The trail is wooded and typical of Porkies' hiking but fortunately it is relatively flat. It climbs gradually from Summit Peak Road, crossing the same ridge line which contains Summit Peak, but at a lower elevation, then descends gradually to the vicinity of Lily Pond. There really aren't any points of interest along the trail. It doesn't even provide access to Lily Pond, as it ends after about 2 1/2 miles at the Little Carp River Trail. Following that trail 1/2 mile to the right leads to Lily Pond and its adjacent cabin.
When we hiked through this area in 1988, we continued in the opposite direction on the Little Carp River Trail, in the direction of Little Carp River Road and Greenstone Falls. The trail crosses the river about 1/3 mile from the end of Lily Pond Trail, but from that point on, the trail cuts directly in the SW direction toward Greenstone Falls while the river meanders along a curved path to the same area. When we reached the first side access trail for Little Carp River Road, we turned around since we'd reached that point previously from the other direction.
In 2001, Mike and Maria hiked the same segment of the Little Carp River Trail in the opposite direction, beginning at Little Carp River Road. Most of the route is flat, with occasional slight uphills. The trail is also labeled as part of the North Country Scenic Trail. It took them a little over an hour to cover the 2 1/2 mile distance to the Lily Pond Trail junction, with Mike carrying Maria in the backpack carrier. (At that point, they continued on the Little Carp River Trail to a lunch break at Lily Pond Cabin then onward to Mirror Lake.)
Probably the only slowdown they encountered was crossing the Little Carp River just before the Lily Pond Trail junction. There is no bridge at that point, just a good sized log which Mike easily would have crossed on his own, but not while carrying Maria on his back which disturbed his balance. After a feeble attempt or two, Mike just forded the stream with stepping stones, getting his boots a bit wet in water that was no more than three inches deep.
One thing to remember: Like some other Porkies' hikes, this one doesn't overwhelm you with spectacular scenery, but it typically provides a relatively easy hike with a lot of solitude.
 The forests of the
Porkies are a great place to see all kinds of interesting fungi and
other saprophytic plants growing. Check out the size of these
brownish-purple
mushrooms or tree ears compared to the hand pointing at them. |
Shown here, Lily Pond itself is not
much more than a swampy
wide spot in
the Little Carp River. By virtue of getting named, having an adjacent
cabin, and having a trail named after it as well, it garnered a vestige
of fame denied
to other similar swampy areas in the park such as the headwaters swamps
of
the Upper Carp River near Government Peak.
|
 The Little Carp
River enters Lily Pond at its northeast
corner and exits
at its northwest corner where it cuts across the Little Carp River
Trail
twice in less than a mile. Other hills in the park are visible in the
background. |
 The directional sign at the
junction of Little Carp River and Lily Pond
Trails
also shows the North Country Trail route through the Porkies.
Mike
and Maria reached this point after about an hour of hiking on June 14,
2001. |
 Looking
upstream from the bridge crossing the Little Carp River at the end of
Little Carp River Road. The bridge actually serves the access
trail which is
used to reach the main Little Carp River Trail. Mike and Maria
crossed
here to begin their June 14, 2001 hike. |