PLACES TO EXPLORE

One evening awhile back, enjoying a campfire together after a day outside, a few of our volunteers got thinking. One of them thought out loud, “Wouldn’t it be great to be able to hike all the way through the middle of Tug Hill?” Over time that idea became a plan, partners were engaged, and now the plan is becoming a reality. It’s an amazing vision and community effort unfolding before our eyes.

To date, 10 miles of the trail are complete, running south from Tug Hill Wildlife Management Area in the Town of Montague and intersecting first with the G&W Road, then Michigan Mills Road in the Town of West Turin. Once complete it will extend over 20 miles, passing wetlands, overlooking streams, and zigzagging through deep hemlock groves.

As the region’s first trail of its kind, the Tug Hill Traverse Trail is a non-motorized, moderately difficult hiking trail connecting the Towns of Montague and Osceola. Views of the East Branch of Fish Creek, wetlands teaming with birds, and craggy rock outcroppings are just a few of the trail’s highlights.

The trail design and implementation are being overseen by Bob McNamara, THTLT volunteer extraordinaire, with teams of amazing seasonal volunteers, and the support of our partners: the Black River Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Tug Hill Commission, and The Nature Conservancy.

Please plan ahead, stay on the marked trail, carry out what you carry in, and have a wonderful excursion in the big woods!

Trail map and location coordinates here.