kayakers.

Ponds

Although it was a dark day, the scenery was worth the trip. I was followed by a kingfisher who just stayed far enough away that I did not try to photograph it.

Campsites

This was campsite 3 if I remember correctly.

According to the Adirondack Paddler’s Map North there are six numbered campsites along these ponds. I saw no sign of anyone camping along these ponds while kayaking, but as I returned to the boat launch there were a few middle aged couples getting ready to head to one of the sites via canoes. It appeared they would have the wilderness section of the ponds to themselves that night.

Indian Carry- Canoe Carry

The northern part of these ponds are wilderness area.

This is where you would exit to carry your kayak/canoe to Upper Saranac Lake.

This is a long canoe carry that takes you from this pond the the south end of Upper Saranac Lake.

As you can see this is part of the network that makes up the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.

Traveling now on the opposite side of the lake.

This bridge appears to be part of a private road going west to east across the pond. There are some private lands mostly on the southern 2/3 of these ponds. The northern section appears to be part of the High Peaks Wilderness area.

Heading Back Towards the Boat Launch

Entry into the bay- There are campsites on both sides of this entrance into the bay area.

The boat launch is in a bay area on the northwestern end of the ponds. Part of the land around the bay is wilderness, and part of it is private land with a few house on it.

The boat launch is ahead around the bend to the left.

Plants

I did not see any wildlife along these ponds other than kingfishers. The kingfishers I only saw from a distance. This red flower was growing on the shore of the ponds in many spots. The cloudy day with wind did not lead to good conditions to get pictures of these plants. I believe this is a cardinal flower.

Flower growing near a downed birch tree on the shore near the boat launch.

Connection to Other Bodies of Water

By map and by the word of someone else I talked to after this trip, Stony Creek Ponds connects on the south end to the Racquette River. Again, by Indian Carry (Canoe Carry) you can access the southern end of Upper Saranac Lake.

This is another nice area to kayak in the Adirondacks and I highly recommend it. If you want a smaller body of water with places to stop on the northern end, this may be for you. Having ways to kayak/canoe into other bodies of water is always a positive.