Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / New York / Adirondacks

Pharaoh Lake Loop

Pharaoh Lake Wilderness, Adirondack Park (Pharaoh Lake Road trailhead, near Schroon Lake)

Pharaoh Lake is a 441-acre lake at the center of the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness, east of Schroon Lake. The Lake Champlain Region’s tourism site lists 14 lean-tos and 38 designated tent sites in the wilderness, and a good share of them ring the lake.

DEC’s map shows a 6-mile trail around the shore with elevation changes under 100 feet, so a lollipop loop from the south trailhead stays close to the water most of the way.

The hike

DEC’s hiking map gives the Pharaoh Lake Trail as 3.3 miles from the Pharaoh Lake Road trailhead to the junction at the lake’s outlet. It climbs 235 feet over the first 1.1 miles from Mill Brook, then gently rises and falls. Adirondack Hub says the Mill Brook trailhead is at the large roundabout at the end of Pharaoh Lake Road, and that the road beyond is washed out and impassable to vehicles.

DEC’s backcountry page says the Mill Brook bridge has been replaced but the boardwalk beyond it is still out, so expect wet ground and water up to knee depth. A DEC notice in February 2026 proposed replacing a 265-foot boardwalk across wetlands on the Pharaoh Lake Trail with a wider, 288-foot one.

At the outlet, the Pharaoh Lake Loop Trail circles the shoreline for 6.0 miles, with elevation changes under 100 feet, according to DEC. Bill Ingersoll, writing in the July 2026 issue of Upstate Sports, counts six lean-tos and many primitive campsites around the lake.

The Pharaoh Mountain Trail is DEC’s main side trip: 3.8 miles between the Pharaoh Lake Trail and the Crane Pond Trail, climbing 1,355 feet in 1.2 miles to the 2,556-foot summit. A blog writer at iCliffDive describes the summit view as a wide sweep of lake-dotted country with the High Peaks to the north.

Ingersoll’s article describes the northern approach from Crane Pond Road: 5.3 miles past Crane Pond, Glidden Marsh, the Oxshoe Pond turnoff, and Hay Marsh to the lake’s loop trail, with a 0.3-mile, 300-foot descent to the water. The first 1.9 miles follow a rough, unmaintained old road. DEC reports the Oxshoe Pond Lean-to has been repaired and is open.

A VFTT forum poster who backpacked a 43-mile route through the wilderness in black fly season found the bugs tolerable and saw only two other hikers midweek.

For a longer loop with lean-tos and ponds in the western Adirondacks, see the Cranberry Lake 50.

Tips

Camping

Lean-tos and tent sites are first come, first served, and designated tent sites are marked with a yellow “Camp Here” disc and are for tents only (Lake Champlain Region). DEC’s state land rules allow camping at marked sites or at least 150 feet from roads, trails, and water; groups of 10 or more and stays of more than three days in one place need a ranger permit; lean-tos must be shared. Fires go only in existing fire pits, using dead and down wood. Bear canisters aren’t required outside the Eastern High Peaks, but DEC advises one anywhere in bear country.

Inside Intel: Ingersoll describes three designated campsites near the junction where the Crane Pond trail meets the lake loop, one small “solo” site and two larger sites on their own peninsulas, and notes that the northwest sites see less use than those at the south end. The Lake Champlain Region suggests being ready to hike on to the next empty lean-to, or to a tent site, if the first is taken.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Shared lean-tos around Pharaoh Lake:

Pharaoh Lake has six lean-tos, and DEC says they must be shared. If shelter floors leave your hips sore, try a thicker pad, a foam underlayer, or a knee pillow.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.