An old logging road is now takes hikers and snowmobilers to several ponds and lakes including a scenic Clockmill Pond.  The journey to this pond is the shortest and most visited from the start of the trail from the Powley-Piseco Road 14.8 miles north of NY 29A or 4.3 miles southwest from NY 10.

The start of this trail from Powley-Piseco Road follows the old logging road into a wet area.  At 0.1 miles there is a grassy vlei on your left.  A snowmobile bridge is crossed at 0.2 miles over part of this wet area.  A small stream is crossed and then you'll cross another snowmobile bridge that takes you over the southeastern portion of the vlei.

Are you noticing some really mature trees as you continue on your hike?  A descent takes you over a swift moving stream on a wooden bridge at 0.5 miles.  At 0.6 miles another stream goes under the trail through a culvert.  Soon the trail climbs on a gentle grade and then descends to another snowmobile bridge at 0.9 miles.

At 1.0 miles cross another stream before entering a large open grassy meadow at 1.1 miles.  Here there is a poorly marked fork in the trail.  The unmarked trail on the left travels 0.5 miles to Clockmill Pond on a well worn trail, that sometimes can be hard to see in this area.  The right fork is the continuation of the snowmobile trail that goes on to Rock Lake as well as Kennels Pond.  Some hikers bushwhack to Black Cat Lake and Iron Lake, a couple of trail less, remote wilderness lakes from the main snowmobile trail.  Reminder that the trail on to Kennels Pond is located on private property.

Clockmill Pond in Ferris Lake Wild Forest

The unmarked trail heads through a grove of hemlocks then starts downhill at 1.2 miles.  At 1.3 miles reach a fork in the trail.  The left (straight) fork heads along an old road 0.2 miles to a view of a small bay and then on for another 0.2 miles to the remains of an old dam on the pond outlet.  Some say this spot was once a logging camp or sawmill operation back in the late 1800s.  Be warned, to reach this spot one will need to truly bushwhack through thick brush and downed trees over the old road.

The easier path to Clockmill Pond is the right fork.  The path is at times faint and hard to follow, especially in the summer time.  The faint path eventually crosses a small ridge before bring you to a grassy camping spot next to the pond.  Another of the barely visited places along the rarely traveled Powley-Piseco Road.

Some hikers do continue south along the snowmobile trail to Rock Lake, where there are partial views but the trail never actually goes to the shore.  More adventurous hikers continue on to bushwhack the faint old trail that leads to seldom seen Black Cat Lake, another remote wilderness lake in the area.

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