Moose River Plains

Spanning Herkimer and Hamilton Counties, the Moose River Plains Wild Forest offers an array of activities, including camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and canoeing. Free campsites are accessible from late May to December’s end. Winter highlights snowmobiling along the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road linking Inlet and Indian Lake. Must-visit spots encompass Cedar River Flow, Moose-spotting at Helldiver Pond, scenic Wakely Mountain with its firetower, as well as numerous smaller ponds and lesser-known trails. This diverse landscape caters to a range of outdoor pursuits, making it a year-round destination for nature enthusiasts and adventurers.

Download all Moose River Plains Maps as a PDF on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/document/640702975/Moose-River-Plains-Map-Pack

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Beaver Lake

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Walked back to Beaver Lake at Moose River Plains, for the first time in many years. It’s a beautiful, quiet lake and with a stiff breeze on the lake shore and an ample bathe of DEET, it’s pretty free of horse flies for a change.

Beaver Lake

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The Plains vs remote camping

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When I camp at Moose River Plains I often go between camping in the plains proper near the major destinations like Helldiver Pond and the Moose River, and camping somewhere more remote along the roads.

Campsite 55

Plains proper

  • Sandy soils
  • Beautiful landscape
  • Butterflies, grass land birds
  • Near destinations like Helldiver Pond, Moose River, Beaver Lake so you can walk there from camp
  • Lots of sun and blue skies for solar
  • Great view of the stars
  • Decent privacy based on the layout of the campsites at least visually
  • Sound carries in the plains, you can easily hear nearby campsites, less of a wilderness experience
  • Have to keep the noise down
  • Can feel a bit like a developed campground

Campsite on Moose River Plains road

Outlying Areas in the Plains

  • Heavy forested, kind of generic Adirondack wilderness
  • Typically heavily shaded and cooler in the summer months
  • Other campsites a 1/4 mile or further away
  • You don’t hear noise or voices from other campers
  • You can listen to music loud, shoot guns, light off fireworks into the night without bothering folks.
  • Target shooting from camp!
  • Much better privacy and feels much more wilderness like.