Where the Wild Is
Mapping
the Full Wilderness Potential
of the Adirondack Forest Preserve
Bill Ingersoll
Get Out. Seek Out.
FIND OUT.
www.HikeTheAdirondacks.com
Published March 2015
WILD RIVER Press
7123 Trenton Road
Barneveld, NY 13304
All photos & maps by Bill Ingersoll unless otherwise noted
Front cover: Cascade Pond, Blue Ridge Wilderness
Back Cover: Hiking to Peaked Mountain, Siamese Ponds Wilderness
View of Wolf Pond from Moose Mountain, proposed Two Moose Mountains Wilderness
Contents
Introduction
What Is Wilderness?
Differences between Adirondack and Federal Wildernesses
Differences between Wilderness and Wild Forest
About the Maps
Maps
Conclusion
1
2
5
6
8
10 - 32
33
Portaging between Sand and Rock Lakes, Five Ponds Wilderness
1
T
his document represents a personal
vision for expanding
the wilderness designation throughout the Adirondack
Park. Specifically, it lists numerous boundary adjustments that
would enhance the wilderness
character of the Adirondack
Forest Preserve, and “corrects”
certain existing wilderness areas
that have been overextended.
This report looks at the Adirondack Park Agency’s current
state land use map, frames it
within the context of historical
efforts to zone the Adirondack
Forest Preserve, and suggests
ways that the wilderness designation could be greatly expanded without necessarily blocking
snowmobile trail connections.
The underlying assumption behind this report is that
the Forest Preserve is first and
foremost a wild resource, and
that the wilderness designation
is the best existing tool for protecting the primitive qualities
of the larger, remoter tracts of
state land. There are currently
21 designated wilderness areas
in the Adirondack Park today.
Not only are they a tremendous
conservation achievement for
the entire state, they are also a
valuable quality-of-life asset for
New York’s upstate residents,
since many of these areas are
within a reasonable drive of
several key population centers.
These wilderness areas include
everything from high alpine
summits to remote lakes and
Introduction
valleys. They offer opportunities
for primitive recreation that
are unparalleled in the eastern
United States.
However, the existing
Adirondack wilderness areas do
not represent the full potential
of the Forest Preserve. In my
explorations of the park, I have
identified several other areas
that exhibit wilderness characteristics, but which are not
designated as such in the State
Land Master Plan. Most of these
potential wilderness additions
are found in areas that are currently designated wild forest. In
this report, I suggest that there
could be as many as 24 wilderness areas—a number that is
reached after merging several
contiguous wild areas, eliminating one substandard wilderness,
and creating 6 new wilderness
areas.
To be clear, these recommendations are the views
of the author, and are not
proposals being advanced for
public action. My intent is to
call attention to all of the places
where wilderness values can be
found in the Forest Preserve—
the places that are already well
known, as well as the places
that may deserve stronger oversight among wilderness advocates. There would undoubtedly
be a vigorous public debate
if this entire slate of recommendations were advanced en
masse, even strong objections
from certain counter-advocacy
groups. Therefore all readers are
encouraged to interpret the following recommendations within
their proper context: that is, as
the opinions of one opinionated
individual. Anyone who would
take exception to the expression
of these views flatter the author
by fearing that these proposals could someday become a
reality.
Further, these recommendations do not touch on the
subject of wilderness management, such as the creation (or
closure) of trails and lean-tos
within the wilderness boundaries. The only exceptions are
the implied closures of certain
non-conforming facilities. Otherwise, this report deals strictly
with wilderness boundaries, and
how they could be redrawn to
better protect the Forest Preserve’s remotest regions.
Finally, this report does
not knowingly include any private lands within the proposed
wilderness expansions, nor does
it make any suggestions for land
acquisition. Only The Nature
Conservancy’s holdings in the
Boreas River watershed, which
are pending acquisition, as well
as other recent Forest Preserve
purchases, have been added
to the maps. The presence of
private inholdings was taken
into consideration for all potential state land reclassifications;
existing rights of way would not
be impacted.
2
T
What Is Wilderness?
his report utilizes the
term “wilderness” very
frequently, almost to
the point of fetishism.
In all cases it refers to the modern legal concept of designated
wilderness areas: those sections
of public land that have been
specifically protected by law to
preserve their primeval qualities
and natural appearances, as
well as to enhance opportunities
for primitive recreation. They
are typically (but not always)
large and remote, and they are
managed by government agencies to be places that are as free
as possible from direct human
influences. New York State is the
home of 27 wilderness areas:
21 in the Adirondack Park, 5 in
Catskill Park, and 1 in the Fire
Island National Seashore.
The idea of preserving wilderness as a matter of
public policy originated in the
1920s, when foresters in the
U.S. Forest Service fretted that
active and unbridled public land
management would eventually
result in the loss of America’s
last wild places. This was at
a time when national forests
and national parks were being subjected to road grading,
logging, and lodge building,
without an overarching policy to
govern the appropriate siting of
such uses. Although the act of
setting aside wilderness areas
would produce environmental
benefits, the foresters’ motivations were largely based on
recreational concerns. They
believed that as modern civilization became more mechanized,
entire landscapes needed to be
retained as havens for primitive
recreation—specifically, hiking, camping, mountaineering,
canoeing, ski touring, and horse
packing.
1380-acre Otis Pike Fire Island
High Dune Wilderness, located
in the Fire Island National Seashore off Long Island.)
Wilderness became a
concrete legal term in 1964 with
the passage of the Wilderness
Act, which had been drafted
by Howard Zahniser of the
Wilderness Society. Zahniser
owned a camp in Bakers Mills in
the Adirondacks, and he cited
the constitutional protections
afforded the Forest Preserve as
a model for the federal law. The
Wilderness Act gave Congress
the sole authority to designate
protected areas on federal lands
throughout the country, defining wilderness largely as a place
where mechanized (i.e. modern)
forms of transportation were
banned, and where natural forces would be allowed to proceed
unchecked.
The 1964 law was enacted at a time when New York
was debating the future of its
own Forest Preserve. Article
XIV of the state constitution
mandated that the state lands
in the Adirondacks and Catskills
be “forever kept as wild forest
lands,” and it specifically prohibited the destruction of timber,
or the sale or exchange of any
acre. This so-called “forever
wild clause” was written during
an era when the public feared
that unregulated and highly
destructive logging practices
in the late nineteenth century
might threaten the state’s water
supplies. Combined with the
creation of the Adirondack Park,
the forever wild clause set in
motion a land acquisition policy
that would eventually grow the
Forest Preserve to upwards of
2.5 million acres.
At the time of the original passage, 54 areas were so
designated in 13 states, protecting a total of 9.1 million acres.
Subsequent acts of Congress
have increased the National
Wilderness Preservation System to more than 760 areas,
with a sum of nearly 109 million
protected acres. These federal
wilderness areas can be found
in 44 states and Puerto Rico.
(New York State, which has very
little federal land, boasts of only
one federal wilderness area: the
While the clause banned
logging from the preserve, it
otherwise left the rules for its
day-to-day management open
to interpretation. Beginning
circa 1919, when the Conservation Commission (later renamed
the Conservation Department)
first took an active interest in
managing the Forest Preserve
for recreation, the public discussion focused on the types
of permissible human uses.
The strict preservationist view
held that no non-wilderness
3
development of any kind was
permitted, including roads and
lodges. The Conservation Department, however, was more
lenient in regards to motorized
access. During the 1930s numerous “fire truck trails” were
opened throughout the forest.
They were intended as a means
of quickly suppressing wildfires, although many inevitably
became roads for recreational
access as well. Later, the department took no action to check
floatplane and snowmobile use
of the backcountry in the years
after World War II. Many people viewed these actions (and
inactions) as an erosion of the
preserve’s wilderness character.
In addition to issues of
motorized access, there were
some who called for a full or
partial repeal of Article XIV on
the grounds that the ban on
timber destruction also prevented the state from managing wildlife. Therefore the
earliest discussions for zoning
the Forest Preserve in the
1950s focused on dividing the
state’s Adirondack lands into
wilderness and non-wilderness
areas. Proponents of this plan
hoped that a new constitutional
amendment could be passed
to allow modern conservation
practices—i.e. timber and game
management—in most of the
preserve, and that only certain core areas would remain
“forever wild.” In this case, the
intent of the wilderness areas
would be to maintain the status
quo, while the remainder of the
preserve would be freed of most
constitutional restrictions.
No action was taken
on this proposal, although in
1961 a joint legislative committee identified twelve potential
wilderness areas throughout
the Adirondack Park: Big Otter
Lake, Dix Mountain, Five Ponds,
Eastman Lake, a worthy potential addition to the Silver Lake Wilderness
Original SLMP map showing the first 15 Adirondack wilderness areas (dark green)
Giant Mountain, High Peaks,
McKenzie Mountain, Pharaoh
Lake, Pigeon Lake, Sentinel
Range, Siamese Ponds, Silver
Lake, and West Canada Lake.
Each of these areas was greater
than 10,000 acres in size, and
together they accounted for
36% of the Forest Preserve.
commission with providing a set
of detailed recommendations
This list was carried
on a variety of park-related
forward to 1968, when Governor
issues, including Forest Preserve
Nelson Rockefeller created the
zoning and management. The
Temporary Study Commission
idea of repealing Article XIV was
on the Future of the Adironabandoned in favor of a new
dacks. The governor tasked the
zoning plan modeled after the
5
1964 Wilderness Act. According
to the commission’s recommendations, wilderness would
become places with increased
legal protections, above and
beyond the requirements of the
state constitution. They would
be offset by a new designation
called wild forest, in which the
facilities and uses allowed by
the Conservation Department—
and which had not been challenged—could continue. Every
acre of the preserve would
remain “forever wild,” except
in places where development
was specifically authorized by
constitutional amendments.
The commission’s plan
was implemented in 1972, when
the new Adirondack Park Agency (APA) issued the first State
Land Master Plan (SLMP). The
Forest Preserve became officially zoned into wilderness and
wild forest areas, along with a
handful of other narrow-purpose classifications. Wilderness was defined in a way that
strongly mirrored the Wilderness Act:
A wilderness area, in
contrast with those areas
where man and his own
works dominate the landscape, is an area where the
earth and its community
of life are untrammeled by
man—where man himself
is a visitor who does not remain. A wilderness area is
further defined to mean an
area of state land or water
having a primeval character, without significant improvement or permanent
human habitation, which
is protected and managed
so as to preserve, enhance
and restore, where necessary, its natural conditions,
and which (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces
of nature, with the imprint
of man’s work substantially
unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for
solitude or a primitive and
unconfined type of recreation; (3) has at least ten
thousand acres of contiguous land and water or is of
sufficient size and character as to make practicable
its preservation and use in
an unimpaired condition;
and (4) may also contain
ecological, geological or
other features of scientific, educational, scenic or
historical value.
The wild forests, by
contrast, were expected to be
areas that were less remote and
less sensitive to recreational
usage. The basic idea was that
they would meet the baseline
requirements of Article XIV, and
that future court rulings and
attorney general opinions would
further refine what was and
wasn’t compatible with the “forever wild” concept. Snowmobile
trails, truck trails, and floatplane
landings could continue in the
wild forests until a higher legal
authority determined otherwise. For this reason, the SLMP
definition for wild forests was
left vague and open-ended.
There were 15 Adiron-
dack wilderness areas in the
original classification action of
1972, with an aggregate size of
997,960 acres. Today there are
21 areas with a total of 1,145,837
acres. This is the largest concentration of protected wilderness in the northeastern United
States, and 7 of the Adirondack
areas exceed the size of New
Hampshire’s Pemigewasset Wilderness, the largest federal wilderness in the region. The next
nearest federal wilderness areas
of comparable size are Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe
Area Wilderness (812,941 acres
across three separate subunits);
Michigan’s Isle Royale Wilderness (132,018 acres); Georgia’s
Okefenokee Wilderness (353,981
acres); and Florida’s Marjory
Stoneman Douglas Wilderness
(1,296,500 acres). Beyond these
eastern and Midwestern states,
one must travel to the Rocky
Mountains or to Canada to find
wilderness areas that match or
surpass the size of those found
in the Adirondacks.
Differences between Adirondack and Federal Wildernesses
A distinctive characteristic
about the Adirondack wilderness areas is that they are
designated by state agencies,
not by Congress. New York
State, which has also designated 5 wilderness areas in the
Catskill Park, is one of only a
handful of U.S. states with its
own wilderness program (others
include Alaska, California, and
Michigan). The Adirondack units
are designated by the Adiron-
6
dack Park Agency and approved
by the governor. Day-to-day
management falls within the
jurisdiction of the Department
of Environmental Conservation.
Although Adirondack
wilderness areas are managed
in a way that is very similar to
the National Wilderness Preservation System, there are subtle
differences. In federal wilderness, most wheeled conveyances of any kind—including
wagons and canoe carts—are
banned, while these are permitted in the Adirondack units.
On the other hand, existing
non-conforming uses tend to
linger longer in federal areas.
For instance, fire towers often
remain on site until they deteriorate, ranger stations are more
common, and many airstrips
and access roads have been
specifically exempted. In the
Adirondacks, the SLMP provides stricter guidelines about
the removal and maintenance
of such uses.
Federal wilderness areas
are designated on lands owned
by the National Park Service,
the Forest Service, the Bureau
of Land Management, and the
Fish and Wildlife Service. Without legal protection, these lands
would otherwise be vulnerable
to a variety of non-wilderness
activities, including logging,
mining, road paving, oil leasing,
and so forth. Therefore a wilderness designation on federal land
is essentially a withdrawal of
these places from exploitation
and development.
By contrast, the Adiron-
Upper Stoner Lake, Silver Lake Wilderness
dack Forest Preserve is a place
where all forms of resource
extraction, development, and
human habitation are strictly
forbidden by Article XIV anyway,
regardless of the land classification. As a result, a wilderness
designation in the Adirondack
Park has a greater impact on
recreation than on any other human activity, because this is one
of the few topics on which the
constitution permits any kind of
management discretion.
Differences between Wilderness and Wild Forest
The distinctions between the
wilderness and wild forest
classifications in the SLMP are
more complex. As their names
suggest, both are intended to
be wild places because Article
View of Mount Haystack from the Range Trail, High Peaks Wilderness
XIV permits no other alternative. Logging, mining, and other
exploitative uses are legally impossible except by constitutional amendment. Natural plant
and animal communities can be
preserved equally well in either
classification, since little or no
habitat manipulation is allowed
in the Forest Preserve. Therefore the key distinction between
wilderness and wild forest is the
type of visitor experience that
each category provides.
An Adirondack wilderness, compared to other parts
of the Forest Preserve, is defined partly by the absence of
roads (at least, those in active
service), mechanical forms of
transportation, and enclosed
structures. The wild forest classification permits the presence
of access roads, snowmobile
trails, all-terrain biking, fire towers, group campsites, and other
limited facilities. A literal reading of the SLMP suggests that
the wild forests should be the
smaller, less remote sections of
the Forest Preserve—the accessible places close to towns and
highways, where no one expects
to find remoteness and solitude,
but where the greatest amount
of recreational facilities logically
should be developed. Wilderness is intended to be much
more experience-oriented:
these places offer opportunities
for a rugged, more primitive
form of outdoor recreation that
is impossible anywhere else. It
is not simply about the scenery; overcoming the physical
challenges and the long miles
to reach an interior destination
(where no other form of access is possible) are part of the
attraction.
The terms “preservation” and “protection” are more
commonly associated with
wilderness than wild forest, and
wilderness is in fact regarded as
the highest level of legal protection in the SLMP. But the thing
that wilderness is able to preserve—and that wild forest cannot—is the visitor experience:
8
the somewhat humbling notion
of being a small wanderer in
a large landscape. Wilderness
achieves its resource protection
goals by virtue of its size; remoteness and ruggedness are
expected to be controlling factors for human usage. A lightly
used wilderness is a successful
one, whereas a heavily used wilderness is a management challenge. In practical experience,
however, there are quite a few
wild forests in the Adirondacks
that offer better wilderness
experiences than several of the
more popular wilderness areas:
fewer people, more solitary
campsites, and less trampled
trails.
that these wilderness experiences will be perpetuated. The
areas worthy of protection exist
by accident, not by design. Old,
seldom-used snowmobile trails
could be reopened or widened;
forgotten roads could be hardened with gravel for the benefit
of motor vehicle ingress. To the
extent such facilities comply
with SLMP guidelines, access
roads and snowmobile trails
are perfectly acceptable in the
wild forest setting—but their
presence in the remoter areas
diminishes the ability of those
places to provide wilderness
experiences. Thus, a wilderness
reclassification would provide a
tangible layer of protection.
Therefore it is my position that the SLMP land classification is not always an accurate
predictor of visitor experience,
because some wild forests
are just as good at providing
“outstanding opportunities
for solitude or a primitive and
unconfined type of recreation”
as the designated wilderness
areas. However—and herein lies
the point of this report—as wild
forests there is no guarantee
When the original 15
wilderness areas were created in 1972, there were many
non-conforming uses on these
lands that had been created or
allowed by the old Conservation
Department. These included
34.3 miles of truck trails, 78.1
miles of jeep trails, and 63.7
miles of snowmobile trails—all
of which needed to be closed
or re-designated for foot travel.
Numerous other structures, in-
T
cluding fire towers, horse barns,
tent platforms, and telephone
lines, became targeted for removal because all were deemed
to be detrimental to the wilderness experience.
Today you may visit
many of these sites and not
be aware that any issues ever
existed. However, had special
exceptions been made for any
of these facilities, or little exclusion zones drawn around them,
then the wilderness classification would have been hardly
distinguishable from its counterpart, the wild forest category.
The boundaries between wilderness and wild forest need to
be regular and well-defined to
be meaningful; spot zoning and
gerrymandering prevent the
goals of either category from
being achieved. It is incumbent
upon state land planners to
analyze the character of the
land, choose the best high-level
management strategy, and then
assert that choice by applying
one classification or the other—
not both simultaneously.
About the Maps
he maps in this report
are modified versions
of the APA’s 2014
“Adirondack Land Use
and Development Plan and
State Land Map,” which anyone can download for free from
the agency website, http://apa.
ny.gov/. I used this map to illustrate how my suggested boundary changes would appear on
official maps, using the established color-coding scheme to
delineate my modifications. In
all cases, wilderness areas are
indicated in blue, and wild forests are shaded pale green. Note
that these adjusted maps do not
necessarily reflect anyone’s views
but my own.
9
In identifying these
suggested changes, I used the
following criteria:
At-risk areas: For the purposes
of this exercise, an area is “at
risk” if redundant/unnecessary
motorized facilities exist or
have been proposed for construction. Mechanized travel is
the antithesis of the wilderness
experience, and while these
recreational uses may have a
place in the Forest Preserve,
the remotest areas should be
preserved as close to a wilderness state as possible. Access
to areas that are far from public
highways should be difficult
and challenging. In my travels, I
have followed existing snowmobile trails that are in poor maintenance and clearly not used
or needed, and some that are
redundant to other, better trails.
Some motorized/mechanized
trails lead to wilderness boundaries where no physical barriers
against trespass exist. In some
cases proposals have been advanced to open roads and trails
into remote areas where there
is currently little usage. All of
these facilities (proposed and
existing) are regarded as threats
to potential wilderness areas
because they intrude upon remote regions of the preserve.
De facto wilderness: Although
the existing wilderness areas
preserve most of the largest
Forest Preserve tracts, there
are nevertheless a few roadless
and trailless wild forest regions
that currently meet wilderness
guidelines. No non-conforming
facilities exist, and recreation
levels are light. Such de facto
wilderness areas merit official
recognition purely on aesthetic
grounds. One wonders why they
have not already been classified.
adopted, the resulting Forest
Preserve management boundaries would place most of the
large, remote, and roadless
regions within the wilderness
designation, and most “frontNatural plant & animal comcountry” regions within the wild
munities: One of the goals of
forest category. This reflects the
wilderness preservation is to
author’s interpretation of how
ensure that natural plant and
the State Land Master Plan was
animal communities are proideally intended to be applied.
tected as much as possible
Recreation of a non-wilderagainst human influences. Sites
ness nature would have ample
that deserve wilderness conspace for development in those
sideration on this basis include
sections of the Forest Preserve
virgin forest tracts in the southwithin easy reach of highways
ern Adirondacks, and timber
and communities, where wilrattlesnake habitat in the Lake
derness conditions are unlikely
George basin.
to ever be achieved. Existing
inter-community snowmoSpot-zone removal and wilderbile trails are respected to the
ness overreach: Not all of the
suggestions in this report call for extent they do not threaten or
intrude upon remote areas.
increased wilderness designations. Several areas have been
identified where existing wilderness should be reclassified to
primitive or wild forest because
of the existence of non-conforming facilities. There has
been a recent trend to expand
wilderness boundaries despite
the presence of access roads,
snowmobile trails, or fire towers. In some cases, these facilities cannot yet be removed, and
in other cases the facilities are
not likely to ever be removed.
The boundaries between wilderness and wild forest areas need
to be regular and well-defined
to be meaningful; spot zoning
and gerrymandering prevent
the goals of either category
from being achieved.
Community connection corridors
& non-remote areas: If all of the
suggestions of the report were
Current Adirondack
Park Agency Map
Wilderness Areas Depicted
in Blue
Full Wilderness
Potential of the
Forest Preserve
Map by Bill Ingersoll
Northern Overview
Map by Bill Ingersoll
Proposed Reclassification:
Wild Forest to Wilderness
Proposed Reclassification:
Wilderness to Wild Forest
Proposed Reclassification:
Wild Forest to Wilderness
Proposed Reclassification:
Wilderness to Primitive
OSWEGATCHIE WILDERNESS, WHITNEY WILDERNESS, & ROUND LAKE WILDERNESS
The region labeled as the Oswegatchie Wilderness on this map is the combination of the
existing Five Ponds and Pepperbox wildernesses. In 1972, both of the heritage areas were
relatively small and separated by extensive private inholdings. Since then, a successful
land acquisition effort has reversed that pattern, creating a significant stretch of wild
lands interrupted by smaller tracts of private lands. Today’s Five Ponds Wilderness is now
the third-largest protected area in the Adirondack Park.
The William C. Whitney and Round Lake areas consist almost entirely of post-1972 purchases. Many of these lands were heavily lumbered prior to state acquisition, resulting in a
non-wilderness visual impression in some cases. Rather than a description of past stewardship, these wilderness designations reflect a desired end-state.
This wilderness complex is in several ways a work in progress. Many miles of private access
roads must be retained to service the inholdings, preventing the area from being completely motor-free. As a result, the wilderness boundaries are very irregular and hardly ideal.
Some of the roads result in detached, non-contiguous parcels that do not yet meet SLMP
wilderness guidelines, despite their classification.
This map corrects such instances of overextension, and suggests alternate Forest Preserve
parcels with better wilderness qualifications.
SENTINEL RANGE WILDERNESS
The section of state land east of Bartlett Road should be reclassified
as wild forest. It is unlikely that this residential road will be closed to
meet wilderness guidelines, and the non-contiguous arm extending
toward the Ausable River serves no wilderness preservation purpose.
Additionally, DEC and APA should assert the state’s jurisdiction to the
so-called Old Mountain Road trail. Otherwise, this corridor separates
the wilderness into two non-contiguous units.
HURRICANE MOUNTAIN WILD FOREST
The Hurricane Mountain Primitive Area was originally intended to
be reclassified as wilderness upon removal of the summit fire tower,
which was deemed by the SLMP to be a non-conforming use. However,
in 2010 the APA “resolved” the issue by spot-zoning the fire tower footprint as a mini historic area, thus “removing” it from the surrounding
area and permitting the wilderness reclassification.
There appears to be strong public support for retaining the tower,
although decisions on whether to remove it or restore have hinged
around sentimental and aesthetic reasoning. It does no apparent environmental harm, but it physically remains a non-wilderness facility
within a designated wilderness, in violation of the SLMP’s intent. This
instance of spot-zoning needs to be rectified.
The existing SLMP category that best describes Hurricane Mountain’s
management objectives is wild forest. Therefore I recommend reclassifying the entire area as the Hurricane Mountain Wild Forest.
JAY MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS
Since the commencement of industrial mining and prospecting activities in the tract known as Lot 8, the wilderness character of this land
has been permanently forfeited. Lot 8 must be reclassified.
HIGH PEAKS WILDERNESS
This map shows the recommended
High Peaks Wilderness boundary
configuration once the Finch Pruyn
land acquisition is complete, and
once all private leases have ended in
2018.
Specifically, the MacIntyre West
and Bradley Pond parcels should be
classified wilderness in their entirety. However, wild forest buffers are
suggested for MacIntyre East near
the Opalescent River, since this area
lies within close proximity to the
industrial Tahawus mine site.
Also, the southwestern slopes of
Mount Adams should be reclassified from wilderness to wild forest,
removing the restored fire tower
on the mountain’s summit from the
High Peaks Wilderness. This non-remote acreage faces the Tahawus
mine and is not required for the
goals of wilderness preservation.
I also recommend a full wilderness
classification for the Boreas Ponds
region, extending all the way south
to Blue Ridge Road. Once acquired
by the state, this watershed will
become a remote area with wilderness qualities that should be preserved. A former power line has been
removed from this area, making a
larger section of state land eligible
for a wilderness classification than
previously believed. An exception
has been made at Ragged Mountain,
where former logging roads near
Gulf Brook and The Branch could
offer opportunities for mechanized
access in a non-remote area.
The combined High Peaks and Dix
Mountain units—which would now
share a common boundary at Casey
Brook—would form a vast wilderness of western proportions, approximately 260,000 - 275,000 acres in
size.
Mount Adams
Boreas Ponds
Ragged
Mountain
HUDSON GORGE WILDERNESS
This is the Hudson Gorge Wilderness that I would have created, with a
protected central core and mechanized travel only on the peripheries.
Strategically-located roads in the adjacent conservation easement
lands would provide reasonable motorized access to the area, minimizing the amount of walking required to reach interior destinations.
The area is crisscrossed by four protected rivers, including two wild river corridors where the state is statutorily required to maintain wilderness conditions. Because of this, I think the authors of the SLMP must
have envisioned that this would someday become a signature wilderness area upon acquisition.
However, non-wilderness recreational concerns prevailed at the time
of designation in 2013, so that the actual wilderness designated by the
state is only a fraction of its potential size. I added my version to this
map in a moment of wistfulness, but I have no expectation of seeing
these adjustments realized in the near future.
TIMBER RATTLESNAKE WILDERNESS
Timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) are a threatened species in
New York, and their Adirondack habitat is limited to a few locations
near Lake George and Lake Champlain. Of these sites, only the Tongue
Mountain Range is large enough to form a credible wilderness area.
The range is quite small—perhaps less than 10,000 acres—and its
proximity to Lake George’s heavy motorboat traffic impairs its sense
of remoteness. Therefore this designation is proposed primarily for the
benefit of the unique habitat that it contains.
There are several private inholdings along the shoreline near Montcalm Point. Water-based access to these sites would not be impaired,
and most of the lots appear to be too small for further development.
Therefore this designation is expected to have no impact on private
landowner access.
Also, the rugged nature of the terrain means that the area is only used
for foot travel today. Recreational usage would remain essentially the
same with the wilderness designation.
SOUthern Overview
Map by Bill Ingersoll
TWO MOOSE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS
The Wilcox Lake Wild Forest is one of the largest portions of the Adirondack Forest Preserve not
protected by a wilderness designation—but it is by no means ineligible for such consideration, in my
opinion. Although it is crisscrossed by snowmobile trails, there are substantial trailless areas between
these trails that exist as de facto wilderness already.
The proposed “Two Moose Mountains Wilderness” shown on this map unifies these trailless segments
into a continuous protected area roughly 50,000 - 60,000 acres in size, including most of the northern
half of the wild forest from Wells to Stony Creek. In addition to the two Moose Mountains that give
the area its name—one near NY 8 in Griffin, the other in Stony Creek—landmarks include Pine Orchard, Lizard Pond, and Mount Blue.
Human use of this area appears to be quite light. The most popular destinations within the proposed
wilderness boundaries are Lizard Pond (site of the area’s only lean-to), Kibby Pond, Cod Pond, and
Pine Orchard. All of these are somewhat peripheral in nature. Unmarked trails lead to or toward Eagle Pond, Little Joe Pond, Shiras Pond, and New Lake. There are also several snowmobile trails in the
area that seem to attract no attention of any kind.
To create a wilderness of this size, several of these snowmobile trails would need to be reclassified for
foot travel, including the Oregon Trail, Bartman Trail, and Girard Trail. In my explorations of the area
I have observed very little machine use of these trails, particularly those that connect with the town
of Johnsburg. The Bartman and Lizard Pond trails are in poor condition and are clearly not valued
as snowmobile connections, despite plans to revive one or the other as such. On the other hand, the
Arrow Trail and the road to Baldwin Spring are not affected by the wilderness designation, and these
could be retained as part of a viable snowmobile connector between Warren and Hamilton counties.
The Two Moose Mountains region includes a variety of forest types, with areas that exhibit old growth
conditions in the southern stretches, and with stands that are recovering from past forest fires in
the north. Several mountains offer outstanding vistas, although none have trails. The interior ponds
are small, but they all feature productive fisheries. Stewart Creek, which traces a V-shaped course
through the wilderness, can be canoed by anyone willing to make the long carry to Fish Ponds.
Although the motivation for designating this potential wilderness is to preserve and enhance the
primitive character of its central core, there is nevertheless room for recreational development. For
instance, realignments of the existing trail system could result in more desirable point-to-point traverses of the area, and new trails to Mount Blue and the eastern Moose Mountain would entice more
people to seek out the superlative vistas found on those peaks. The interior of the wilderness may be
remote, but there is no reason why certain selected destinations cannot be managed as recreational
assets.
Some portions of the wilderness were farmed in the nineteenth century, but overall the area is remarkably wild today. However, its wilderness qualities are threatened by the state’s allowance of
four-wheel-drive motor vehicle use on “roads” north and west of Baldwin Spring, which are so rough
that they are impassable to ordinary automobiles, and therefore possibly non-conforming under the
SLMP. Vehicles must ford East Stony Creek to reach these routes, where there is a risk of damage to
the surrounding wetlands. This is a harmful and inappropriate use of a remote section of the Forest
Preserve, and the wilderness reclassification would require DEC to bring it to an end.
Baldwin Spring
Wilcox Lake
CRANE MOUNTAIN PRIMITIVE AREA
The state lands on Crane Mountain are far too small to
qualify for wilderness consideration, but nevertheless its
rugged nature and high-elevation terrain make it worthy
of attention. A primitive classification would be appropriate for this area, which has no non-conforming uses—although there is illegal ATV traffic between Crystal Brook
and Crane Mountain Pond.
JERSEYFIELD-TEFFT WILDERNESS
The name of this proposed wilderness reflects the two
main tracts that comprise it: the Jerseyfield Patent to
the south, and the Tefft Tract to the north. Jerseyfield
was logged in the early twentieth century, although WWI
triggered a labor and supply shortage that put that operation out of business. The Tefft Tract was never logged
and contains a virgin forest—the primary motivation for
designating this wilderness area. The privately-owned
Brayhouse Gore nearly bisects the area, and several
inholdings are accessed by motor vehicles, but the area is
otherwise large enough to justify reclassification.
RICHARDS VLY WILDERNESS
Although surrounded by snowmobile trails, the interior state lands are essentially trailless and contain no
non-conforming uses. It is characterized by extensive
streams and wetlands.
Whitehouse
SILVER LAKE WILDERNESS
27
Although the SLMP anticipates the closure of West River Road to
Whitehouse at some future date, it seems unlikely that such a closure could ever be effected without engendering much local ire. DEC’s
unit management plan proposed that only the final 0.7 mile be closed
to motor vehicles—too little to impress wilderness advocates, but
enough to rouse opposition.
While the heart of the Silver Lake Wilderness would undoubtedly
become remoter (and the wilderness experience therefore enhanced)
if West River Road didn’t exist, I must concede that the Whitehouse
parking area does make a practical trailhead. The proposed 0.7-mile
closure would be a mere incremental gain for the wilderness core at
best—not necessarily worth the effort of closing one parking area and
clearing a new one.
However, the goal of enhancing the core of the Silver Lake Wilderness could be achieved by other methods. This map proposes a minor
wild forest reclassification in the strip of land between West River
Road and the West Branch Sacandaga River, and a much larger
wilderness reclassification in adjacent state lands in Fulton County.
Roughly 12,000 - 15,000 acres of the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest
exist in a primitive state and could be managed in accordance with
wilderness guidelines. This addition includes Chase Lake, County Line
Lake, and Eastman Lake, but stops short of the snowmobile trail connecting Bleecker and Caroga.
WEST STONY CREEK WILDERNESS
This small wilderness can be designated by combining
part of a recently-acquired Finch Pruyn parcel with part
of the existing Shaker Mountain Wild Forest. The unit
features one pond, several miles of West Stony Creek,
and at least three mountains with noteworthy views.
There are no non-conforming uses.
Chase Lake
BLUE RIDGE WILDERNESS
Although of moderate size, the Blue Ridge Wilderness does include
an outstanding core area that is admirably difficult to access. However, the southern corner of the wilderness is delineated by a rather
arbitrary boundary that does not follow any natural landmarks or
connote any ecological changes.
Therefore this map proposes a significant expansion of the wilderness to the southwest, placing Cellar Mountain and Sumner Stream
under protection. Although old logging roads may be found in this
region, the only existing trail is the route to Cellar Pond. A primitive
corridor would need to be added for private access to two inholdings
between Mohegan Lake and Bear Pond.
Additionally, this map suggests a wild forest reclassification for
portions of Wakely Mountain, where there appears to be no public interest in removing a non-conforming fire tower. A practical boundary
should be established along ridge lines or watershed lines, replacing
the Wakely Mountain Primitive Area designation.
WEST CANADA LAKE WILDERNESS
This is one of the Adirondacks’ most superlative areas, protecting a
plateau of high-elevation lakes that have no parallel. This is a cool,
damp region rich in balsam fir, red maple, and spruce. Mountain-ash
occurs as a forest species, but white pine and hemlock are restricted
to the lower, more peripheral valleys and slopes.
The West Canada region has long been prized as a haven for remoteness and solitude, and there are real opportunities to enhance these
qualities by making numerous boundary adjustments: removing the
non-conforming Otter Brook corridor and merging the Little Moose
Wilderness; adding “Little” Indian Lake, where road access has
already been curtailed; adding acreage near the Miami River and
Lewey Lake; and adding acreage near G Lake and Pine Lake.
Minor rollbacks are required in two places, including Snowy Mountain and Falls Brook, where a portion of the Lewey Lake Campground
appears to fall within wilderness boundaries.
With all of these adjustments made, the West Canada Lake Wilderness would cover an impressive 190,000 acres—making it the premier wilderness for the southern Adirondacks, and an outstanding
resource with few peers. All management actions should regard this
area as a sensitive resource where human impacts need to be minimized.
Wakely Mtn
Snowy Mtn
Little Moose Mtn
Miami River
G Lake
HA-DE-RON-DAH WILDERNESS
As originally envisioned in the 1960s, the “Big Otter Lake Wilderness” would have included 28,100 acres,
with its namesake lake forming the centerpiece. However, when the wilderness was actually designated
in 1972 much of the western area was omitted for the benefit of motorized recreation, and Big Otter Lake
became a portion of the boundary, not the protected core.
Unfortunately, the western boundary of Ha-de-ron-dah is not practically located, and motorized trespass
is very common—especially at Pine Lake and the outlet of Big Otter Lake, where there are no physical
barriers to prevent snowmobiles from venturing into the protected area. This is not so much the fault of the
riders, but more an indication that an arbitrary boundary line near an active riding area deep in the woods
was an ineffective choice.
Additionally, ATV trespass at Big Otter Lake has been a perennial issue; such use is intolerable even in the
wild forest designation. However, the state has never taken measures to assert its management authority
over the area and to prevent resource degradation. Meanwhile, the Forest Preserve suffers.
In this case, the wilderness designation can be a tool to compel corrective action. As drawn on this map,
the western Ha-de-ron-dah boundary is moved to a “frontcountry” location where there can be better
oversight, and Big Otter is placed squarely within the expanded wilderness. The routes to Pine and Big
Otter would become foot and ski trails; the Centennial Ski Trails to the west, which are infrequently used,
could be converted into snowmobile trails to offset this loss.
Additionally, the Browns Tract Road Primitive Area (named for an historic wagon route) should also be
designated to the south of Ha-de-ron-dah. The access trail to Copper Lake divides it from the wilderness.
COTTON LAKE WILDERNESS
Currently part of the Black River Wild Forest, this 25,000-acre area is encircled by roads and snowmobile
trails, but despite these uses it remains a wild resource. Its distinguishing features are the many miles of
streams that flow through the forest like arteries, many of them flowing into Little Black Creek. Ponds
include Cotton Lake, Twin Lakes, North Branch Lake, and Burp Lake—all of them quite small.
The area has only one marked trail, which leads from Farr Road to an old dam at the outlet of Twin Lakes.
For a few years this dam created a shallow reservoir used as part of a network of “Canal Lakes” that supplied water to the Erie and Black River canals, but the masonry structure has long since been breached.
The Twin Lakes trail is officially designated for snowmobile use, but it has been years since a snowmobile
has tried to reach the lakes. Even foot traffic is very low.
Much of this forest was impacted by the 1950 hurricane, and the logging roads that crisscross the wilderness near North Wilmurt appear to date from the post-storm salvage operations. Some of these routes
make excellent hiking paths today, particularly the ones leading to Twin Lakes Marsh and Cotton Lake.
Near Black Creek Lake, local hunters maintain a network of footpaths leading to Burp Lake and Crosby Vly.
This area is proposed for a wilderness classification because the extent of motorized use in the Nobleboro
area has created a misperception for the entire region. There are two relatively large private inholdings at
Black Creek and Mill Creek lakes, and smaller lots elsewhere (including two within the proposed wilderness
area). The owners access all of these properties by ATV and snowmobile, and sometimes this motor vehicle
use strays off the approved corridors. Furthermore, a DEC proposal to open a road from Nobleboro to South
Lake would permit automobile access into the deep interior, increasing the human presence in places that
are now miles from the nearest highway. The wilderness designation would not necessarily reduce motorized use of the region, but it would preserve the remaining wild core against these threats, while calling
attention to an oft misunderstood part of the Forest Preserve.
Inter-Community Snowmobile Corridors
This map is a partial listing of inter-community snowmobile trails in
the Adirondacks, particularly those that are adjacent to the wilderness expansions proposed in this report. Its intent is to show that
even if all of the recommendations were realized, there would not
necessarily be an impact on these corridors.
Map by Bill Ingersoll
33
T
Conclusion
he intent of this report
has been to illustrate
how a substantial
amount of potential
wilderness exists in the Adirondacks, beyond what has already
been designated by state agencies. Our wild forests harbor
numerous tracts that exhibit
wilderness qualities, although
because they are not recognized as wilderness there is little
obligation to maintain them as
such. It is my hope that this report leads to a new understanding about the Forest Preserve
among members of the public,
the wilderness advocacy community, and state employees—
and perhaps also to a strategy
to ensure the preservation of
these places.
The conventional
thought is that new wilderness
areas cannot be designated
without further land acquisition.
While the state should continue
to work toward completing the
Forest Preserve by purchasing
certain key tracts and access
points, this effort should never
overshadow our stewardship
of existing public lands. If these
additional areas were designated (and certain substandard
areas reclassified) then the outstanding network of Adirondack
wilderness areas could become
truly superlative.
Wilderness is important
not just for preserving remote
forests, but for the quality of life
of those who live near it. It is a
species of public land classification that is impossible to recreate in more developed regions.
For instance, there are no wilderness-quality lands in Albany
County or Monroe County or
Onondaga County. Wilderness
(as defined by federal law and
state policy) cannot be experienced in a suburban park or
state reforestation area, which
lack the requirements of size
and remoteness. The experience
of camping in a state park in no
way compares to a primitive
tent site miles from the nearest
road.
Wilderness is, however,
abundant in the Adirondack
Park, and every last acre that
qualifies for protection deserves
consideration. This report identifies where these places are.
About the Author
Bill Ingersoll has hiked and backpacked in
the wildernesses of Montana, Wyoming,
New Mexico, and California, but feels
most at home in the grand forests of the
Adirondacks. He became a co-author
for the Discover series in 2000 and has
now become the series’ publisher.
He is the author of Snowshoe Routes:
Adirondacks and Catskills, and his articles
and photos have appeared in Adirondack
Explorer, Adirondack Sports & Fitness, and
Adirondack Life magazines. Ingersoll has
served on the conservation committees
for several organizations, and in 2014 he
established the Adirondack Wilderness
Explorers group on Meetup. You will find
him exploring the North Country with
his dog Lexie in all four seasons, by trail,
snowshoe, and canoe.
Photo by Jessica Fitzgerald
Get Out. Seek Out.
FIND OUT.
www.HikeTheAdirondacks.com