Hiking: Owen Pond and Copperas Pond Trails | Adirondacks, NY | October 10, 2008

Our hike over to Owens Pond and Copperas Pond was really just a short walk of about a mile each way. We could have made a loop since the trail loops around and intersections with Route 86 that are about a mile apart. We decided just to head in and then double back.

The hike itself really isn’t all that challenging. From the westerly trail intersection with Route 86 the trail climbs fairly gently over a ridge before descending a bit to Owens Pond.

You go through a few wet areas and pass a fairly extensive beaver pond along the way.

Owens Pond isn’t all that impressive and the trail skirts its shore before beginning to climb again to reach Copperas Pond. It’s a little over a half a mile to Owens Pond. There are a few nice views though from the lake shore with the mountains off in the distance. There’s also a nice designated campsite just below the trail on the shore of the lake.

Out of the two lakes, Copperas is definitely the more scenic one. From the shoreline just below the trail you get a view across the lake to the leanto on the opposite shore along with Whiteface Mountain rising up in the distance.

We didn’t continue much beyond this as the leanto on the other shore was occupied and since we were doubling back on the car, there really wasn’t any point in going much further. All told I think it was just over a mile to reach the shore of Copperas Pond. It would have probably been about a ½ mile more to get to the leanto.

We turned around and got back to the car fairly quickly. It was a good way to spend the later part of the afternoon and see part of the Wilmington Notch area that most people don’t when they speed through on the road.

All the photos from the hike can be seen in the Owens and Copperas Ponds Set.

For Adirondack Guidebooks and Maps

Trail descriptions and maps can be found in ADK's Adirondack Trails - High Peaks Guidebook.  National Geographic also publishes the Trails Illustrated Adirondack Maps.