Cole Hill State Forest

The 876-acre Cole Hill State Forest is located in the town of Berne in Albany County. Cole Hill and much of the surrounding areas were made up of the Van Rensselaer manor called Rensselaerwyck. Much of the estate was broken up in the early 19th century after tenants were tired of paying perpetual leases, leading to the Anti-Rent War. Cole Hill State Forest is managed by the multiple-use concept. Foresters plan complementary uses such as habitat diversity, recreation, water, wildlife, wood products and natural beauty so as to promote a healthy and useful forest. Recreational opportunities include hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, hunting, fishing, trapping and wildlife viewing.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/66375.html

Camping at Cole Hill State Forest, January 2018

In January of 2018, I camped up at Cole Hill State Forest in the back-country during mid-January. It was cold but not too bad. Nowhere fancy, but it was a nice night out in the wilderness.

Backcountry Camping

I built a small little fire and sat as the sky got dark.

Darkness approaches

I had soup and rolls for dinner.

The tent was warm.

Not too cold out, medium heat was plenty warm

The next morning I hiked back to the swamp.

The Swamp

It was nice little mini-mid winter camping trip. More of a vacation-ette then a real trip, but still sometimes you can’t have the most exotic trip ever.