Adirondack Sports August 2023

AUGUST 2023 15
HIKING & BACKPACKING
Chub Lake
▲ CHUB LAKE.
By Bill Ingersoll
I
blame the parking – or rather, the
lack thereof. This is the main reason
why I think Chub Lake in the Pigeon
Lake Wilderness doesn’t get the love you
might expect.
The hike that I am about to describe
has its flaws, but all of these are worth
overcoming. The trailhead may be a private
driveway without a designated parking
area for the public, and the trail may
be obnoxiously wet in places, but the
tradeoff is a chance to hike through oldgrowth
forests past one charming pond on
your way to another. And the campsite at
the destination is a classic, perched atop
a rock ledge with an unimpeded view of
the pond.
But yes, traffic is moderate to light
on much of this trail, perhaps because
the start is not obviously marked as an
entrance to state land. Be aware that this
trail begins on private land, and the right
of way to access the wilderness does not
include the right to leave the designated
corridor, or to drive the private road.
Getting There – From NY Route 28 in
the hamlet of Eagle Bay, turn northwest
onto Big Moose Road and follow it for 3.8
miles. Here, bear right onto Higby Road
and continue for another 1.3 miles to
the start of Judson Road, a gated private
road on your right. Although there are few
signs, this is an authorized access point for
state land. Leave your car parked on the
shoulder, being careful not to block the
driveway.
The Trail – Beginning at the Judson
Road gate, follow the private lane for 0.2-
mile, watching for the well-marked fork
where the public hiking trail veers right
into the woods. It begins by following a
section of Constable Creek – a feature you
will encounter more than once – reaching
the state land boundary moments
later. Even on good days the trail may be
muddy, but at 0.5-mile you reach a junction
with a trail to the right that cuts over
to Queer Lake. For Chub Lake, bear left
across the bridge over the creek.
This interlude on state land is brief,
and soon you reenter private land – with
ample signage to inform you precisely
when. At 0.9-mile, the hiking trail intersects
another gravel road, and turns right
to follow it across a second bridge over
Constable Creek. As soon as you reach the
far side, look for the trail signs pointing left
back into the woods.
Although you are done with the roads,
the muddiest sections are encountered in
the next half-mile. This is not a new development;
the trail has been this way as long
as I’ve known it. This is an unfortunate distraction,
and a defect that could be easily
remedied, if someone were to ever invest
the time and resources. Nevertheless, it
isn’t all bad, and remember there are better
times ahead.
At 1.3 miles you cross back into state
land – this time for good – just before
reaching a second trail junction. The
route to the right leads to Mays Pond, but
you want the trail that continues straight
ahead. This is a narrow path through a
rich forest, never known to be logged. The
state acquired this land in 1897 as part of
the settlement for a lawsuit with a private
landowner and would-be lumber baron,
who was frustrated in his ambitions by
◀ CONSTABLE POND.
PHOTOS BY BILL INGERSOLL
the creation of Stillwater Reservoir several
miles to the northwest. His loss was
the public’s gain, and the trees still grow
as big as they did before the invention of
the automobile.
Eventually Constable Creek widens
into Constable Pond, which you can
glimpse at several points along the trail –
although the path never quite approaches
the shoreline. What side paths you do see
leading down to the water were probably
worn by hungry beavers venturing inland
in search of fresh wood. The one exception
comes at 2.5 miles, when you finally
reach the junction with the side trail to
Chub Lake.
Before you make that turn, set down
your backpack for a moment and venture
in the opposite direction, toward
Constable. The crudest of herd paths leads
down to a spot on the shore where a rock
tucked away in the grasses and shrubs
See HIKING & BACKPACKING 17 ▶