The 8900 acre Dry Brook Ridge Wild Forest is located near the Village of Margaretville. The trails in this wild forest are more often used by hunters and fishermen than they are by hikers.  Don't let that stop you from exploring this rugged area. You can expect to find solitude in this wild forest.

The trailheads can be trickier to find in this area than in others, but once found the trails offer really nice hikes.  For a challenging hike, try the 10.5 mile Huckleberry Loop.  The Dry Brook Ridge Trail is a 13.6 mile trail that travels from Margaretville to the Balsam Lake Mountain Parking Area.  Look below for more info on these two trails.

Dry Brook Ridge Trail in Margaretville

How do you spell Balsam Lake Mt?

Dry Brook Ridge Trail

Dry Brook Ridge Trail is marked in blue. Huckleberry Loop (marked in red) and German Hollow Trail (marked in yellow) intersect the Dry Brook Ridge Trail. Trailhead access for Dry Brook Ridge is just outside Margaretville. Take Route 28 at Margaretville, turn south at the Agway Farm Store and take the first left (which is a dead end). Follow this road for .15 mile to the start of the trail on the right.

The trail starts on an old logging road uphill. At 1.80 miles you're at the top of Pakatakan Mountain (2,500 feet). At 2.65 miles you reach the junction of yellow-blazed German Hollow Trail. At 3.25 miles you reach the junction of red blazed Huckleberry Loop. Continue straight following the blue tags if you want to stay on Dry Brook Ridge. Continue on to several westward overlooks. At 5 miles the trail skirts Dry Brook Ridge with fine views to the west. The summit of Dry Brook Ridge is 3,460 feet.

At 11.6 miles there's an unmarked woods road leading to the summit of Graham Mountain. At 11.75 miles you reach the first junction with the red-blazed Balsam Lake Mountain Trail. At 12.7 miles you find the second junction to Balsam Lake Mountain Trail. About a mile further is the summit of this mountain. The trail ends at 13.6 miles at the Balsam Lake Mountain Parking Area.

German Hollow Trail

German Hollow Trail begins 2.65 miles into the blue-blazed Drybrook Ridge Trail. German Hollow Trail leads to Chrislong Road. The total hike is 4.15 miles.

Huckleberry Loop Trail

Huckleberry Loop Trail is marked in red.  Huckleberry Loop Trail is a semi-circle, connecting at two ends with the Dry Brook Ridge Trail. The trailhead is reached from a parking area on Huckleberry Brook Road. Take NY 28 west of Margaretville to Huckleberry Brook Road. Hill Road forks left from Huckleberry. Stay on Huckleberry to the parking area.

This trail meets Dry Ridge 2 miles in and 1,450 feet higher than the trailhead. It follows the Dry Brook Ridge Trail (blazed in blue) for 2.2 miles where it again intersects the Huckleberry Brook Trail at 4.2 miles. It turns south, descending 1.2 miles to Ploutz Road. Cross the road and the trail continues descent, crossing a stream and beginning its climb up Huckleberry Brook Ridge. The trail meanders west along a ridge for 3 miles, then it heads north and descends to Huckleberry Road at 9.8 miles.

Turn right and walk 0.7 miles to the parking area. This is a long, tough 10.5 mile loop hike.

Bridge over Huckleberry Brook