Skip to main navigation

Part 196: Operation Of Motorized Vehicles, Vessels Aircraft In The Forest Preserve

(Statutory authority: Environmental Conservation Law, § 1-0101, 3-0301, 9-0105;
Executive Law, § 816)

Contents:

Sec.

• 196.1 Operation of motorized vehicles in the forest preserve.
• 196.2 Use of snowmobiles on State lands within the forest preserve.
• 196.3 Operation of motor vehicles on the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road.
• 196.4 Operation of mechanically propelled vessels and aircraft in the forest preserve.
• 196.5 Operation of mechanically propelled vessels on certain bodies of water.
• 196.6 Operation of mechanically propelled vessel on the Oswegatchie River.
• 196.7 Operation of bicycles in the Adirondack forest preserve.

§196.1 Operation of motorized vehicles in the forest preserve.

a.No person shall operate a motorized vehicle in the forest preserve except as permitted in subdivisions (b) and (c) of this section.

b. Operation of motorized vehicles is permitted on roads:

1. that are under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Transportation or a town or county highway department, in accordance with applicable State and local laws;

2. where a temporary revocable permit has been issued by the department for motorized vehicle use by those persons to whom the permit has been issued and only in the accomplishment of the purpose of the permit;

3. specifically marked by the department for motorized vehicle use;

4. on public campgrounds operated by the department, in accordance with regulations for use of motorized vehicles at such facilities; or

5.where a legal right-of-way exists for public or private use.

c. Operation of motor vehicles is permitted on the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road in accordance with section 196.3 of this Part.

§196.2 Use of snowmobiles on State lands within the forest preserve.

a. The use of snowmobiles on State lands within the forest preserve is hereby permitted:

1. on trails designated and marked by the Department of Environmental Conservation as a"SNOWMOBILE TRAIL," when the trail traveled is completely covered with snow or ice; and

2. on frozen lakes and ponds, when access to same may be gained by public highways or by trails designated and marked by the Department of Environmental Conservation as a "SNOWMOBILE TRAIL."

b. The use of snowmobiles on State lands within the forest preserve other than as set forth in subdivision (a) of this section is hereby prohibited.

§196.3 Operation of motor vehicles on the Limekiln Lake-Cedar River Road.

The operation of motor vehicles on that road running easterly from the Limekiln Lake registration station through State lands known as the Moose River Recreation Area, and lands of the International Paper Company to the Cedar River headquarters registration station, will be subject to the following regulations:

a. No person may operate a motor vehicle on said road without first registering the operator's name, address, number of passengers, vehicle license number, vehicle description, anticipated length of stay and destination at the Limekiln Lake registration station or at the Cedar River headquarters registration station. Upon exiting said road, all operators of motor vehicles must register their names and number of passengers at a registration station.

b. All motor vehicles, other than those equipped with four-wheel drive, must be equipped with tire chains from October 1st until the road is closed for winter.

c. No person may operate a motorcycle or motorized bicycle on said road.

d. No person may operate a snowmobile on said road during the northern zone big game hunting season unless the road is closed to motor vehicle use and posted as open for snowmobile use.

§196.4 Operation of mechanically propelled vessels and aircraft in the forest preserve.

a. Except as provided in subdivision (b) of this section, the operation of mechanically propelled vessels and aircraft is prohibited on all the following bodies of water in the forest preserve:

(b) Notwithstanding the prohibitions set forth in subdivision (a) of this section:

(1) the use of mechanically propelled vessels and aircraft is permitted on water bodies specified in subdivisions (a) and (d) of this section by or under the supervision of appropriate officials, in cases of sudden, actual and ongoing emergencies involving the protection or preservation of human life or intrinsic resource values, such as search and rescue operations, forest fires, or oil spills or similar, large-scale contamination of water bodies;

(2) the use of aircraft by administrative personnel on the water bodies specified in subdivisions (a) and (d) of this section is permitted upon the written approval of the Commissioner for a specific major administrative, maintenance, rehabilitation, or construction project if that project involves conforming structures or improvements, or the removal of non-conforming structures or improvements, provided that such use of aircraft will be confined to off-peak seasons for the area in question and normally will be undertaken at periodic intervals of three to five years, unless extraordinary conditions, such as fire, major blow-down or flood, mandate more frequent work or work during peak periods;

(3) the use of aircraft on the water bodies specified in subdivisions (a) and (d) of this section is permitted for a specific major research project conducted by or under the supervision of a state agency if such project is for purposes essential to the preservation of wilderness values and resources, no feasible alternative exists for conducting such research on other state or private lands, such use is minimized, and the project has been specifically approved in writing by the Commissioner after consultation with the Adirondack Park Agency;

(4) in the St. Regis Canoe Area mechanically propelled vessels and aircraft may be used by administrative personnel, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of this subdivision, and for additional purposes designed to preserve or enhance the water or fishery resources of the area as specified in duly adopted unit management plans;

(5) on Little Green Pond and Little Clear Pond mechanically propelled vessels may be used by administrative personnel, in accordance with paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 of this subdivision, and for additional purposes designed to preserve, enhance, or otherwise manage the water or fishery resources of these areas associated with the Adirondack Hatchery; and

(6) written logs will be kept by the Department recording the use of mechanically propelled vessels and aircraft as authorized by this subdivision and shall be filed with the Adirondack Park Agency as part of an annual report detailing motorized uses in wilderness areas and the reasons therefor.

(c) For restrictions with respect to the water bodies in the William C. Whitney Area see 6 NYCRR Section 190.33.

(d) It is unlawful for any person to possess or operate mechanically propelled vessels on Lows Lake, located in the Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County and the Towns of Clifton and Colton, St. Lawrence County, including those expanses of water connected to the main body of Lows Lake, commonly known as Grass Pond, located in the Town of Clifton in St. Lawrence County, and Tomar Pond, located in the Town of Long Lake, Hamilton County. Nothing herein shall prohibit littoral landowners on Lows Lake, or guests of such littoral landowners, from possessing or operating a mechanically propelled vessel on such water bodies.

§196.5 Operation of mechanically propelled vessels on certain bodies of water.

a. The operation of mechanically propelled vessels is prohibited on the following bodies of water:

Name	Latitude	Longitude
(1)Clinton County
Miner Lake	44° 52' N	73° 41' W
(2)Delaware County
Little Pond	42° 02' N	'74° 45' W
(3)Essex County
Hewitt Lake	43° 52' N	73° 58' W
Oliver Pond	43° 50' N	73° 55' W
(4)Franklin County
East Pond	44° 23' N	74° 26' W
Gordon Pond	44° 21' N	74° 20' W
(5)Greene County
Colgate Lake	42° 14' N	74° 07' W
North Lake	42° 12' N	74° 02' W
South Lake	42° 12' N	74° 03' W
(6)Hamilton County
Beaver Lake	43° 39' N	74° 45' W
Helldiver Pond	43° 40' N	74° 42' W
Icehouse Pond	43° 40' N	74° 42' W
Indian Lake	43° 37' N	74° 46' W
Lake Snow (Lake Catherine)	43° 46' N	74° 12' W
Lost Ponds	43° 41' N	74° 40' W
Lower Brown Tract Pond	43° 48' N	74° 42' W
Mitchell Ponds	43° 40' N	74° 45' W
Rock Lake	43° 50' N	74° 20' W
Squaw Lake	43° 38' N	74° 22' W
Tirrell Pond	43° 52' N	74° 22' W
Upper Brown Tract Pond	43° 48' N	74° 43' W
(7)Herkimer County
Grassy Pond	44° 01' N	74° 54' W
Nick's Lake	43° 40' N	75° 00' W
(8)Warren County
Fourth Lake	43° 21' N	73° 50' W
Palmer Pond	43° 29' N	73° 52' W
(9)St. Lawrence County
Oswegatchie River between St. Lawrence-Herkimer county line and	44° 03' N	75° 53' W
Cranberry Lake at Inlet	44° 08' N	75° 58' W

d. The operation of mechanically propelled vessels is permitted on all of the bodies of water listed in subdivisions (a)-(c) of this section by agents and officers of the department acting in emergency situations and in the performance of administrative functions authorized by the commissioner.

§196.6 Operation of mechanically propelled vessel on the Oswegatchie River.

No person shall operate a mechanically propelled vessel on the Oswegatchie River in the Town of Fine, St. Lawrence County, between High Falls and Cranberry Lake at Inlet.

§196.7 Operation of bicycles in the Adirondack forest preserve.

a. For the purposes of this section, Adirondack forest preserve lands means those State owned lands lying within the Adirondack Park and classified by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) as "wilderness," "primitive," "canoe" area and "wild forest." These lands are depicted on the 1993 Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan Map (see subdivision (f) of this section) on file with the Central, Region 5 and Region 6 offices and suboffices of the department.

b. The operation of bicycles is prohibited on all of the following Adirondack forest preserve wilderness areas:

Blue Ridge Wilderness Area
Dix Mountain Wilderness Area
Five Ponds Wilderness Area
Giant Mountain Wilderness Area
Ha-De-Ron-Dah Wilderness Area
High Peaks Wilderness Area
Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area
Jay Mountain Wilderness Area
McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area
Pepperbox Wilderness Area
Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area
Pigeon Lake Wilderness Area
Sentinel Range Wilderness Area
Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area
Silver Lake Wilderness Area
West Canada Lake Wilderness Area

c. The operation of bicycles is prohibited on all of the following Adirondack forest preserve primitive areas except on existing roads legally open to the public or where specifically allowed by the department:

Ampersand Primitive Area
Bald Ledge Primitive Area
Bartlett Primitive Area
Beaver River Primitive Area
Buck Pond Primitive Area
Buell Brook Primitive Area
Cathead Mountain Primitive Area
Chatiemac Lake Primitive Area
Dug Mountain Primitive Area
Forks Mountain Primitive Area
Gooseneck Pond Primitive Area
Hague Brook Primitive Area
Hitchins Pond Primitive Area
Hudson Gorge Primitive Area
Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area
Johns Brook Primitive Area
Lake Lila Primitive Area
Lows Lake Primitive Area
Sacandaga Primitive Area
Schuyler Island Primitive Area
Valcour Island Primitive Area
Wanakena Primitive Area
Wakely Mountain Primitive Area
West Canada Mountain Primitive Area

d. The operation of bicycles is prohibited on the following Adirondack forest preserve canoe areas except on existing roads legally open to the public where specifically allowed by the department:

St. Regis Canoe Area

e. The operation of bicycles is permitted on all roads and trails on Adirondack forest preserve wild forest areas except for those roads and trails posted as closed to bicycle operation.

f. Reference--The Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Map, 1993 is incorporated by reference and is on file with the New York State Department of State. This map is available from and published by the Adirondack Park Agency, P.O. Box 99, Ray Brook, NY 12977.