Bridge Brook Pond: An Easy Walk in the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest

Where: Black Bridge Pond, from Rte. 421 in the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest

Length: 4 miles (round trip).

Difficulty: Easy to Moderate. Mostly flat, well-marked trail. Very suitable for skiing or snowshoeing. 

Access: From Rte. 30, seven miles south of Tupper Lake, turn onto NY Rte. 421 towards Horseshoe Lake (and Lows Lake). After 3.5 miles you reach the parking area on the right. The parking area may not be plowed in winter, but, this is a very lightly used road and locals simply find a spot where they can park against the snow bank. 

This is a new trail or, perhaps just newly marked. New signs at the parking area and trailhead went up sometime in the fall of 2019.

There are two ponds to visit on this route. Black Pond is reached after an easy one mile walk. The much larger Bridge Brook Pond is a mile further on. As of January 2020, a significant --multi-generational-- beaver damn raises the water level in Black Pond, which is probably pretty swampy if the dam is out. Bridge Brook Pond, however, covers 120 acres and the DEC website says that is a noted Brook Trout fishery.

The mostly flat, four mile, round trip to these two ponds brings them within reach of families and anyone looking for an easy half day outing. 

Black Pond looking toward the northeast. The trail to Bridge Brook Pond passes around the end of the pond seen in the distance.

The far shore of Black Pond is sure to be infrequently visited. A worthy place to explore for adventurous hikers willing to take on a bit of bushwhacking.

Only a portion of Bridge Brook Pond is visible from the point where the trail end. Like most Adirondack Ponds, exploring or fishing Bridge Brook Pond cries out for a canoe.

The shoreline of Bridge Brook Pond is rugged, and, on a grey January day, even a bit foreboding.