Shackham Pond

Coniferous forests make up almost half of Morgan Hill State Forest’s land area, and this hike offers a look at how this state forest is unique in that way. This little-known section of the Onondaga Trail/North Country Trail connects two scenic water bodies: Spruce and Shackham Ponds. Along the way, the trail follows a brook, winds through hardwood and coniferous forests, and features a short, steep descent near the end.

Map of the Shackham Pond out-and-back

You can navigate on this route using the downloadable AllTrails map.

 The trailhead for this hike is located at the Spruce Pond Parking Area on Herlihy Road, off of NYS Route 80 in Fabius. This is also the trailhead for the Fellows Hill Loop and the two hikes can be combined into a nice route of 7 miles. The GPS coordinates are 42.7993, -76.02563.

From the trailhead (1695’), follow the orange-blazed Fellows Hill Trail through the grass next to the pond. After reaching the other edge of the pond, there will be a junction with the blue-blazed Onondaga Trail/North Country Trail as well as a NCT kiosk. Turn left (away from the pond) at this intersection and follow the blue blazes.

At 0.3 miles from the trailhead, the trail crosses the same access road for the Spruce Pond parking. From here, it’s mostly an easy walk through some conifers and hemlock trees as the trail approaches the outlet of Spruce Pond. Once the trail starts following the brook, it starts to slightly descend. At 0.9 miles, the trail crosses the brook and begins an ascent away from it, starting out easy but gradually getting steeper.

The forest eventually opens up as the trail reaches the top of a small hill (1725’). After a short level walk, it starts a moderately steep descent with switchbacks toward Shackham Pond. At 1.8 miles, the trail crosses Shackham Road, another access point for this hike. Since this road is paved, it is better to start here if doing this route in winter as part of Herlihy Road isn’t plowed in the winter. Pick up the trail across the road and follow it a short distance to a lookout of Shackham Pond, which serves as the turnaround point for this hike. After enjoying the solitude of the pond, retrace your steps back to Spruce Pond. Total distance for this hike: 3.6 miles RT with 520 feet of elevation gain.