Erwin Wildlife Management Area

Trail: Erwin Wildlife Management Area

Town: Painted Post NY. This is my hometown. I loved hiking this place because it just goes to show how this area is so rich in places to hike. Never underestimate the power of your own back yard.

Get there: Follow Beartown Rd. until it comes to a fork (after the field and stream club). Go to the right and follow the dirt road until it is blocked by a barrier with a parking lot.

My Hike: I hiked here on New Years day, the weather was mild but a bit unpredictable, at some points it was windy and at some points it was rainy, but it was always muddy. At one point I completely submerged my right foot in a hidden mud puddle, at which point my dry feet fell in love with my new Gore-Tex hiking boots. We spent 2 hours here, we hiked to the pond and looped back. To do this, follow the dirt road till you come to a trail on the left (pictured on the left).

The trail will lead you to the pond (right top), on the opposite end there is a man-made jetty and another dirt road. Follow this road till it comes to a T. Go right and it takes you back to the parking lot with a very pretty view on the way (right bottom). There is a lot more trails that we didn't have time to go on.

While there, we saw two people biking and that was it. This is really secluded and beautiful for being so close to town. This Wildlife Management Area goes heavy on the "managed" part. In some parts, diseased oaks have been cut down to make room for smaller trees. This makes it feel naked at points. Also, both ponds are man-made. The road is not exactly a trail and there are signs and barriers on parts of the road. In all though, it still feels remote and is a great hike.

Lesson learned; always over prepare, even for a little hike. We came to cook a lunch and test some of our Christmas presents (including our new stoves and our hiking boots). We got rained on while sitting for lunch. Rain isn't so bad but we got a bit chilly because we were under prepared and decided not to linger. There were a lot of foot prints so this place must get some good use.