Trails, Tails and Tents

Red Trail Entrance

Bear Swamp State Forest
Fee: None
Pets: Yes (with leash)
Bikes, Snowmobile, Skis allowed

Resources:
New York State Parks – Bear Swamp State Forest
CNYHiking – Bear Swamp
DEC Trail Map – PDF

Trails:
Red Trail – Distance: 3.7 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Easy
Parking at Harnett Road

Blue Trail – Distance: 3.8 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
Parking at Curtin Road

Yellow Trail – Distance: 6.4 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
Parking off Iowa Road

(2013-01-13 – Advgrl) We took advantage of the January thaw and decided to visit Bear Swamp State Forest.  We opted for the red trail, which was very wet (as was to be expected) in spots.  The air temperatures were so warm today that snow made a fog like appearance that really looked surreal.  Time and foot gear cut us a little short on completing the entire red trail, but this spot will be visited again in the spring.

View along the red trail

Creek crossing the red trail

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Happy Valley - Access Road

Name: Happy Valley Wildlife Management Area
Fee: Free / Pets: Yes

GPS: N43 27.742 W75 57.910 – Park Entrance
GPS: N43 25.980 W75 57.815 – Long Pond

Trail: Ehling Trail
Length: 7.5 miles (Round Trip) / Difficulty: Easy

Additional Links:
CNY Hiking.Com Trail Review
DEC – Happy Valley Map

This 8,645 acre area is a great general recreation area.  It’s open all year but camping is by permit only after September 1st.  It’s also rumored to be a hot spot for ghost sightings.  Several access roads allow travel by foot or 4×4 to various sections of the park.

Visits:
09-26-2009 (Advgirl & Chinook) – This was our first visit to the area.  This place is an excellent area to bring your Jeep.  The roads are dirt packed and a little bumpy and wet in areas.  However, if you have a decent 4×4, you can navigate easily around major sections of the park.  We scouted out a couple of camping sites and a couple of trails that we will return to do.  We saw a few campers and ATV riders.

Happy Valley - Beaver Dam Lake

Happy Valley - Long Pond Pano

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