Wilcox Lake Wild Forest

Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is located in the southeastern part of the Central Adirondacks and is made up of approximately 140,000 acres of State Forest Preserve lands in Warren, Hamilton, Saratoga and Fulton Counties. Nearby communities include Stony Creek, Thurman, Bakers Mills, Day, Wells, Hope Falls, and Northville.

Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is bounded on the north by NY 8, on the east by the Hudson River, on the south by the Adirondack Park Blue Line, and on the west by NY 30. This wild forest offers many recreational opportunities, including hiking to the fire tower on Hadley Mountain, camping on Wilcox Lake, and ice fishing on Garnet Lake. With over forty-five miles of marked trails available, there are countless opportunities for hiking, skiing, and snowmobiling in the unit.

Lazy Morning

With such a warm but bug free days with lots of sun, one couldn't help but lay back in the hammock. Plus with my Lyme diease again, I was sore and the sun felt so nice.

Taken on Sunday May 3, 2020 at East Branch Sacandaga River.

Thoughts about camping on the East Branch and NY 8

Camping along the East Branch of the Sacandaga River definitely has its advantages during the shoulder season of the winter.β›Ί It’s a major highway maintained all year round, getting snow removal and down trees removed from its surfaces year round.β›„ Many of the campsites along the road have gravel bases, being old home sites and routings of the road, so they aren’t too soft even after the rains of spring. Despite this, the campsites are all quite remote, and many of them have decent screening for the road. 🌳🌲

The downside of camping on the East Branch along NY 8 is the noise.🚚🚛🚙🚗 There is a regular drone of cars and trucks blowing by the campsite at sixty miles per hour. NY 8 is a heavily traversed road unlike many of the other backcountry roads where much of the roadside campsites are in the Adirondacks. 🐸The recreational opportunities nearby are somewhat limited too – the East Branch ain’t great for fishing as the temperature fluctuates a lot, the ponds off the road are only so so fishing – and there is a lot of hunter pressure in this easily accessible area.

East Branch