Pole Hill Pond and Ridge Loop

This is the preserve’s long blue-marked loop from the Route 9N trailhead, climbing over Walnut Ridge to Pole Hill Pond before returning by logging roads and a short Yellow Trail connection. The complete circuit is 5.75 miles, not just the walk to the pond; allow about three to four hours. It is a hard hike for people comfortable with steep, rocky and sometimes wet footing. The separate yellow-marked Bear Knob loop is about a mile and skips both destinations if you want a shorter walk.

The route opens on a logging road. After about a quarter mile, it meets the Yellow Trail; stay with the blue loop, cross an unbridged stream, and follow the road for roughly another three-quarters of a mile. The footpath then climbs steadily, undulates over a long middle stretch, dips into a knoll and climbs steeply again to Walnut Ridge. Expect rocks and wet ground along the way. The lookout is the payoff after all that climbing.

Walnut Ridge opens onto Lake George, its wooded islands and the Adirondack hills beyond. For a photo, use the rocky ledge at the lookout in the foreground and leave the water and island shapes in the middle distance. Stay on the tread around the higher ridge; sensitive high-elevation plants grow here.

From the ridge the blue trail drops about half a mile to the pond, then follows its eastern shore. The water curls into a J shape, with a beaver lodge across the southeastern shore. The loop leaves the shore for an old logging road and follows the dirt-road return for about 2.4 miles, with a couple of short footpath diversions, before a gradual climb to the Yellow Trail and the trailhead. Do not mistake the road section for the end; there is still a climb before you finish.

The 1,300-acre Northwest Bay tract sits in the watershed of Northwest Bay Brook, which feeds Lake George. The Lake George Land Conservancy acquired it in 2000 and transferred it to New York State in 2004; it is now part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Keeping these uplands forested helps protect the water below.

Start at the small trailhead on the west side of Route 9N. The preserve map describes space for two standard vehicles, with room for more only if they have four-wheel drive. Access is dawn to dusk year-round. Hunting and trapping are allowed, so wear bright colors and hike in a group during hunting seasons. The pet rule is not stated in the material checked; confirm it before bringing a dog. Toilets and drinking water are not listed, so plan to bring what you need.