The Hour Pond Trail is a 7.2 mile, out and back trail along 13th Lake and through beautiful forests to a secluded pond
Hour Pond
3.6 miles (7.2 miles round trip)
Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area
Johnsburg, Warren County
Hiking, Snowshoeing, Cross-Country Skiing
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Hike to Hour Pond
Hour Pond is a remote and beautiful pond deep in the Siamese Pond Wilderness Area above Thirteenth Lake in the Town of Johnsburg in Warren County. Hour Pond is surrounded by mountains, and there is a lean-to on its shoreline and nearby campsites.
The trail to Hour Pond can be accessed from the Thirteenth Lake parking area, at the end of Beach Road, off of Garnet Hill Road in North River. The trail travels along the west shore of Thirteenth Lake where there are several pretty campsites along the lakeshore. At the 1 mile mark on Thirteenth Lake’s shore, the trail to Peaked Mountain hooks off to the right.
The trail moves away from the lakeshore and starts to climb through a beautiful mature mixed forest and reaches a trail junction. Turn right and follow the blue trail markers towards Hour Pond. The trail to the left leads to either the public parking lot and trailhead on Old Farm Clearing Road or deeper into the Forest Preserve towards Puffer Pond.
Beautiful Hour Pond
The final 0.8 miles to Hour Pond is relatively easy, with no very steep sections and quite a bit of flat walking along with the moderate uphill sections. The only difficulty is a tricky beaver dam crossing about halfway through, where hikers will have to trust what looks like a herd path to get them across, and at one point, use the dam as the pathway. The trail is clearly marked on the other side.
After the dam, the trail remains clear and leads directly to Hour Pond, with signs for the lean-to to the right and to campsites straight ahead. The lean-to is a very short walk farther along the trail while finding the campsites requires walking down to the edge of the pond and then following signs for a short distance off to the left along the pond’s edge. Both campsites and the lean-to have views of the pond and Hour Mountain looming above.
The return trip is simple, with very few steep sections and quite a bit of downhill. Overall, this is a great hike for a relatively easy overnight camping trip, with only a few miles of walking on each day, or a good day-trip for hikers who are able to walk the full seven miles and are not worried about one tricky wetland crossing.
The views at the pond are beautiful and worth the trip, especially given time to hang out near or in the water.
Click here for a mapped directions to Hour Pond.
When You Hike Make Sure to Practice “Leave No Trace” to be Prepared and to Protect the Forest Preserve
Please follow “carry in, carry out” rules for all trash and follow other Leave No Trace principles when hiking in the public Forest Preserve and other wild areas. The seven Leave No Trace principles are: 1) Plan ahead and prepare; 2) Stay on hiking trails and camp at designated areas; 3) Dispose of human waste and trash properly; 4) Leave what you find; 5) Minimize campfires; 6) Respect wildlife; 7) Respect other hikers.
Educated hikers do not damage the environment. Prepared hikers do not need search and rescue unless injured.
Winter Use: Hour Pond is a popular cross-country ski trail in the winter.
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