Search Results for: hiking to wilcox lake from hope falls road

Wilcox Lake

Wilcox Lake is a beautiful wilderness lake that can accessed by hiking the old woods roads along the East Stony Creek, either in from Bakerstown or Hope Falls. Here is a picture from along the shoreline.

Taken on Saturday April 27, 2013 at Wilcox Lake.

Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

The Wilcox Lake Wild Forest Unit Management Plan mentions the following about Roadside Camping in the area…

“The APSLMP also allows for small groupings of primitive tent sites in Wild Forest units that are designed to accommodate a maximum of 20 people under group camping conditions. Individual campsites within the small grouping do not need to meet the separation distance guidelines that primitive tent sites are generally subjected to. These small groupings of campsites must be widely dispersed (generally a minimum of 1 mile apart), and located in such a manner as to blend in to the surrounding environment and have a minimum impact on the wild character of the unit. Currently, no such small groupings have been designated in the WLWF.”

“Fireplaces have been provided at a number of the primitive tent sites in the WLWF. Inventory data indicate the presence of fireplaces at 17 designated campsites. The APSLMP allows the maintenance and rehabilitation of fireplaces to the extent essential to the administration and/or protection of state lands or to reasonable public use thereof but new construction will not be encouraged. Therefore, although fireplaces are currently present in the unit, no future efforts are anticipated to provide these structures at designated campsites.”

“Over the years, local forest rangers have made significant efforts to eliminate campsites not in compliance with the APSLMP separation distance guidelines. For example, Forest Ranger S. Ovitt has closed over half of the campsites along Route 8, concentrating use at the best and most environmentally resilient locations while simultaneously providing adequate spacing between the remaining sites. However, several areas in the unit still have designated campsites that do not meet the general APSLMP sight and sound separation requirements and have not been designated as small groupings of primitive tent sites. Locations where primitive tent sites are not currently meeting separation distance guidelines include Bakertown Road, Hope Falls Road, Middle Lake, Fox Lair, Kibby Pond, Crane Mountain Pond, Garnet Lake, Garnet Lake Road, Murphy Lake, Little Joe Pond, and Wilcox Lake.”

“Provide additional individual and group camping opportunities within the WLWF, and designate these camping areas as per criteria outlined in the APSLMP.”

β€” NYS DEC Wilcox Lake Wild Forest UMP.

Current Campsites Map.

Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

Roadside Campsites Designated in UMP.

Road Number of Sites
Bakertown Road 5
Garnet Lake Road 3
Hope Falls Road 3
Pumpkin Hollow Road 2
State Route 8 (between NY 30 and NY 28) 12
River Road 2
West Stoney Creek 12

More Resources…

CCC Road

Camping

Places I Camped in 2023

While this year was a rainy one, and it rained during many of my trips, I was able to get out for 53 nights in the wilderness — mostly fairly close to home but I also did a trip down to West Virginia in late October with several trips to the Adirondacks, Central New York and summer vacation in the Finger Lakes.

Places I Camped in 2023

Martin Luther Kings Day – January 14-16 (2 nights)

To start out my camping adventures in 2023, I drove out to Charles Baker State Forest and Brookfield Horse Camp. There wasn’t a lot of snow — just a dusting but it was a fun weekend, topped off by a beautiful sun-full glittery hike up Tassell Hill after a hoar frost. Explored Lost Pond and several of the trails in the middle of state forest.

Home for the weekend

40th Birthday – January 27-29 (2 nights)

For my fortieth birthday, I took off the Friday leading up to my 40th birthday to cross country ski and winter camp at Rensselaerville State Forest. It was a beautiful weekend with lots of blue skies, sufficient snow for skiing but not so much that was a ton of snowmobiles out on the trails.

Beautiful Day of Skiing

Presidents Day – February 17-19 (2 nights)

I decided for Presidents Day Weekend to do another trip out to Charles Baker State Forest and Brookfield Horse Camp. Slightly more snow then last time but again largely a snow-less winter, with some nice days for hikes through the various truck and horse trails. I hiked around much of state forest, especially the more southern part of the forest.

Evening on Truck Trail 13

Easter Weekend – April 7-9 (2 nights)

On Good Friday through Easter I camped at at Rensselaerville State Forest. The snow was gone and it was fairly mild though at times it was a bit cool. Spent a fair amount of time walking around and exploring the new OSI Parcel that has been recently added to state forest and is still largely open fields with sweeping views of the Catskill Mountains.

Hillcross Farm Pond

Duck Pond Trip – May 5-7 (2 nights)

The first Friday in May I took a half day from work and headed out to Schoharie County to camp at Duck Pond at Burnt-Rossman Hills State Forest. Originally the plan was to camp two nights at Duck Pond, hiking along the Long Path and exploring the state forest and then on Sunday hiking the Catskill Scenic Trail. That part of the trip changed when driving along Duck Pond Road the low tire pressure light came on I found a pallet nail in my truck tire. I was able to top off the truck tire and then change the tire when I got home and got the nail pulled and plugged. But it wasn’t the best way ever to end a trip early.

Spring

Overnight at Cole Hill – May 13-14 (1 night)

After visiting the folks on Mother’s Day Weekend, I decided to do a quick overnight hammock camp on Cole Hill State Forest in Berne. Nothing fancy or formal, it was as much a way to test out sleeping in my hammock with the bug screen. Kind of a chilly night, I took camp down fairly and headed home early in the morning.

Hammock Camping on Cole Hill

Memorial Day Weekend at Cole Hill – May 20-22 (2 nights)

This year I decided to eschew the Adirondacks and Greene Mountains for Memorial Day Weekend due to the black flies, my desire to look at bicycles, and work I had to do on the Saturday morning leading up to the holiday weekend. I decided to hammock camp again Cole Hill State Forest in Berne. This was a three-day two night trip, so it it gave me a chance to bring more gear up the mountain, set up a more formal camp. Cooked on the fire, hiked around the forest. It was a warm weekend, but I enjoy the solitude, along with having good cell service for listening to podcasts and watching videos.

Cooking down dinner

Juneteenth Weekend on Piseco-Powley – June 15-20 (4 nights)

To kick off summer, I did my usual Juneteenth weekend camping trip, tacking on some days on the Juneteenth Holiday Weekend. It was a bit of a cool and rainy weekend to kick off summer, one that would actually be followed by many cool and rainy weekends where I would stay home. Camped at House Pond for the first three nights, spending time down floating in the tube on East Branch while the final night I camped up at Powley Bridge site and kayaked along the East Branch. Really, like often is the case, the best weather was the day I took down camp.

Evening on East Canada Creek

Catskill Scenic Trail Trip – July 22-24 (3 nights)

After several months of researching and visiting various bike shops, I finally got a mountain bike. I decided it would be fun to do as much of the Catskill Scenic Trail as I could before my summer vacation got underway. Actually did quite a bit of riding and hiking that weekend — started out hiking Pratts Rock’s then riding from Grand George to Hobart. Sunday, I rode from Fultonham to Middleburgh on NY 30, doing a quick climb up Vromans Nose, then stopping at the farm market then going to Mine Kill State Park to swim. Monday I rode from Hobart down to Bloomville, getting caught in a major thunderstorm and downpour a few miles north of Bloomville with no shelter in sight. The trail became super boggy, then I went to Mine Kill State Park for one more swim, and then out to folks house for Sunday dinner a day later then usual.

After the rain showers

Finger Lakes National Forest – July 28 – August 6 (9 nights)

Every year for nearly a decade and a half I’ve been doing summer vacation out in the Finger Lakes — camping in the National Forest and exploring as much as possible during my days there. The past few years I’ve been driving there on a Friday, to get a better campsite before they’re taken by the weekend campers. This year was no exception. With Blackie, my mountain bike, I did nearly all of the bike trails in the near vicinity, from the Black Diamond Trail to the Cayuta Valley Trail to Dresden – Penn Yan Canal Trail. Kayaked on both Cayuga and Scenic Lakes, swam many days at Watkins Glen State Park and Taughannock State Park, explored the Cornell Campus and Botanical Gardens on my bike. Got some good ice cream at the Spotted Duck, explored the Geneva Waterfront along with the Cayuga-Seneca Canalway. Some rain but compared to the wet summer that was, this was a pretty good week.

Morning on Searsburg Road

Piseco-Powley – House Pond Campsite – August 18-20 (3 nights)

The next few weeks for rainy and by the time I got away for one more long weekend, it promised to be fairly nice weekend but turned out to be fairly cool and cloudy with some rain. Back at the House Pond Campsite, did some swimming in East Branch, but with the mercury in the 60s most of the weekend, I didn’t spend a lot of time in the water. Hardly what I had dreamed when the I planned the weekend. Rode Blackie up to Goldmine Stream Falls and relaxed down by the falls for a bit, also sat down by the swimming hole off of the Old Edick Road Snowmobile Trail, watching the rain fall, bemoaning the wet and cold weather. Still it was good to get away for a bit, and I did do a fair amount of reading in hammock, under the protection of the bug net, as the bugs were bad after such a wet summer.

Gentle Drop Into A Golden Pool

Labor Day at Perkins Clearing – September 1-4 (3 nights)

I took the Friday off before Labor Day to get a jump on the holiday season travel, and set up camp at the site I really enjoy up at Perkins Clearing overlooking the mountains. Did a fair amount of riding along the various dirt roads of Perkins Clearing, including over to Mason Lake and on Sunday rode most of the way to the Spruce Lake Trailhead, though didn’t make it there in time as I got a bit of a late start as I spent the balance of the day reading and swimming in the Jessup River Bridge swimming hole. Labor Day, I rode around the Spectulator Tree Farm, doing a large loop, through the tree farm, past the north end of Elm Lake, then down to Austin Falls and Old Route 8B. I had hoped to get ice cream, but by the time I got to the ice cream shop they were out of soft-ice cream, and there was a long line. Summer was dragging to a close.

Kunjamunk River from Long Level Bridge

September Trip to Rensselearville State Forest – September 15-17 (2 nights)

With time being fairly tight and the weather only so-so I decided to do a two night trip close to home out in Rennselearville to ride some of the gravel trails, explore the OSI Parcel further and just enjoy an early autumn weekend camping.

Evening

Columbus Day at Rensselearville State Forest – October 8-9 (1 night)

Columbus Day Weekend was cold and rainy for the first half of the weekend, but the Sunday heading into Columbus Day was nice, so I decided to head out to Rensselaerville for a quick overnight at the campsite on CCC Road. Leaves were late this year, so not a lot of color, but it still was nice to get away for a night and ride some of the trails around.

Leonard Hill

West Virginia Trip – October 21-29 (8 nights)

The banner trip of the year was my trip down to West Virigina. While it started and ended in rain, it was a very enjoyable trip with lots of new adventures this year. Camped the balance of the week — 6 nights in Canaan Heights — doing day trips from that area. Overnighted one night driving down at County Bridge Campground in Pennsylvania, and a on the way back camped overnight at Long Pond State Forest in New York. Adventures in West Virginia included hiking at Dolly Sods, mountain biking at night in the sods of Canaan Heights, riding up and hiking to Table Rock, exploring Blackwater Falls State Park on the mountain bike, MonPower Mountain Bike Park, Thomas Rail Grade and the Olson Firetower. Rode part of the Great Allegheny Trail through the Cumberland Passage, and the two sections of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canalway, including the Paw Paw Tunnel.

Sunrise

Stoney Pond – November 4-7 (3 nights)

A little over a week back from West Virginia, I headed out to Madison County to ride the Tassel Hill Mountain Bike Trails at Alfred Woodford, the Chenango Canal Trail in Hamilton and Erie Canalway from Chittenango to Green Lakes State Park and then to Canastota and Wampsville. The first night was cold at Stoney Pond but the subsequent nights were quite pleasant and mild.

Old Canal Warehouse in Chittenango  [Expires November 19 2023]

Prospect Mountain – East Branch Sacanadaga – Buttermilk Falls/Hudson Special Management Area – November 24-28 (3 nights)

Strangely enough, I had never been up Prospect Mountain. So I decided the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) to hike up Prospect Mountain, and then spend the next two nights camping on East Branch of the Sacandaga River. The Saturday and Sunday was fairly cold, so I ended up spending the bulk of day hanging around camp, doing a bit of hiking around Fox Lair. Sunday, evening around 8 PM it started to sleet, then snow, then rain, Monday morning, it turned into a white globby snow, and I ended up taking down camp fairly early after discovering I was out of propane and then spent much of the day exploring the Hudson River Special Management Area – Buttermilk Falls.

Icy River Road

Stoney Pond – Charles Baker – December 21-26 (5 nights)

On the days leading up to Christmas I decided to take a second trip to Madison County. I was originally planning to camp two nights at Stoney Pond then two nights at the Charles Baker Horse Camp but my family’s holiday plans were cancelled due to illness in my family, so I ended up staying an extra night at the horse camp, through the day after Christmas. On Friday, I rode the Erie Canalway from Canastota to East Verona, nearly to Rome. On Christmas Day I rode around many of truck trails at Charles Baker with my mountain bike, leaving my face splattered with mud. Many of the days were fairly cold and cloudy, but that’s too be expected in late December. Still it was a special way to spend Christmas.

Camp on this cold but still morning ?

July 12, 2021 Morning

Good morning! Monday’s come back around again. Rain and 67 degrees in Delmar, NY. β˜” Calm wind. The dew point is 65 degrees. I drove back home in the rain this morning, as it was pretty wet up camping along Hope Falls Road.

I was going to do Piseco-Powely Road πŸ• but on my way up there decided on Pumpkin Hollow Road, but the sites are no longer officially designated, and I didn’t want to get drunk and then get yelled at up and told I had to camp somewhere else. Not that it was likely to happen, but the bugs seemed particularly bad on Pumpkin Hollow, so plans changed. πŸŽƒ I was hoping to camp on that recently restored site on Creek Road, but that was taken. So I ended up camping on site on Hope Falls Road, the one nearest to parking area for Tenant Creek Falls, 🌊 and hiking back to the falls a couple of times during the weekend and then also hiking to Wilcox Lake..

Today will rain before noon, then a chance of showers, mainly between noon and 5pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a high of 73 degrees at 3pm. 11 degrees below normal, which is similar to a typical day around May 23rd. Maximum dew point of 69 at 2pm. Light north wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. A year ago, we had partly cloudy skies in the morning with some clearing in the afternoon. It was somewhat humid. The high last year was 90 degrees. The record high of 96 was set in 1935.

Solar noon 🌞 is at 1:02 pm with sun having an altitude of 69.3° from the due south horizon (-1.5° vs. 6/21). A six foot person will cast a 2.3 foot shadow today compared to 2.2 feet on the first day of summer. The golden hour πŸ… starts at 7:52 pm with the sun in the west-northwest (294°). πŸ“Έ The sunset is in the west-northwest (301°) with the sun dropping below the horizon at 8:34 pm after setting for 3 minutes and 23 seconds with dusk around 9:07 pm, which is 32 seconds earlier than yesterday. πŸŒ‡ At dusk you’ll see the Waxing Crescent πŸŒ’ Moon in the west (280°) at an altitude of 16° from the horizon, 238,791 miles away. πŸš€ The best time to look at the stars is after 9:51 pm. At sunset, watch for thunderstorms 🌩 and temperatures around 72 degrees. The dew point will be 68 degrees. There will be a calm wind. Today will have 15 hours and 4 minutes of daytime, a decrease of one minute and 19 seconds over yesterday.

This evening I need to run to store and get a few supplies, πŸ‘œ including toilet paper and some food. 🚽 I also said I would swing over to a friend’s house and help them with a project in Glenmont. I think I also want to clean off some of the mud from the truck to hopefully slow the rust. I really need to paint those few rust spots that are bare metal these days before winter.

Tonight will have a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 7pm. Cloudy 🌧, with a low of 66 degrees at 6am. Three degrees above normal. Maximum dew point of 68 at 6pm. Light southeast wind. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. In 2020, we had cloudy skies in the evening, which became mostly clear by the early hours of the morning. It was somewhat humid. It got down to 68 degrees. The record low of 45 occurred back in 1939.

On this day in 1967, the Newark Riots begin with over six days of rioting, looting, and destruction leaving 26 dead. 🀯 There have been some crazy times lately but nothing like the late 1960s.

Hot this weekend, possibly with thunderstorms. 🌩 Saturday, showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Maximum dew point of 74 at 12pm. Sunday, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Maximum dew point of 70 at 11am. Typical average high for the weekend is 84 degrees.

I think it’s a wait and see for the weekend. 🏊‍♀️ I am toying with the idea of going out to Schoharie County, but a lot depends on the weather. I might take off Friday or might not. If it’s going to be hot out Friday, I could spend it at Mine Kill State Park Pool. I might meet a friend out there in Schoharie County. Not sure though. It would be nice to hit up the farm stands, do some fishing and camp up in Burnt Rossman. πŸ• But who knows, in a week from now, it will be summer vacation.

One month πŸ“… from now will be Last Sunset After 8 PM πŸŒ† when the sun will be setting at 8:01 pm with dusk at 8:31 pm.

East on a Hazy Day

Camping Areas in Southern Adirondacks

Camping Areas in Southern Adirondacks β›Ί

East Branch of Sacanadaga River, NY 8 – Roughly 10 campsites along NY 8. These are easily accessed throughout the year, as the road is plowed except when the snow banks are high during the winter. East Branch is not good for fishing due to wide variance in water levels, however there are some nice pools in sections of river for summer swimming. Lots of road noise. Some of the sites have cell service. Nearby locations include Cod Pond, East Branch Trail and Kibby Pond Trail.

Edick Road – There are a handful of very hidden campsites off of Edick Road. This road may be closed to vehicles due to wash outs autumn 2019, but worth a walk to explore this area.

Fawn Lake – A 1/2 mile hike back to a scenic lake ringed by primitive campsites outside of Lake Pleasant. Two miles beyond it is the scenic Willis Vly, which doesn’t have developed campsites but it’s remote wilderness where you might see a Moose or other wildlife.

Garnet LakeTent sites, some with drive-up access along the lake. No cell service, much of the upper road here is not maintained in the winter. Popular in the summer, no cell service.

Good Luck Lake – Scenic lake off of the West Branch Sacanadaga River that is ringed with tent sites that can be walked in from the Good Luck Lake parking area area or paddled in.

Hope Falls Road – Two or three campsites along the end of Hope Falls Road, some are drive-in only tent sites. Near the Tenant Creek Falls Trail. No cell service. Open June to autumn snowfall.

Harrisburg Road – There is a set of very rustic designated campsites along the rough Harrisburg Road past Harrisburg Lake. Somewhat near Crane Mountain, a couple mile hike to and Wilcox Lake. No cell service.

Lester Flow and Cheney Pond – Scenic lake that is popular for paddling. The 1/2 mile road down from Boreas Road as of June 2020 is closed due to washouts. Tent sites exist along the lake, along with one drive-to site on the road down there.

Mason Lake – Small lake located about 10 miles north of Speculator and 5 miles south of Lewey Lake that has several tent and drive-in campsites along it’s shore. Good to fair cell service here. Nice to hear loons, one of the best bass ponds in the area.

North Lake Reservoir – There are roughly 15 campsites on the east shore of North Lake Reservoir. Popular place in the summer, regularly staffed by conservation students. Noise from motorboats. No cell service. Nice if you want to camp right on water, hear loons at night..

Northwood Club Road – In Minerva, this road crosses the Boreas River and has several roadside campsites, and passes by Huntley Pond, the NL Tahawus Railroad (which can be hiked to the Boreas River at Hudson River), and the Blue Ledges on the Hudson tailhead.

Perkins Clearing – Conservation easement lands. Good to fair cell service here. Great place for hunting and wildlife observation as it’s mixed timber country. Near Mason Lake, Speculator, Pillsbury Mountain and Cedar Lakes.

Piseco-Powley Road – A dozen campsites along a 13 mile road with short hikes including Big Alderbed, House Pond, Sand Lake and the popular Potholers/Brayhouse Brook waterfall for swimming. As of June 2020, road is closed in Stratford/Fulton County portion, road is open north of Potholers/Brayhouse Brook (access via Piseco). Very limited cell service here.

Pumpkin Hollow Road – Three campsites above Willis Lake. Remote country except for the site on Willis Lake, no cell service. On the Willis – Wilcox Lake Trail. Very quiet area. Open June to autumn snowfall. No cell service here.

Rockwood State Forest – Three campsites along the end of Church Road which can be accessed by driving past the cemetery in the hamlet. Scenic lake, good fishing. Cell service available, but bring a trash bucket and gloves as litter can be a problem. Nice trails to stroll around in the old Rockwood Estate.

Stewart Landing – There are four campsites on a rough road that loops off of Stewart Landing Road. Popular area in the summer, Canada Lake is great for paddling and informal swimming. Also consider hiking back to Hilderbrandt Vly and Glassgow Lake from here. Moderate to poor cell service here.

Vanderwhacker Road -Five or six campsites exist along Vanderwhacker Road, which can be muddy in the spring and icy in late autumn. Additional designates campsites exist near where NY 28N crosses the Vanderwhacker River. Near the trail to the Vanderwhacker Firetower, No cell service.

White House, Wells – A grouping of 5 or 6 campsites at the end of White House in West River Road. Scenic area, old camp, with fields and a chimney. Campsites are kind of close together, not a wilderness experience. Near the North Country Placid Trail, lots of blueberries in mid-summer. No cell service. Open June to autumn snowfall.

Woodhull Lake Reservoir – Off of NY 28 in McKeevers, about 10 miles south of Old Forge. Not only is this beautiful reservoir to paddle, there are some campsites along the shore, with drive-to campsites along Wolf Lake Landing Road which leads to it. Part of Wolf Lake Landing Road is erroded, but other parts are fresh stone-dust. It’s remote wilderness but there good cell service in mcuh of the area.

Spring 2014 Camping Plans

Typically the first spring weekend is the earliest time in shoulder season for roadside camping in this part of the country. Often by that weekend, many of the back-roads are relatively free of snow that in drier locations, roadside camping is possible.

Shoulder-season camping can be somewhat tricky as snow and mud stays a long time in the back woods of the mountains, and it’s usually still fairly cold and the days are still relatively short, however it can be done if due care is well planned.

Downstream

Early April – Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

My first camping trip of the year will probably be a weekend trip up to Wilcox Lake Wild Forest. Depending on the snow and mud conditions, I may camp off of NY Route 8 or possibly Hope Falls Road. I’d rather do Hope Falls road and maybe hike along Stony Creek, but I am not sure if it’s possible that early in the year. NY 8 is nice except for all the noise pollution from traffic.

Might do some hiking back to one of the lakes or trails in the region that I haven’t done lately. Might try some trout fishing up in the East Branch of the Sacandaga River.

Falls

Late April – Finger Lakes National Forest

The first big trip I plan to take is the Finger Lakes National Forest. I am thinking of taking off a Thursday and Friday, and doing a three night trip out there. It’s a bit ofΒ  a drive out there, but the Finger Lakes are pretty, and by late April should be greening up. I enjoy seeing the open and wild farm country out there. Probably visit some of the state parks out there. I don’t have an Empire Pass this year, but I suspect most state parks won’t be charging on a Thursday or Friday in April. I might dip down to Pennsylvania for a bit on the return trip.

Very Soggy Riding

Early May – Vanderwhacker Wild Forest

Assuming the snow is gone relatively early and the ground is relatively dry, I may go up to Vanderwhacker Wild Forest and camp along Moose Club Way or North Club Road. Those roads can be soft in the spring time, but a lot depends on the weather. There always is the campsites along NY 28N as another option.

 Cold Afternoon on Mary Smith Hill

Mid-May – Mary Jane Hill and Western Catskills

I want to spend more time in Western Catskills this year. While it’s a bit of a drive, now that I know about a few of the roadside campsites up that way, I have a place to base my camp out. I only have a preliminary idea of what is back there from the two nights I spent out there on Veterans Day Weekend. There looks to be a lot of interesting and unexplored land out there.

It’s a bit of drive down there, but mileage wise, it isn’t awful. It might be a relatively quick drive if I take the Thruway to NY 28 then go straight across to NY 30. I also want to check outΒ Tomannex State Forest in HancockΒ  I heard a rumor on the Internet that there is some nice roadside camping along the East Branch of the Delaware River down there, not to mention good fishing opportunities.

A Break in the Rain?

Memorial Day Weekend – Moose River Plains

Memorial Day Weekend I always like do something fun where I am way back in the woods. Maybe Moose River Plains. That said this year, I will not be going up there if most of the weekend is for cold pouring rain or snow. I did that last year, and it was miserable. I may have told myself repeatably that camping out in the rain was more fun then being stuck back in the city, but I was pretty much lying to myself.

Bingo Brook Road

Early June – Southern Green Mountains

The Southern Green Mountains are always nice to visit. The Deerfield River is pretty and there are some nice truck trails and hikes up in the area. Maybe hike Mount Greylock then drive north and camp on one of the forest roads not too far back from VT 9. Always fun to visit Vermont and spend time in other states.

Hanging Out at Camp

Mid-June – Brookfield, Central NY

I am usually on-call for several weeks in June, so I need to be somewhere where I have cellphone service. I have good cellphone service at Charles Baker State Forest. Maybe do some paddling and fishing on one of the creeks or ponds around there. The Rogers Environmental Education Center is always delightful in the early spring.

A list of trip ideas I have for the months of April, May, and June as we move from shoulder season to spring to summer. Also known as the first 1,500 miles.

Adirondack Wild Forests I Camped in 2011

This past year, I got up to nine different Adirondack Wild Forests as part of my explorations of the Adirondack Park. Did a lot of hiking, kayaking, and camping. The map below shows the Adirondack Park’s various units.

Change in Price Since March 2020

I camped in Aldrich Pond (1 night), Black River (4), Debar Mountain (3), Ferris Lake (5), Independence River (2), Moose River Plains (3), Taylor Pond (2), Vandwhacker Mountain (1), and Wilcox Lake (4). My preference for certain Wild Forests over others, is not just based on scenic beauty or activities to do, as much as closeness to Albany and compatability with weekend plans.

I saw quite a bit of Adirondack Park for sure.

Aldrich Pond (1 night)

Camped one night on Streeter Lake Road in Aldrich Pond Wild Forest near the hamlet of Oswagatchie. Paddled part of Little River and Streeter Lake.

 Field

Campsite 3 on Streeter Lake Road

Black River (4 nights)

Camped two nights at Wolf Lake Landing Road. Paddled around Woodhull Lake, hiked over to Remsen Falls.

Adirondack Lakes

Roadside Camping at Site 5

Camped two nights at North Lake. Sat down by the lake, enjoyed the moonlight. Explored Atwell and part of South Lake.

Total Greenhouse Gas Equalivent, by Country

View of Lake from Campsite

Debar Mountain (3 nights)

I camped for two nights at Mountain Pond near Paul Smiths, NY, while visiting the Saint Regis Canoe Area.

Damp

Then coming back from North Country, I decided to spend a night at Jones Pond, which is between Rainbow Lake and Paul Smiths.

Ferris Lake (5 nights)

I did two weekend trips up to Ferris Lake Wild Forest. The first was during Memorial Day Weekend, which was pretty wet and rainy for most of the weekend. The second was during the mid-summer on a super oppressive, hot and humid day out. While I explored Edick Roadside Camping, and also Good Luck Lake, both times I roadside camped on Piseco-Powley Road, three nights at PR 9, one night at PR 4, and one night at 11.

Renters vs Population Density - NY Census Tracts

Strawberry Moon

 Cascade Lake

Gwen Wright (D) vs. Steven F. McLaughlin (R) Rensselaer County Executive (2021)

Independence River (2 nights)

Camped two nights at Independence River Wild Forest on Smith Road, at field Campsite 1. There are ten campsites on this road, including one with an outhouse. Several of them are located in old logging load pads, that are now mowed as fields for camping. Nothing particularly fancy here.

Rainy Morning

Moose River Plains (3 nights)

Planned to spend a week at Moose River Plains, brakes failed on third day up there. Still got three days of fall camping in along Cedar River – Limekiln Lake Road. Camped one night at Campsite 24, and two at Campsite 57 this year.

 Almost To Bus Stop

 Summer Evening

Greene County, NY - Change in Grasslands and Pasture, 2001 to 2021

Taylor Pond (2 nights)

Camped up at Union Falls for two nights in the fall, while hiking and exploring several locations in Clinton County and eastern portion of the North Country.

All Packed Up at Union Falls Campsite

Vandwhacker Mountain (1 nights)

Camped one night at Cheney Pond at the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest.

Abortion Providers Operating by State, 2017

Road Campsite at Cheney Pond

Wilcox Lake (4 nights)

Camped three nights up off of NY 8 — one at an old Gravel Pit along the East Sacandaga River in April when the snow was still there, two nights at Fox Lair Campsite, and one night at Hope Falls Road, which is off of NY 30, near Northville.

Oil Exports

North-South Lake Campground

 Lookout State Forest

 Hammond Pond Wild Forest - Green Hill Parcel

Campsite I Stayed At

Camping Back at Fox Lair

Gulls on the breakwater