Hike or Bike the Lakes Region of Bluestone Wild Forest

OVERVIEW
	Type of Trails:	100% DEC Trails
	Parking Area :	Onteora Lake - inner Parking Area - 15 cars
	Parking Area :	Onteora Lake - outer Parking Area - 30 cars
	Parking Area :	Onteora Lake - Morey Hill Road Roadside Parking - 15 cars
	Parking Area :	Onteora Lake - Morey Hill Road DEC gate to Quarry Road - 1 car
	Camp sites:	(Several) near western shoreline of Onteora Lake
	Camp sites:	(Several) above ledge of western Onteora Lake
	Camp sites:	(2) at junction of Red Elf Loop
	Camp sites:	(2) at end of Onteora Lake Loop by shoreline
	Winter Access:	Onteora Lake - Outer Parking Area
	Winter Access:	Morey Hill Road - Roadside Parking
	Trail :	Onteora Lake Trail
	Trail :	Red Elf Trail
	Trail :	Bluestone Loop
	Trail :	Turnpike Trail (runs from Onteora Lake inner parking area TO Morey Hill Road)
	Trail :	Pickerel Pond Trail
	Trail :	Hidden Pond Trail (Runs from SE end of Pickerel Pond to SE Bluestone Loop
	Trail :	Quarry Loop
	Trail :	Quik Loop
	Access Methods:	Mountain Bike, Foot, ski, snowmobile and Snowshoe
	Best Time to Hike:	Anytime
	Best Time to Bike:	Anytime
	Difficulty:	Easy
	DEC Trail Map:	DEC Bluestone Wild Forest Map (free)
	Digital Mapper:	Topo     Terrain     Satellite

Notes About the Bluestone Wild Forest

The way the DEC marked the trails in the Bluestone Wild Forest is very different then anywhere else in New York State. In the beginning, when there were only a few trails, they were marked with the traditional Blue, Red, and Yellow Trail Markers. When they Open Space Institute acquired more land for the Bluestone Wild Forest in June of 2020, they had to come up with another way of marking the trails. So, the Lakes Region would have Blue, Red, and Yellow Trail Markers. Some Trails have numbers (1 to 9) on the Trail Markers. The Southern Region would have ONLY Yellow Trail Markers with number (1-to-9) on them. The Wintergreen Region would have ONLY Red Trail Markers with numbers (1-to-9) on them. But, recently they started to mix colors in the Wintergreen Region. All the trails now have names, and most people just look for the Trail Name. It is a little confusing, but the Trail Name seems to work best. But, some people use both the Trail Marker color/number and/or the Trail Name.

Parking Areas in the Bluestone Wild Forest

Onteora Lake - DEC Outer Parking Area Holds 30 cars. Plowed in Winter. 41.9815, -74.085567 Onteora Lake - DEC Inner Parking Area Holds 15 cars. NOT plowed in Winter. 41.984033, -74.0829 Morey Hill Road - Public Roadside Parking Area Holds 15 cars. NOT Plowed in Winter. 41.9743, -74.0685 Morey Hill Road - DEC Parking by Gate to Quarry Road Holds 1 car. NOT plowed in the Winter. 41.9803, -74.065267 Jockey Hill Road - DEC Parking Area Holds 5 cars. Do NOT block gate. NOT Plowed in the Winter. 41.97605, -74.04875

	Directions to ONTEORA LAKE DEC PARKING AREAS from Exit 19 (Kingston)
	Onteora Lake OUTER Parking Area WGS84 (DEC): 41.9815, -74.085567 - Elevation is approximately 473 feet
	Onteora Lake OUTER Parking Area Deg/Min/Sec: N41 58 53, W74 05 08 - Elevation is approximately 473 feet
	Onteora Lake OUTER Parking Area GPS: N 41 58.890, W 74 05.134 - Elevation is approximately 473 feet
	Onteora Lake OUTER Parking Area UTM: 18N 575753 4648127 - Elevation is approximately 473 feet
	Onteora Lake INNER Parking Area WGS84 (DEC): 41.984033, -74.0829 - Elevation is approximately 441 feet
	Onteora Lake INNER Parking Area Deg/Min/Sec: N41 59 02, W74 04 58 - Elevation is approximately 441 feet
	Onteora Lake INNER Parking Area GPS: N 41 59.042, W 74 04.974 - Elevation is approximately 441 feet
	Onteora Lake INNER Parking Area UTM: 18N 575971 4648410 - Elevation is approximately 441 feet
	Take New York State Thruway to Exit 19 (Kingston).
	Take a RIGHT out of the NYS Thruway to Route 28 West.
	Go approximately 3.8 miles on Rt 28 West
	Take a RIGHT into Bluestone Wild Forest - Onteora Lakes
	When you exit Rt 28, this is the OUTER DEC Parking Area
	Go approximately 0.3 miles more into Park to the INNER DEC Parking Area

	Directions to MOREY HILL ROAD - PARKING AREAS from Exit 19 (Kingston)
	Morey Hill Road Parking Area WGS84 (DEC): 41.9743, -74.0685 - Elevation is approximately 499 feet
	Morey Hill Road Parking Area Deg/Min/Sec: N41 58 27, W74 04 06 - Elevation is approximately 499 feet
	Morey Hill Road Parking Area GPS: N 41 58.458, W 74 04.110 - Elevation is approximately 499 feet
	Morey Hill Road Parking Area UTM: 18N 577176 4647342 - Elevation is approximately 499 feet
	Take New York State Thruway to Exit 19 (Kingston).
	Take a RIGHT out of the NYS Thruway to Route 28 West.
	Go approximately 3.0 miles on Rt 28 West
	Take a RIGHT into Morey Hill Road (easy to miss, so pay attention)
	Go approximately 0.4 miles on Morey Hill Road to Roadside Parking Area on left side of road
	There is a single parking space by the DEC gate 0.4 mile further on LEFT side of road (hard to find)

MILEAGE CHART for Common Hikes in the Lakes Region
	Hike Description	Onteora-OUTER PA	Onteora-INNER PA	Morey Hill Road PA
	Red Elf & Bluestone Loops	5.68	6.26
	Onteora & Pickerel Lake Loops	4.85	5.43
	Turnpike (Onteora Lake to Morey Hill & back)	6.36	6.36
	Quarry Loop from Morey Hill PA			2.76

Hike or Bike the Lake Region of the Bluestone Wild Forest

ONTEORA LAKE Inner PARKING AREA

This is the INNER parking area by Onteora Lake. It is owned by the DEC and is also the Trail Head for access into the Lakes Region. It holds 15 cars.

LAKES REGION TRAIL HEAD
	The image on the left is the Trail Head into the Lakes Region of the Bluestone Wild Forest. The trail starts out with nice crushed bluestone with a number of beautiful view points. After approximately 1/4 mile it turns into a regular hiking trail. Most trails in the Bluestone Wild Forest are smooth. But there are a few small sections where it is rocky. If you are parking in the OUTER Parking Area, there is an unmarked Trail perpendicular to the DEC road (near gate). It is shorter, and easier to hike on.

ONTEORA LAKE LOOP TRAIL
	The image on the left is the beginning of the Onteora Lake Trail. It takes you through nice conifer forest with views of Onteora Lake in certain section off the trail. Some sections have some mini hills. Most of these can be avoided with alternate side trails. The alternate side trails were designed for mountain bikes, but hikers are allowed to use them too. The image on the right is an example of a mini-hill.

Both images were taken from the eastern part of the Onteora Lake Trail. Both provide a very nice view of Pickerel Pond where the water is open.

PICKEREL LAKE LOOP TRAIL

This is one of the nicer spots of Pickerel Pond Trail (sometimes called Pickerel Lake). This picture is take near the end of the loop.

This is the upper end of Pickerel Pond. This section tends to resemble a flooded swamp. But, still nice to view. The picture was taken from the east side of Pickerel Pond.

This is the middle section of Pickerel Pond. The picture was taken from the east side of the Pickerel Pond.

RED ELF TRAIL

This image is of the Red Elf Trail. There are a few unique spots on the trails that are nice to see. Both the Bluestone Trail and Red Elf Trail are located above Onteora Lake and Pickerel Pond. The Bluestone Trail tends to be a little rocky, so some people may not like it as much as the Red Elf Trail. But, it also have an off-shoot trail called the Hidden Pond Trail which many consider exceptional. There is a pond on the Hidden Pond Trail that is actually hidden by the large slabs of bluestone. You do not realize it is there until you are almost right next to it. There is also a nice swamp further down towards the Turnpike Trail. The Red Elf Trail is quite smooth and nice to hike or mountain bike. Definitively worth the hike around the loop.

QUARRY TRAIL
	These images are part of the Quarry Trail. There are a few conifer sections, but most of the trail is in and around the quarry.

This image shows a small section of the huge bluestone slabs that can be seen on the Quarry Trail in the Lakes Region of Bluestone Wild Forest There are some very large open sections of the bluestone slab that can be seen on the Quarry Trail. Some sections of the Quarry Trail are over small pieces of bluestone covering the trail. The trail can be windy and slow going for Mountain Bikers.

TURNPIKE TRAIL
	These two images give you an example of the Turnpike Trail that runs from Onteora Lake to Morey Hill Road. Some say that the Turnpike Trail starts from the Trail Head on the western side of Onteora Lake. Others say that it starts from the north side of Onteora Lake. It makes more sense for the Turnpike Trail to start from the Trail Head.

MOREY HILL ROAD PARKING AREA

This is the Parking Area on Morey Hill Road. It is on the eastern side of the Lake Region. This is public parking on the side of the road. You may ONLY park between the two signs. You should park on a diagonal to allow more cars to park here. It will hold about 15 cars parked on a diagonal. Do NOT park on the side of the road outside of the two parking signs. If you do, expect your car to be towed. Additionally, pay attention to the 30 MPH speed limit while traveling down the road. If you still have time and energy, the other side of Morey Hill Road is loaded with trails. The other side of the road is called the "Southern Region". ALL the trails in the Southern Region are marked with Yellow Trail Markers with numbers in the middle of the trail marker. It takes about a week to hike all the trails in the Bluestone Wild Forest. It is easy to get lost, so bring a map!

LINKS & REFERENCES for Bluestone Wild Forest

DEC Trail Map

DEC Unit-Management-Plan for Bluestone Wild Forest

• Home
• BOOKS
• HIKING
• HISTORY
• NATURE
• REVIEWS
• WATERFALLS

• Balsam Mountain
• Hunter Mtn
• Overlook Mtn
• Panther Mtn
• Peekamoose Mtn
• Red Hill
• Slide Mtn
• Tremper Mtn
• Windham High Peak

• Home Page
• About Us
• Email
• Facebook
• Forum
• Links
• News Archives
• Privacy Policy
• USGS Topo Maps
•