Inman Pond Hike in the Adirondack Mountains

Hiking Date: July 9th 2011: I woke up late today and with incredible beautiful weather outside, I didn’t want it to go to waste. The quickest place I new to get to was Inman Pond; which I hike, snowshoe and camp at often.

View Inman Pond in a larger map

The Hike: I arrived at the trail head around 2:00pm where only one other car was in the parking lot. I thought it was odd being that it was July and thought more people would be camping, fishing or hiking in this area. Gathering my gear, I signed in at the trail head which is just a short walk down the road from the parking area. A couple people had already checked out for the day and the other group was climbing up Buck Mtn. It’s not the ideal spot to start a trip up Buck Mountain as their are two other better trail heads but it works.

Following the trail is easy as it’s well maintained and wide. Roughly 1/3rd the way there, the trail meets up with Bishop Brook and the junction for Buck Mtn. Taking the right to Inman Pond starts the very gradual up hill. Arriving just before the pond, there is a junction to decide which side of the pond you want to travel on. The right hand side goes to the better camping spot but the left hand side will bring you to to the other camping spot and the easiest way to get up to the top of the rock outcropping. Following the left trail I swerved away from the pond for a moment only to come back and meet up with the pond at the camping area. I’ve camped in this spot before and its not bad but if you can get the one on the other side of the pond, its better.

Past the camp, I followed along the pond for a short ways until the trail splits into several different directions. This part gets a little difficult as there is not one single trail that goes up to the top of the cliff. You can try to follow any of the trails but I suggest sticking close to the pond until you reach the bottom of the cliff. I followed along he side of the cliff as it steeply climbed around the back side and up on top of the hill. Along the way, part of the cliff creates an overhang and I found some old fire pits below it where people have camped. It’s not a designated camping spot.

Arriving at the top, there is a beautiful view of the pond and surrounding forest. Being a short quick hike, the view makes the hike a little more enjoyable instead of having lunch at the side of the pond. Not that I normally do not site and enjoy being outside in Nature, but this time I caught myself doing nothing but listening to the birds for ten minutes. I wish I could have identified them by their sound but I am not that knowledgeable. It was great to just sit and listen. I live in a very technological room. In fact in front of me right now is two computers, a 46″ HDTV, PS3, and an X-Box 360. My job is programming websites so I do not get outside that often. Since I haven’t gotten out as much as I like this season, that’s probably why I was memorized with the sounds. No humming of computers, air conditioner units or cell phone ringing. There is a sense of peace and calm.

After spending some time up at the top taking pictures, eating lunch and just enjoying myself, I headed back down the hill the same way I came up. I am sure there is a way to make a loop around the pond but the far side of the pond looks like a wet area. I’m sure there is a make shift trail through it but I have never checked. On the way back, there is a trail that leads off the to the left. I didn’t follow it this time but one of the other times I followed it and it brings you right to the parking lot. The main trail sort of makes an L shape where as the other side trail goes a more direct route. For safety concerns I have to recommend following the official DEC trail, especially if you are hiking alone.

Conclusion: Inman Pond hike is a good hike if you live close to it. I wouldn’t say its something where you would drive long distance to but if you live in the South East Adirondacks (Glens Falls, Lake George, Fort Ann) its a great quick hike to do.

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