Siamese Ponds Wilderness Access Road

The old logging road that penetrates deep into the Siamese Ponds Wilderness starts as gravel and quickly degrades to rutted two-track, demanding careful wheel placement around washouts and over exposed granite slabs. This forgotten route follows Thirteenth Lake’s eastern shore before branching toward the wilderness boundary, where nineteenth-century loggers once hauled virgin timber down to the Hudson River mills. The real test comes at Peaked Mountain Brook — a rocky ford that’s claimed more than one oil pan when spring snowmelt turns it into a torrent.

Moderate difficulty demands high-clearance 4WD and skid plates for the creek crossings. The road officially ends at the wilderness boundary, but dispersed camping along Thirteenth Lake offers stellar fishing and complete solitude. Summer through early fall provides the best conditions, though black fly season in late May can be brutal. No permits required, but the nearest fuel is back in North Creek. You’ll earn some of the most pristine backcountry camping in the Northeast, far from the Adirondack tourist circus.