Guide to Horseback Riding in the Adirondacks, New York with trails, maps of entire Adirondack Park.

Horseback Riding Trails in the Adirondack Park

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Essex County Franklin County Glens Falls Area
Lewis County St. Lawrence County Warren County

Horseback Riding Trails in Essex County

Cold River Horse Trail System:

One of the most remote regions in the state, the Cold River area provides a study in contrasts between the high peaks of the Seward and Santononi Ranges and the low lands adjacent to the Cold River. This area is located in southern Franklin County and the northern part of Essex County. The area was closed to the public until the summer of 1955 as a result of the extreme fire hazard which existed, due to the great hurricane of 1950.

WARNING: The trails in the Cold River Region pass through remote wilderness areas and caution is advised in order that injuries or accidents may be avoided. Wet and muddy trails and creek crossings are common. Do not over extend yourself or your horse. Know your limitations and stay within them. Plan your trip so that you will arrive at your destination before dark.

Directions:
The Cold River Region is located in southern Franklin County and the northern part of Essex County. From Tupper Lake, take Rt. 3 east to Wawbeek Corners. Turn south on the Ampersand Rd. At Stony Creek Ponds, take the left fork to the assembley area. This location is the primary access point for the Cold River System.

Trail Description:
The Cold River Horse Trail Complex is basically designed to include two loops, the shorter loop being 12.7 miles in length and the longer one 32.1 miles long, thus providing a one day ride for those who wish to return the same day, or a 2-3 day ride for those who prefer the longer trip.

12.7 Mile Loop:
From the first assembly area, tuen south and proceed over what is known as the Old Raquette Falls Rd. After passing through a gentle saddle, the trail intersects the Calkins Creek Truck Trail. Turn left on the truck trail and follow it along Calkins Creek. At 3 miles leave the truck trail by turning sharp left along marked trail which will bring you to the second parkinglot and the Ampersand Rd. Again turn left and follow the road westerly to the assembly area.

32.1 Mile Loop:
This section of trail is no more than a marked horse path and not recommended for inexperienced riders. From the parking area, again turn right and follow Old Raquette Falls Rd. to Calkins Creek Truck Trail as described in the 12.7 trip. Continue along the truck trail until Cold River is reached at Shattuck clearing. Continue south on the truck trail for about another mile and turn left on to well marked horese trail. The Cold River Trail continues easterly along the south side of Cold River to the head of the Flow where the northern lean-tos are located. Total distance of this trail is 32.1 miles.

The Santanoni Horse Trail:

This trail is located in western Essex County, just north of the town of Newcomb, between Newcomb Lake, and Moose Pond.

Directions:
The trail starts at the parking lot and assembly area just north of the gate house following the gravel road 2.3 miles to the junction of the gravel road to Newcomb Lake and Moose Pond..

Trail Description:
Follow the east fork to Newcomb Lake 2.7 miles, or the north fork 4.7 miles to Moose Pond and continue on 5.1 miles to the junction of the Cold River Trail 1.4 miles east of Moose Creek lean-to. The Cold River Trail description makes reference to this trail in a southerly direction.

The Pharaoh Lake Horse Trail System:

This trail system is located east of Schroon Lake in northern Warren County and southern Essex county in the Pharaoh Lake wilderness area, and includes the Sucker Brook Horse Trail, and Pharaoh Lake Road Trail. There are two entrances into the southern perimeter, approached by leaving I-87 at Exit 25 via Brant Lake, or leaving I-87 at Exit 26 at Pottersville.

Sucker Brook Horse Trail:

Directions:
Leave Pottersville north on Rt. 9, turn right at a sign for the Word of Life Camp. Follow a secondary road around the southern end of Schroon Lake for about 4 miles to the Village of Adirondack. At the general store in Adirondack, proceed dur east for .2 miles to a for , turn left and continue to a "T". Turn left, the road shortly ends in a parking lot at the start of the Sucker Brook horse trail.

Trail Description:
From the unloading area the trail leads north past Pine Hill and on to Sucker Brook. Here the trail turns easterly, continues alon g the south side of Sucker Brook, past Number 8 Hill crosses Desolate Brook, continuing in an easterly direction crossing Pharaoh Lake Outlet where it intersects with the Pharaoh Lake Horse Trail. Total distance is 5.8 miles.

Pharaoh Lake Horse Trail:

Directions:
Take the Adirondack Northway, I-87 to Exit 25. turn right on Route NY 8 leading to Brant Lake. Follow around the shore of Brant Lake to it's farther end. turn left on Palisades road which will continue around the end of the lake. The road will veer to the left again. Two-tenths of a mile beyond this turn, or 1.2 miles from Rt. 8 rutn right onto the Beaver Pond Rd. and proceed northerly a distance of 1 mile to an intersection with the Pharaoh Lake Rd. Turn right and travel to the unloading area.

Trail Description:
From the unloading area, the trail leads northerly to the crossing of Mill Brook and follows the south side of Pharaoh Lake Brook to the outlet of Pharaoh Lake and the intersection with the Sucker Brook horse trail to the left. The trail continues up the southern side of Pharaoh Lake for about a mile to two lean-tos. The total distance of this trail is 5.0 miles.

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Horseback Riding Trails in Franklin County

Cold River Horse Trail System:

One of the most remote regions in the state, the Cold River area provides a study in contrasts between the high peaks of the Seward and Santononi Ranges and the low lands adjacent to the Cold River. The area was closed to the public until the summer of 1955 as a result of the extreme fire hazard which existed, due to the great hurricane of 1950.

The Raquette Falls Horse Trail:

This trail brances south from the Cold River Trail 3 miles from the Ampersand Assembly Area and follows an old wagon road
1.6 miles to the Raquette Falls outpost.

Saranac Inn Horse Trail System:

This trail is located in the town of Franklin, just north-northwest of the town of Saranac Inn.

Directions:
Just west of the Saranac Inn Field Operations Headquarters on Route 30, a horse trail extends northerly to Bone Pond, a distance of 1 mile.

Trail Description:
The trail leaves Rt. 30, passing between Little Green Pond and Little Clear Pond, terminating at Bone Pond. Here also a horse trail extends the length of the Fish Pond Truck Trail. It is 5.5 miles to the Pond where the trail ends. A lean-to is located at the Pond. Three quarters of a mile farther west on Rt. 30 and again northerly, a horse trail loops northwesterly to Rat Pond, along the east shore of the pond and returning southerly to Rt. 30.

The Santononi Horse Trail:

This trail is located in western Essex County, just north of the town of Newcomb, between Newcomb Lake, and Moose Pond.

The Meacham Lake Horse Trail System:

This horse trail system is located off Rt. 30, 3.5 miles north of Paul Smiths College. Turn right onto gravel road at the intersection
of Rt. 30 and the Slush Pond Rd.; it is about .1 mile to the unloading area. There are two dead-end trips in this system.

Trip 1:
From the unloading area, travel southwesterly, across Rt. 30 and onto the Slush Pond Rd. about 1.3 miles. Turn right, the trail continues northwesterly through the forest a distance of 1.5 miles where it intersects with a town road. Turn right onto the town road. The trail continues on the town road to Route 30, where it terminates; a distance of 1.9 miles. Total distance 4.7 miles.

Trip 2:
From the unloading area, travel southeast on the gravel road a short distance. Here the trail leaves the road and turns left onto a gated truck trail. The route continues along the truck trail a distance of 1.3 miles, to an intersection with a trail to the left. Here you may elect to follow either route. You may continue on the truck trail a distance of 1.5 miles to its terminus at Hays Brook. Turning left off the truck trail, the trail heads easterly crossing Hays Brook on a plank bridge and continues northerly a distance of 2.4 miles to an old sheep meadow where two lean-tos and a horsebarn are located.

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Horseback Riding Trails in Glens Falls

The Lake George Horse Trail System:
This horse trail system was originally on private lands owned by the Knapp family in the early 1900's. After being acquired by NY State, a portion of the system was re-established for foot trails in the early 1960's. With a renewed interest in horseback riding, the NYS Environmental Conservation Department has refurbished nearly all the remaining trails for a total of 41.25 miles as multiple use foot and horse trails.

Directions:
Three parking areas are readily accessible from either Interstate 87, exit 20 or Rt. 4 and 149 in the Village of Fort Ann. From Fort Ann travel West on Rt. 149 5.1 miles to Buttermilk Falls Rd. Thence north 5.7 miles to the lower Hogtown parking lot and 2.8 more miles to the Hogtown parking lot. by continueing west on Rt. 149 to Rt. 9L, thence north to Pilot Knob Rd. a total distance of 7.1 miles you will approach the Pilot Knob parking area.

Trail Description:
This system is located in Washington County in the Towns of Fort Ann and Dresden. This system has trails for single lane and side by side riding on a variety of loops. The trails follow streams with waterfalls, past vistas overlooking Lake and George and large forested areas and have appropriately located lean-tos on small ponds for the rider who would like to camp overnight.

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Horseback Riding Trails in Lewis County

The Otter Creek Horse Trail:
This trail system is a series of interlocking horse trails comprising about 65 miles. They are located both on the Independence River Wild Forest Unit of the New York State Forest Preserve and on the Independence River and Otter Creek State Forests on the western border of the Adirondack Park in Lewis County.

Directions:
Take NYS Rt. 12 to Glenfield. Turn into the hamlet of Glenfield. In Glenfield turn east onto Greig Rd. Go across the Black River and in approximately 1.9 miles the road will make a T-connection with Pine Grove Rd. Turn left. Proceed 1.2 miles and take a right turn (east) onto Chases Lake Rd. The entrance to the trailhead parking will be approximately 3.4 miles on the right hand side of the road.

Trail Description:
The trail system uses a series of old, sandy roads and woods trails to traverse a beautiful diverse area with the trails winding their way along spirea flats and wooded areas , accessing picturesque Adirondack ponds and following or crossing Otter, Little Otter, Beaver Meadow, Chase, Burnt and Crooked Creeks and the Independence River. The entire area is populated with wildlife, and with the trail passing through a variety of habitats you are likely to see deer, bear, coyote, fox, grouse, wild turkey, snowshoe hare and a wide variety of bird life. Catspaw Lake and Pitcher Pond often have resident or migratory wild fowl on them.

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Horseback Riding Trails in St. Lawrence County

Brasher Falls
The Brasher Falls Trail System is 57 miles in length and is located in the town of Brasher. It lies primarily on Brasher State Forest managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The Tri-Town horse trail system is still being developed, and much of the trails at this time, follow the snowmobile trails, that are described below.

This system may be entered at several different locations. The first location is Meyers Rd. off Brasher Center Rd. (County Rd. #53) just north of Brasher Center. Meyers Rd. is a town road. Another location is the easterly end of Meyers Rd. at County Rt. 55. The system may also be entered at the McCarthy Rd. To the east of the Deer River another trail system can be entered via County Rd. 55. Both systems have a series of interconnecting trails which give the rider a wide selection of loop lengths from which to choose.

Whipporwill Corners Trail System

These trails are located one mile south of the Village of Russell on Whipporwill Corners State Forest. The .9 mile Plumb Brook trail follows Plumb Brook, a popular fishing stream. There are several entrances to the trail system. The Plumb Brook Trail can be entered off the Burnell Rd. close to the Edwards-Russell Rd. (County Rd. 24). There is a parking area on the east side of the road. The trail crosses Plumb Brook by way of a bridge (temporarily out) then continues southward .9 miles until it crosses the brook again over another bridge. This portion of the trail leads to the DeGrasse-Russell Rd., at which point the trail may also be entered. There are several miles of trails suitable for horses.

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Horseback Riding Trails in Warren County

The Pharaoh Lake Horse Trail System:

Sucker Brook Horse Trail:

Pharaoh Lake Horse Trail:

Luzerne Campground and Horse Trail System:
The Luzerne Campground is located 8 miles SW of Lake George Village on Rt. 9N. It is easily reached from the Adirondack Northway, Interstate 87, by Exit 21. There is a special camping area for equestrians. This includes a barn and corral with a watering trough, and tent and trailer sites equipped with fireplaces and tables located in a nearby grove of pines.

Directions:
The trail travels north-northeast of the campground, crossing Rt. 9, then continuing northwest for a time before turning east. To get to the north side of Rt.9N from the campground, the rider may pass under the highway where Stewart Creek flows through a large concrete culvert. If one plans to cross the highway or ride along it, extreme caution should be used as Rt. 9N is a heavily traveled route.

Trail Description:
There are approximately 5 miles of marked trails on State land; however, these do continue onto rather extensive systems on surrounding private lands which are used by nearby Dude Ranches. From open hardwoods to groves of white pine the trails traverse a variety of terrain, such as the flat easy going along Stewart Creek or a rather stiff climb which leads to a vista where one may look back over the campground and Fourth Lake.

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