Our Otsego: Central Scenery and Southwestern Wonders

By BILL BELLEN
OTSEGO COUNTY

With the heights of eastern Otsego County behind us, Maria Griswold and I set our sights westward toward the many state forests of the central and southwestern regions of the county. This is part three of “Our Otsego,” a four-part series covering every nook and cranny of state and Department of Environmental Conservation-regulated wilderness in Otsego County. Having already summited the Otsego County high point and trekked to the waterfall of Robert V. Riddell State Park, it was going to take a lot to top the previous installment in this series. As always, our county did not disappoint.

Wagner Farm State Forest

West of Butternut Creek and east of Dunderberg Creek lies Wagner Farm State Forest. Providing a pleasant, open drive, it offered a different feel to that of other state forests thus far. The road quality was immaculate, offering a smooth ride with scenic views of the immediate surroundings. Though there are not any notable marked trails on the property, the roads and their sizable shoulder clearings allow for ample space to walk through the forest and explore the immense greenery it has to offer.

General Jacob Morris State Forest

Just a single turn away from Wagner on either end of the forest puts you en route to General Jacob Morris State Forest. Entering from the west, drivers are met with a wall of old growth pines that immediately present a different atmosphere to this forest’s next-door neighbor. Though the quality of the roads declines slightly here, their condition is still certainly better than those of the mountainous state land roads of the east. With the protected forest being split nearly in two by private fields, the contours of Morris Brook present both a beautiful vista and a good distinguisher of the property lines.

Calhoun Creek State Forest

Named after the creek that meanders through its northern acreage, the drive into Calhoun Creek State Forest is another with distinctly western Otsego character. The houses on one side and thick woods on the other invoke an intriguing dichotomy with the contrast between open wilderness and maintained fields. With residences both leading up to and in private property enclaves within the state forest itself, the roads here are also well maintained. In a similar manner to Wagner, these roads offer a nice substitute for the lack of marked trails on the site, though notably distinct given the tighter shoulders.

Morris Reservoir Waterway Access

After departing Calhoun Creek to the east, Maria and I were met with quite a befuddling sight. What should have been a DEC access road to the Morris Reservoir seemed to be long gone. As we continued slowly down the road, looking out across what once must have been a scenic body of water, we saw instead overgrown fields and small sprouting trees. As of the time of this writing, the DEC Info Locator still shows the site as a waterway access, though the link to more information now simply leads to the DEC’s main page. Other websites do not elicit much more telling information on the matter. Departing back down County Highway 13, we left confused and disappointed with our findings.

Gilbert Lake State Park

Luckily, our disappointment would not last long. As we retraced our steps across Butternut Creek, we quickly found ourselves at the entrance to Gilbert Lake State Park. Neatly tucked away just east of New Lisbon, Gilbert Lake is the perfect blend between the unfiltered wilderness of state forests and the more recreational tendencies of state parks. Miles of marked trails surround the pristine Gilbert Lake and its adjacent small ponds, offering paths of varying difficulty that allow people of all ages to get the most out of their park experience. Various campsites on the hills surrounding the area connect to this network and offer both tent and cabin camping to locals and tourists who are so inclined.

Numerous playgrounds and rentable pavilions dot the shores of Gilbert Lake itself. The main beach at the north end of the lake is a sandy haven for children, as was evident by the swarms that covered its sands during our visit. Boaters can take small, hard-bottomed boats like kayaks or canoes out and about to journey up and down the roughly half-mile-long lake, thanks to easy-to-access entry points in many locations. Though our stay at the park was not terribly lengthy due to the other destinations on our agenda, Gilbert Lake is well worth the visit or overnight stay for those who want to be able to fully embrace the extensive wilderness experiences throughout this somewhat underappreciated state park.

Milford State Forest

Stretching between Dutch Hill and Kelly Corners roads is the state land road and access to Milford State Forest. A slightly rougher drive, this is compensated for by the fact that the entire stretch is nearly one straight line. A small pull-off provides access to a very overgrown, but still traversable, foot trail that leads to a pond not too far off the main road. During our visit, the pond was nearly covered from shore to shore in lily pads of different varieties, with a small stream and bog trailing downhill from the main water body. A pleasant forest in and of itself, one may find it difficult to decipher where Milford State Forest begins and ends, given the sparse and forested nature of many of its neighboring properties.

Arnold Lake State Forest

Our last stop of this trip, pulling into the quaint river community of Arnold Lake provided yet another experience unique to any other thus far. Though the entirety of the land around the lake itself is now an assortment of private camps and houses, the lake association manages a public access on Arnold Lake Road to the joy of local anglers who fish its annually stocked trout population. A rough road wraps around the southern end of the lake, connecting the various dwellings along it to the main route.

Beyond the private property lines, the state forest itself is equally as impressive as the vista it encompasses. Wrapping most of the way around the lake’s private lands, the forest has two main parking lots to accommodate the various starting locations of the many trails on site. These trails once again offer miles of hiking and cross-country skiing opportunities, with the Milford Nordic Ski Trail at the Joe Cornell Road parking lot being notable as the starting point for both loop and end-to-end trails around the forest. With multiple smaller ponds throughout the woods, there are undoubtedly many beautiful sights to see both throughout these vast trail networks and off the beaten path.

Concluding Thoughts

Upon concluding our journey throughout central and southwestern Otsego County’s state forests and parks, one word continued to come to mind: unique. Each location on this leg of our travelogue seemed to present an experience that was quite unlike anything else that had come before. Whether it be the open shoulders of Wagner, the blend of housing and forests at Calhoun Creek, or the miles and miles of trails at Gilbert and Arnold lakes, each destination had its own distinct identity.

This is not to say the destinations of our previous endeavors are not also each special in their own right. If anything, our experiences have made Maria and me look back and rethink our previous articles on the east of the county, wondering about the unique features we may have missed on the roads already traveled. It is our hope that readers will discover the deeper identities of these places for themselves.

For those looking ahead, our fourth and final installment of this series will be venturing northward, traversing the beautiful trails of places like Texas Schoolhouse State Forest, and finally reaching the shores of the gem of Otsego County—Glimmerglass State Park. As always, we hope you will join us again soon!

Editor’s note: More information on the forests and parks highlighted here can be found at https://dec.ny.gov/places.