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.