Jessup River Wild Forest

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The Jessup River Wild Forest (JRWF) area consists of 47,350 acres of State Forest Preserve lands in the towns of Arietta, Indian Lake, Lake Pleasant, and Wells in Hamilton County. The unit is bounded by Route 28 to the north and Route 30 in the southeast, as well as three wilderness areas: West Canada Lakes Wilderness to the west; Siamese Ponds Wilderness to the east, and Silver Lake Wilderness to the south. The state lands in this unit border, or are in close proximity to, the communities of Indian Lake, Piseco, Speculator and Wells. Route 30 bisects the unit and serves as the main access corridor. Many people enjoy hiking to the fire towers on Pillsbury and Snowy mountains, snowmobiling between Piseco Lake and Indian Lake, canoeing on Fall Stream, or camping on Mason Lake. Hunting, fishing, and trapping are also popular activities throughout the unit but particularly in and around Perkins Clearing, the Jessup River and the Miami River.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/22599.html

Thinking About Camping Up on Jessup River Road in June.

Andy | June 10, 2023

There is this campsite on lower Jessup River Road, up on Hartwick Hill which offers a nice view of the mountains when camping there. Not a lot of shade in the campsite proper, and it’s kind of exposed to the elements, but it offers a fantastic view and cellphone service to boot.

I ended up spending the weekend up there during Labor Day Weekend 2018, it was a nice place to camp, despite only modestly nice weather. But with the bright open area, the view and the good cellphone reception, I think i might go back there next June once the road opens for the summer.

There is some traffic on Jessup River Road, especially in the morning when people are heading out to the mountains to hike, or as with Labor Day Weekend, people heading up to camp. Traffic means noise and dust, but I didn’t find it overly bothersome.

I can’t say enough about the great views for sure. Too bad when I camped most of the weekend was trapped in fog and rain, but next time I go up I expect the weather would be nicer. I would probably go up there in June, when I’m on-call for work, as I could sit up there, do work business using my phone, while sipping a cold beer or leaning back in the hammock.

The great thing about the big open campsite, is it makes for a great place for looking at the stars, and of course having a great big ol’ fire into the night.