Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area - Unit Management Plan
The Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area is located in the east central Adirondack Park within the towns of Minerva, Schroon, and North Hudson (Essex County). At 38,500 acres, the unit is made up of one large, contiguous parcel that falls within the watersheds of the Boreas and Schroon Rivers.
In April 2012, the Department completed a Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the Hoffman Notch Wilderness. Major proposals in the UMP include:
- Formal designation of the herd path south of Big Pond as a DEC trail connected to the Big Pond Trail to create a loop hiking and cross country skiing trail system from Hoffman Road and connected to Loch Muller road.
- Construction of foot bridges over Hoffman Notch Brook near north end of Hoffman Notch Trail and over East Branch on the Big Pond Trail.
- Rerouting of 1/4 mile portion of Hoffman Notch Trail north of Big Marsh to west side of Hoffman Notch Brook.
- Construction of an improved parking lot along the Blue Ridge Road to serve as the northern trailhead for the Hoffman Notch Trail.
- Designation of two primitive tent sites on Big Pond.
- Construct a new lean-to
Download the UMP
Hoffman Notch Wilderness Unit Management Plan - without maps (PDF) (3.97 MB)
Appendix 11 - Maps (PDF) (3.64 MB)
