Jessup River Wild Forest

General information on hiking includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Jessup River Wild Forest provides many opportunities for hiking. The trails located here include:

• Baldface Mountain Trail (2,230 feet) is accessed on the northeast shore of Indian Lake. The trail ascends 580 feet and 1.3 miles from the shore to the summit. (Trail map - PDF)
• Dunning Pond Trail extends 4.6 miles from State Route 30 to Gilmantown Road. Note that the bridge along the trail is out but the trail is still open for hiking. (Trail map - PDF)
• Fawn Lake Trail extends 4.1 miles from Fawn Lake Road to the Piseco-Perkins Clearing Trail.
• Fawn Lake Canoe Carry Trail extends 0.4 miles from the Fawn Lake Trail (at mile 0.2) and follows an old unpaved road.
• Miami River Trail extends 1.0 miles from Mason Lake to the West Canada Lake Wilderness. (Trail map - PDF)
• Old Telephone Trail extends 4.1 miles from the Old Telephone Line Trailhead to Indian Lake, crossing State Route 30. (Trail map - PDF)
• Northville-Placid Trail is a 133-mile foot trail that runs through the Adirondacks from Northville to Lake Placid. The trail passes through the Jessup River Wild Forest for 2 miles, connecting West Canada Lake Wilderness to Silver Lake Wilderness. (Trail map - PDF)
• Pillsbury Mountain Trail ascends 1,480 feet and 1.6 miles from the Pillsbury Mountain Parking Area to the summit (3,597 feet). (Trail map - PDF)
• Piseco-Perkins Clearing Trail extends 7.2 miles from Airport Road (near Piseco Airport) to the Perkins Clearing Conservation Easement. It intersects with the Fawn Lake Trail and the Mossy Vly Spur Trail. (Trail map - PDF)
• Snowy Mountain Trail ascends 2000 feet and 3.8 miles from the Snowy Mountain Trail Parking Area to the fire tower at the summit. The trail crosses the West Canada Lake Wilderness and the Township 33 CE. Please respect posted signs. (Trail map - PDF)
• Watch Hill Trail can either be accessed from the Watch Hill parking area or from the Snowy Mountain trailhead parking area, which is about 1 mile to the north. There are two scenic lookouts on the trail. The first is reached after about 1 mile and provides a nice view of Griffin Brook Slide on Snowy Mountain to the west. The trail then continues about 0.1 miles to another open ledge that provides partial views of Indian Lake. This trail is open to hikers, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers. (Trail map - PDF)

General information on backcountry camping includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

There are 24 designated primitive tent sites on the Jessup River Wild Forest. Designated tent sites are located at Fawn Lake (12), on Perkins-Clearing Road near Mason Lake (8), on the Northville-Lake Placid Trail at Fall Stream (1), and on the boundary with the Speculator Tree Farm Conservation Easement (3).

DEC's Moffitt Beach Campground & Day Use Area, Lewey Lake Campground & Day Use Area, and Indian Lake Islands Campground & Day Use Area are located adjacent to the wild forest, allowing those who like some additional comforts to camp there and take day trips into the wild forest.

General information on paddling includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Jessup River Wild Forest features several bodies of water that are open to paddling. Fall Stream, Auger Flats, Jessup River, Miami River, Burnt Place Brook, Mason Lake, Lake Abanakee, Gilman Lake, and Lake Pleasant are the popular destinations for paddling. Hand launches are located at Mason Lake, Gilman Lake, Oxbow Lake, Sacandaga Lake, Indian Lake and the Jessup River.

On Mason Lake, only boats with electric trolling motors of 5 horsepower or less are allowed.

General information on boating includes safety tips with links to rules and regulations and lists of DEC boat launches by county.

Boating is a popular activity in the Jessup River Wild Forest area. Developed public boat launch sites are located at the DEC campgrounds on Lewey Lake, Indian Lake, and Sacandaga Lake.

General information on biking includes how-to and safety tips with links to rules and regulations.

The Fawn Lake, Old Telephone Line, and Piseco-Perkins Clearing trails are all open to bicycles.

General information on fishing includes fishing tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations.

Fishing is allowed during appropriate seasons. There are many bodies of water open to fishing. Popular fishing waters in the area include Sacandaga Lake, Sacandaga River, Lake Pleasant, Indian Lake, Gilman Lake, Jessup River, Lewey Lake, Piseco Lake, Oxbow Lake, and Mason Lake. Common fish species include trout, bass, and bullheads.

Ice fishing during the winter occurs on Indian Lake, Piseco Lake, Lewey Lake, Sacandaga Lake, Oxbow Lake, and Fall Lake. Common species captured during ice fishing include yellow perch and the occasional walleye.

Note: Fishing is prohibited on Fawn Lake from October 1 to March 31.

Five sections of the Cedar River, a trout water on the Upper Hudson Woodlands Conservation Easement Lands (Township 33), are open to anglers through public fishing rights. Public fishing rights allow the public to walk along the stream banks for the sole purpose of fishing. The Cedar River runs from the Cedar River Flow to the Hudson River and contains brook trout, brown trout and smallmouth bass. DEC stocks this section of the Cedar River with brook trout.

• Section 1 - A 2.3-mile stretch of river adjoining forest preserve lands upstream to Wakely Dam, providing almost 4.3 continuous miles of public fishing. The fishing corridor is 33 feet from each side of the riverbank. Anglers can fish from both banks of the river however there is no crossing available to get to the southeast bank. Anglers will need to wade across the river. Access this section from the Cedar River Parking Areas 1 and 2. Please stay on the paths as they are easements over private land.
• Section 2 - Currently there is no legal access to this section. DEC will provide information about the section and how to access it when a parking area and an access trail are developed.
• Section 3 - A 0.3-mile section of the river between Section 3 and Section 4 is state forest preserve land in Jessup River Wild Forest. The two sections and the forest preserve combine to provide 1.1 continuous miles of public fishing. Currently the only access is from the state land at the downstream end of this 0.3 mile-section of public fishing. Anglers can park along the road bordering the state lands, or at the parking area at the Sprague Pond Trailhead, and bushwack across state forest preserve lands to the river bank. Be sure vehicles are completely off the road and remember to stay on state forest preserve lands when entering or leaving. Once at the river, anglers can fish upstream along the section or downstream on state forest preserve lands. Anglers can fish from both banks of the river however there is no crossing available to get to the south bank. Anglers will need to wade across the river.
• Section 4 - A 0.5-mile section of public fishing. Anglers can fish from both banks of the river however there is no crossing available to get to the south bank. Anglers will need to wade across the river. Access to this section is the same as the access to Section 3. Once at the river anglers can follow the section downstream or fish the state forest preserve lands upstream.
• Section 5 - Currently there is no legal access to this section. DEC will provide information about the section and how to access it when a parking area and an access trail are developed.

Map of Cedar River Public Fishing Rights (PDF)

Public recreation is limited on the easement. Please pay attention to Public Fishing Rights signs and property boundary signs. Do not trespass on other private lands. The Cedar River Road along the forest preserve lands is seasonally maintained and may not be accessible during early trout season.

Adirondack/Lake Champlain Fishing provides information on fishing in the Adirondacks and links to top fishing waters, stocking lists, public fishing access and waters open to ice fishing listed by county.

Help Protect Native Adirondack Fish; populations of brook trout, round whitefish and other native Adirondack fish species have severely declined due to introduced fish.

Wildlife Management Unit: 5H

General information on hunting includes how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations.

Hunting is allowed in the Jessup River Wild Forest during appropriate seasons. The main game species and furbearers found on the property include deer, bear, turkey, beaver, bobcat, coyote, and fisher.

Hunting on Township 33 Tract is prohibited.

Wildlife Management Unit: 5H

General information on trapping includes how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations.

Trapping is allowed in the Jessup River Wild Forest during appropriate seasons. The main game species and furbearers found on the property include deer, bear, turkey, beaver, bobcat, coyote, and fisher.

Trapping on Township 33 Tract is prohibited.

General information on snowmobiling includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Snowmobiling is allowed on designated snowmobile trails in the Jessup River Wild Forest. The following trails are maintained for snowmobiles. The state snowmobile trail designations are also included where applicable.

• Bear Trap Brook Trail - C8
• Crow Hill Trail - S85
• Fall Lake Trail
• Fawn Lake Trail - S41
• Gilmantown Trail - C4B
• Lawrence Farm Trail
• Mossy Vly Spur Trail
• Old Telephone Line Trail
• Oxbow to Sacandaga Lake Trail - S42
• Perkins Clearing Spur Trail - S82C
• Perkins Clearing to Lewey Lake Trail - S82C
• Piseco-Perkins Clearing Trail - S41 and S43
• State Route 30 Access Spur Trail - S82C
• Rudeston Hill Trail - S43
• Spy Lake Trail - S84

Additionally, the C4 snowmobile trail crosses this unit and the neighboring Perkins Clearing and Speculator Tree Farm Conservation Easements.

These trails are maintained by the Algonquin Sno-Blazers and the Towns of Arietta, Indian Lake and Lake Pleasant.

General information on cross-country skiing includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Jessup River Wild Forest is open to cross-country skiing in the winter. There are no groomed or maintained trails but skiing is permitted on all hiking trails.

• The Foxy Brown Trail is a 5.6-mile loop near the Northville-Placid Trail and the Piseco Airport. (Foxy Brown Trail map - PDF)

General information on cross-country snowshoeing includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Jessup River Wild Forest is open to snowshoeing in the winter. There are no groomed or maintained trails but snowshoeing is permitted on all hiking trails.

• The Foxy Brown Trail is a 5.6-mile loop near the Northville-Placid Trail and the Piseco Airport. (Foxy Brown Trail map - PDF)

General information on horseback riding includes safety tips and rules and regulations.

The Piseco-Perkins Clearing Trail is open to horseback riding.

General information on animals includes links to information about birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects that inhabit or migrate through the state.

The Adirondacks contain large tracts of wildlife habitat with some boreal, bog, alpine and other unique habitats. Many birds (Common Loon, Peregrine Falcon) and mammals (Moose, Black Bear) are unique to the Adirondacks or are mainly found here. More than 50 species of mammals and hundreds of species of birds inhabit or pass through the Adirondacks at one time of the year or another.