Tug Hill Plateau

[Little Rickie]

Moderators nix this thread if you wish. I know it's off topic.

Has anyone out there winter camped on Tug Hill? I'm trying to locate some spots for my Scout Troop to camp so we can build quinzies.

We need lots of deep snow, which Tug Hill gets (I hope) but I don't know of a lot of places to take Scouts camping.

Thanks

[ADMINISTRATOR]

No need to nix this thread. It is well within the scope of this forum. I just moved it to the "Other Places" section.

[chairrock]

First I would check wityh DEC, they should be able to tell you about the area pretty well as far as state land and camping. Also, Tug Hill is a major snowmobile destination, perhaps some of the local snowmobile clubs or even some of the snowmobile dealers could steer you in the right direction.Stay dry and warm!

[nutmeg creeker]

Another suggestion would be to visit the ADK website. One of their chapters runs an annual x-c ski outing at Tug Hill. A few emails and/or phone calls can point you in the right direction. Supposedly NO Place gets more snow than Tug Hill. This year, that doesn't mean very much. My skiis are still in the attic--LOL with your treadmill prep for the Jan trip.

[Wldrns]

Moderators nix this thread if you wish. I know it's off topic.

Has anyone out there winter camped on Tug Hill? I'm trying to locate some spots for my Scout Troop to camp so we can build quinzies.

We need lots of deep snow, which Tug Hill gets (I hope) but I don't know of a lot of places to take Scouts camping.

Thanks

Sure have. I have a small bit of land on the "hill". There is a lot of undeveloped county and state property available to wander in. Snowmobiles these days pretty much stick to the many unplowed roads where the big machines can run and kill themselves (which they do every winter). If you find yourself skiing on any such heavily travelled areas you will want to get off as soon as possible.

One of the popular, free, and (sometimes) groomed xc ski areas that you can get into is on the Carpenter Road just south of Lowville on the eastern side of Tug Hill. Whetstone Gulf State Park is also very close and is open in winter. To the north another ski area is a mile west of Barnes Corners on Route 177, where miles of trails travel another deep gorge rim. And on the western side is Winona State Park. See the DEC website for more info on these trails.

Then there's a pay as you go area in Osceola (SW side of the hill). NCPR had a radio spot this past Monday with Brian Mann and Phil Brown (Adirondack Explorer Editor) after I gave Phil this same info last week.

You might want to contact the Revolutionary Trails BSA Council out of Utica. Camp Kingsley is on the south side of the hill, between Boonville and Rome. Though not quite as much as the legendary areas farther north, it receives a lot of snow also. BSA cold weather training goes on there in January and many troops camp there each weekend. I've slept in many a quinzee there. Break your own ski trails on extensive camp property on the eskers around the back side of the lake. Cabins with woodstoves are available.

[Hakuna Matada]

As Wldrns mentioned Barnes Corners has some nice ski trails also known as Jeff 3 off from Route 177. On a trail called Electric Loop there is a lean-to that scout troops have used in the past. One year there were 5-6 igloos built around the lean-to. A shorter way in is to take Williams road from where they stop plowing it to the juntion with the trails, but the seasonal road is used heavily by snowmobiles.
Another area is a little farther south in Boylston where they hold the Tourathon ski races. There are miles of ski trails in an area that gets plenty of snow. Check out the Winona Forest Recreation Association (WFRA).
Unfortunately I heard the Carpenter Road trails are no longer being maintained due to four-wheeler damage.

[Sheldon]

Go up Rt.177 and turn left at a few houses and a church called New Boston, one blink of your eye and your through it. Stay on that road for a while until it vears around to the right. There will be a road that goes staight and that New Boston road continues around to the right. This New boston road heads off to Montigue. There is nothing in Montigue but a bar for the snowmobilers. I can not tell you the amount of hundred or thousands of acres of State land offof that road. This is pure Tug Hill land. Buying logs up there ends a few weeks after the snow starts to fly because it gets deep fast! If you go straight on the curve it brings you down to the Whetstone State Park. Hit the main road many miles down and turn right, this will bring you right to the gates of the park, if something might happen while your up on the hill camping. Get out there and have fun. Hold off a while though, that portion off Tug Hill really doesnt have more than about 6 inches of snow right now. Off toward Osceola, on the section called the Number 4, there was about a foot. It has melted with this warm weather but there is still close to that and it wont take long for it to come back.