- John O’Neill Green Meadow Park & Beach
- Lens Lake Canoe Access & Parking
- Harrisburg Lake Canoe Access
- Stony Creek Fishing Access & Parking
- Trail Head into the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
& Parking
- Trail Head Parking for:
- State Land 1.4 Miles
- Arrow Trail 2.2 Miles
- Wilcox Lake 5.1 Miles (2 Lean-tos)
- Brownell Lake 8.3 Miles
- Willis Lake 10.3 Miles
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Fishing
Extensive brook trout fishing is available (in season)
on 600 acre Wilcox Lake ( SNY stocked) located in the
western portion of Stony Creek. Wilcox Lake outlet eventually
drains into East Stony Creek which is the main watershed
of Forest Preserve Land in the western portion of the
Town where a native brook trout fishery exists. Most of
the year- round tributaries East Stony Creek also contain
brook trout.
The Stony Creek (actual stream) watershed in the central
and eastern portions of the Town, drains easterly into
the Hudson River and is stocked annually with either brook
trout or brown trout. There are several locations where
access to Stony Creek is available for fisherman. Brook
trout season extends from April 1 through October 15 of
each year. Additional site specific fishing regulations
may exist and ice fishing is closed for these trout streams
and lakes in the Town of Stony Creek.
Another popular fishing destination for fishermen year
round is Harrisburg Lake located at the extreme western
end of the Harrisburg Road. This approximately 700 acre
warm water lake is accessible from the adjacent highway
causeway and supports a variety of bass, pickerel and
other warm water fish. Harrisburg Lake is open most of
the winter for ice fishing for pickerel and is a great
location for families due to the high pickerel numbers
and subsequent increased ice fishing tip-up activity.
Hunting
Stony Creek is well know for its remote
big game hunting in the Adirondacks of New York State.
Extensive public land available in the Town offers typical
Adirondack deer and bear hunting in the fall with a variety
of big game seasons running from mid- September through
the first week of December. Deer populations average only
about 2 deer per square mile, but each year about 6-8
large bucks in excess of 200 ponds are harvested in addition
to many large racked smaller deer. Early bear seasons
starting in mid September, big game archery and muzzle
loading seasons provide for a variety of opportunities
throughout the fall for big game hunters in the Town of
Stony Creek.
Small game seasons in the Town include grouse, varying
hare, (snow-shoe rabbit), squirrel, wild turkey, coyote,
fox, and bobcat.
Snowmobiling
An extensive system of snowmobile trails exist within
the Town of Stony Creek that interface with trails in
the adjoining towns. Primarily associated with the Warren
County snowmobile trail system, opportunities exist for
snowmobilers to travel extensive distances on both groomed
and ungroomed trails. 11 miles of public snowmobile trails
connect with hundreds of miles of trails in adjoining
towns in the Warren County area. In general these trails
are in there best and most accessible condition after
the region accumulates in excess of 12 inches of snow,
usually beginning in January.
Hiking
Most of the public hiking trails in Stony Creek are associated
with the extensive State Forest Preserve Lands available
in the Town. All of the snowmobile trails are open to
hiking and access many of the popular locations (lakes,
ponds, vistas, etc.) An excerpt from the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation’s Draft
Unit Management Plan for the 124,643 acre Wilcox Lake
Wild Forest contains this description of hiking opportunities
in the area:
VISUAL AND SCENIC RESOURCES/LAND PROTECTION
The natural landscape of the WLWF (Wilcox Lake Wild
Forest) is an important scenic resource that draws visitors
to the unit and adds to the unit’s recreational
appeal. The WLWF affords a variety of open vistas and
scenic views, each dramatic and unique. Wetlands, mature
forests, roaring headwater streams, and rocky, open
summits ringed with cliffs add to the quality of visitors’
experiences, whether they are driving down Rte. 8 on
a Sunday afternoon, fishing for trophy brook trout in
a small, unnamed beaver pond, or snowshoeing up Mount
Blue. Author Lincoln Barnett summed it up best in his
1974 classic book, The Ancient Adirondacks, stating
that within the unit,
“...there are deep, silent forests, plunging
ravines and gorges, tumbling waterfalls, still lakes,
soaring mountains, and bird-haunted wetlands.”
One does not necessarily need to hike great distances
to enjoy the visual resources of the WLWF; the accessibility
of many of the unit’s most scenic areas is excellent.
And while many of the unit’s most stunning sights
are readily available to anyone willing to take a drive
down one of the many roads in and around the unit, the
WLWF still provides endless opportunities for backcountry
scenic vistas. In many places, users seeking the deep
sense of solitude generally offered by Wilderness areas
can get away from the crowds of people typically present
at the unit’s more popular destinations such as
Hadley Mountain in Hadley, and look upon vast expanses
of natural area seemingly untrammeled by man, typical
of Baldhead Mountain in Stony Creek. “
All the opportunities for hiking in the Town of Stony
Creek can be converted in wintertime to a day of snowshoeing
or cross-country skiing in some beautiful wintertime settings.
Camping
Camping in Stony Creek is primarily oriented toward the
public accessible State Forest Preserve. Approximately
8 (state designated) primitive campsites are located along
the Bakertown Road leading into the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest
from the vicinity of Harrisburg Lake in Stony Creek. There
are also two hiking accessible lean-tos located on the
shoreline of Wilcox Lake. Primitive tent camping on State
Forest Preserve else ware is limited to a minimum distance
of 150 feet from roads, trails, streams and water bodies
by Art. 9 of the NYS Environmental Conservation Law.
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