HUDSON RIVER SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA aka Buttermilk, & the BEAR SLIDES hiking, camping, biking.

 

The good: no cell service, lookouts to bushwhack to, free primitive camping.  The bad: people who don't appreciate nature (best to visit Mon-Thu before Memorial & after Labor Day weekends if you prefer tranquility & being one with nature).

May 21, 2023 - NUMBER SEVEN & HUCKLEBERRY MOUNTAINS hike from the end of Alden Ave, SW of Warrensburg. A relatively recent addition to the Forest Preserve with no marked trails but lots of old logging roads makes for fairly easy access to this area. Started by going past a gate & soon made a L on a lesser dirt road (going straight on the better dirt road soon leads to private land - guess how I know). The old logging road is quite obvious for at least 1.5 miles. A beaver pond is on the L - saw ducks & geese. Further on, beaver have flooded the route at one point but the beaver dam was walkable. Lots of bluets & violets (bigger violet ones & small white ones). Headed N on an old skid road then steeply up open woods to #7's rocky spine where there are views of Hadley, Baldhead, Moose, & Crane Mtns, with the Hudson River down below. Black flies not much of a problem while we were walking but  were swarming when we stopped, things were better when the wind picked up. Hit the wooded summit then back down to the main logging road, crossed the beaver dam then bushwhacked up Huckleberry. There were old skid roads all over the place. The summit area was very parklike & there was some lovely birdsong. Roamed around a bit but could only find one spot with a bit of a view. Found 2 piles of moose scat. Back down & out. Temp rising from the mid-50s & up to 70. 6.7 miles, 1110' el gain, 4.4 hours.

May 23-25 (Mon-Wed), 2022 - Camped 2 nights at campsite #9 (fire ring, picnic table, thunderbox, small brook for water source) - the area is very popular on weekends & holidays (bad campers tend to leave a lot of trash behind).  After setting up camp, I biked to Rockwell Falls & Lake Luzerne (watched 2 loons that spent more time underwater than above water).  River Rd is half dirt/gravel & half paved - there are views of the river along the way & some other points of interest like a Methodist cemetery (people that were born in the 1700s & died in the 1800s) & a memorial to a 15-year-old who died in a tubing-bus accident.  ~15 miles.  Enjoyed quiet time & campfire in the evening.  Very light black fly & mosquito activity - sprayed some 15% picaridin on exposed skin & I was ok.

                                                                                                    Day 2 - Hiked to GAY POND.  Bushwhacked uphill from campsite to Gay Pond Rd, a dirt 4WD road/trail - that took a half-hour.  Continued uphill on the rough road with Buttermilk Brook on the R.  Trees mostly deciduous, wildflowers included bluets, violets (incl. small white ones).  Saw a deer.  Passed several old woods roads that turned off the main route.  2 bear L to poor campsites on Gay Pond, a small beaver pond with a mucky shoreline.  Lots of birdsong, a merganser hanging out at water's edge, woodpecker tapping away, a dragonfly landed near me.  Also heard the tremolo of a loon flying in the distance.  Headed back but stayed on Gay Pond Road all the way - saw no one until past campsite #11 - a guy doing video of his Jeep Rubicon that he did not want to get any mud on!  9 miles, 5 hours.  Hung out at camp the rest of the day.  Light bf & skeeter activity - I did not use any bug dope & the bug shirt went unemployed.

                                Day 3 - more biking in the area & packed out.  

Oct 12, 2021 - Bike & short hike/bushwhack in the HUDSON RIVER SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.  The area was deserted before noon.  On my way back out I saw the ranger drive thru & 4 cars at the 2 Bear Slides parking areas.

July 28, 2021 - THE BEAR SLIDES at the HRSMA (aka Buttermilk).  Despite welcome cooler temps (high in low 70s), I was slow getting going today so needed to do something easy.  From parking area #6, walked S on River Rd (dirt) then took a L on Bear Slide Rd (gated, accessible permit can drive past) which climbed moderately at first then became more gentle.  Passed 2 accessible campsites & soon arrived at the bottom of the Slides.  Hung out for a while in the sun at the top of the slides then walked the trail on the N side further upstream where there are many nice cascades.  Straight down the steeper trail to #6 to complete the loop.  Side-trip to the Hudson River at Darling's Ford - people must have had a party there, left several bags of trash - it's only ~150' to the parking area!  Biked (fairly easy mountain biking the dirt road) River Rd between Thomas Rd & campsite #10 (more trash that critters had already gotten into) - nice views of the river, tubing business was hopping, saw several busloads go by.  3.1 miles, 1.8 hours hiking.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/53165.html

June 1, 2019 - NUMBER SEVEN MOUNTAIN.  Hudson River Special Management Area, Lake George WF.  Easy start & finish on the Buttermilk Rd Ext Trail (600' el.) but tough bushwhack up & down the mountain but worth the effort due to a 200 degree view, there is an open rocky ridge SW of the summit - S to Kayaderosseras Range plateau, Hadley Mtn, Crane Mtn with 11th & Gore to each side, Hudson River & 1000 Acres Ranch Resort below.  Where did the black flies go?  Mosquitoes were swarming in the woods - I suspect they ate the black flies.  A light breeze on ledges near the 1,750' summit was helpful.  #7 has private land on 3 sides which means the final ascent has to be from the N.  Too bad the state has not marked any trails to any of the viewpoints in the HRSMA.  7.3 miles, 4.5 hours.  (since this trip, the state acquired land E of the mountain & there is now easier access from Alden Ave)

 

May 27, 2019 – BEAR SLIDES & JOE BAKER SAG.  Hudson River Special Management Area. From Buttermilk Rd took a R at Parking Area 6 on red trail, soon passed campsite #6 (spacious, thunderbox, no picnic table), 1 steep uphill, arrived at bottom of slides after 0.4 miles.  Continued following Buttermilk Brook upstream, often leaving the trail to stay close to the stream.  Crossed Gay Pond Rd (dirt, wet ruts) & picked up an overgrown old logging road on the other side going NE.  Kept going uphill & turned more N when things got steeper – very open hardwoods with some rock slabs & grassy areas.  The summit (~1,500' el.) of the hill SE of JBS was park-like.  Heard a red-bellied woodpecker.  Dropped 150' to the WSW to some ledges with views similar to yesterday's – Hadley, Moose, etc & the river.  Less breeze today so black flies (not biting) kept me company during lunch.  Dropped down to the N thru open softwoods & picked up a stream at JBS & decided to follow that down to the NW.  Soon ran into a good old road & walked that down with view of stream and a waterfall on my R.  Reached Buttermilk Rd Ext & took a R to take a look at where the brook runs into the Hudson River by an island.  Back the other way, 1.1 miles to driveable road (& tubers getting ready to put in) which I walked 2+ more easy miles back to camp (600' el.).  7.7 miles, 4.6 hours.

May 26 – BEAR SLIDES & “BUTTERMILK HILL” hike. Hudson River Special Management Area. From winter parking area (600' el.), took a R on Bear Slide Rd, a nice smooth gravel lane, passed around gate (handicapped are allowed to drive w/permit) & 2 accessible campsites. Gentle uphill for 1 mile to bottom of 300' slide on Buttermilk Brook & 2 picnic tables. Walked up R side of brook a ways then headed off-trail very steeply uphill SE up “Buttermilk Hill”, mostly open softwoods. Summit at ~1,350', some black flies here. SW down a ridge where I hunted for ledges w/views – found a nice view spot for lunch @ ~1,100', a good warm breeze kept the bugs away; could see the fire tower on Hadley Mtn to the W, Moose & Baldhead Mtns to the NW & river valley to the S. Found an even better ledge before returning. Hit BB further upstream than where I left it earlier, flatter up here, on the way down some nice falls well above the slides. Flowering: bluets, wood anemone, fringed polygala, foamflower, Canada lily, violets, starflower, honeysuckle down low; blueberry & wild columbine up high. Temp hit 80F. 5 miles, 4.1 hours. Not too buggy overall but some black flies did join me for dinner back at camp, some mosquitoes & no-see-ums, too. A large group of tubers went by on the river escorted by guides in duckies.

See Discover the Southern Adirondacks by Bill Ingersoll for more details.

May 25, 2019 - “BUTTERMILK”  aka HUDSON RIVER SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA.  Lake George Wild Forest, between Warrensburg & Lake Luzerne – elevations range between 600' & 1,950'.  Camped at site #5 on River Rd (dirt in this area) – picnic table, outhouse, fire ring amongst white pines, across the road from the Hudson River which was moving along swiftly (Hadley gauge 6'), some road noise (CR 1 is on other side of river).  Got there late Friday afternoon, checked out #7 & #8 (too far of a walk from car), #9 was taken; road (called Buttermilk Rd now) started to get rough, then there was a soft spot with deep ruts so I turned around ~0.2 miles before the end & set up at #5.   #6, 7 (had a brush teepee set up, trash around thunderbox), 8 (bit of a walk from parking to site) & 9 (sweet, natural amphitheater, picnic table, stream, limited river view, thunderbox), are further from paved roads & quieter.  Campsites are spread out with good privacy.  On this holiday weekend, many other vehicles came in in the evening, either looking for campsites or places to party?  Rode my bike into Luzerne on Saturday (half dirt, half paved; fairly flat) with views of the Hudson – 7 miles, one way – checked out Rockwell Falls + campsites #1 & #2 (at riverside but buggy & not very nice) & #3 & #4 (nice, river beach, longer walk, buggy, somebody has tipped over both outhouses!) – mosquitoes attacked whenever I stopped.  Mostly bug-free in camp.  Check for ticks.  

The whip-poor-will.  Starts in with its “song” at twilight & goes all night thru dawn – a repetitive WI-pur-WEEW, the same thing over & over.  Most of my Adirondacking has been above 1,000' elevation & I don't remember ever hearing this there so I assume the wpw is a low land species.

Turkeys.

Paddling the Hudson River from Thurman to Hadley/Luzerne.

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