The Black River Wild Forest is located in the south-western foothills of the Adirondack Park. The wild forest is comprised of over 121,000 acres of Forest Preserve lands in Herkimer, Lewis, Hamilton, and Oneida counties.

This large area includes the very popular Nicks Lake State Campground, located south of Old Forge.  There are numerous trails available for hiking in Black River Wild Forest.  The most popular hikes include Nicks Lake Loop, Remsen Falls, Woodhull Mountain, Woodhull Lake, Bear Lake, Gull Lake Loop, Chub Pond, South Lake and Brandy Lake.  Try the short hike to Ledge Mountain Overlook on NY 8 just east of NY 365 for a leg stretcher if your traveling into the southern Adirondacks. 

Sand Lake Falls Trail is popular, however we've been told that east of the falls (on the way to North Lake) can be extremely wet as the trail passes through a beaver meadow.  You can expect knee deep water & muck in the summer.

Many people bike most of the way when visiting Woodhull Mountain.  It's 7.6 miles one way to the summit of this 2362 foot mountain.  The trail is an old railroad bed and can be biked for 6.4 miles, leaving just 1.2 miles to hike to the summit with an elevation gain of 500+ feet.  There is a shorter option for those looking just to hike.  The fire tower on the mountain is part of the ADK Fire Tower Challenge.  Some also drive part of the way along the rough road.

The North Country National Scenic Trail will enter Adirondack Park in Black River Wild Forest.  The Stone Dam Trail off North Lake Road will be the first trailhead across the "Blue Line" for the North Country National Scenic Trail. 

There are eight lean to's in Black River Wild Forest.  Gull Lake, Chub Lake #1, Chub Lake #2, Sand Lake, Remsen Falls, Woodhull Lake, Bear Lake and North Lake are the lean tos.  The Bear Lake Lean To was built on March 6, 2010.  The South Branch Moose River is a major barrier to the trails in Black River Wild Forest, as no trails cross the river.

You'll also find numerous spots for roadside camping in the area.  There are maps below of the many trails and some of the roadside campsites in the Black River Wild Forest.

 

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