Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area
Encyclopedia
The Hoffman Notch Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of the Forest Preserve
, lies in the towns of Schroon
, North Hudson
and Minerva
in Essex County
. It is bounded on the north by private lands lying south of the Blue Ridge Road and the Sand Pond Mountain tract donated to the state by Finch, Pruyn and Company for fish and wildlife management and silvicultural research and experimentation purposes, on the east by Interstate 87
and private lands immediately west of the Northway, on the south by private lands lying north of the Loch Muller Road and on the west by the jeep road and trail that extends from Irishtown along Minerva Stream northward to the Blue Ridge Road near Cheney Pond.
The area contains 8 bodies of water covering 156 acres (62.4 ha) and 30 miles (48.3 km) of foot trails.
The area is mountainous and rugged with three north-south ridges in excess of 3,000 feet (914 m) dominating the area: Blue Ridge, Texas Ridge and Washburn Ridge.
The forest cover ranges from second growth hardwoods of sapling and pole-size to nearly solid conifer stands of near mature size at the higher elevations. On some of the better soil, exceptionally large diameter hardwoods occur.
Forest Preserve (New York)
New York's Forest Preserve is all the land owned by the state within the Adirondack and Catskill parks, managed by its Department of Environmental Conservation. These properties are required to be kept "forever wild" by Article 14 of the state constitution, and thus enjoy the highest degree of...
, lies in the towns of Schroon
Schroon, New York
Schroon is a town in the Adirondack Park, in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 1,759 at the 2000 census. The town is also known as Schroon Lake, which is actually a centrally located lake, and the name of a hamlet on the lake....
, North Hudson
North Hudson, New York
North Hudson is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 266 at the 2000 census. The town derives its name by being by the north end of the Hudson River....
and Minerva
Minerva, New York
Minerva is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 796 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Minerva, goddess of wisdom.The Town of Minerva is located in the southwest corner of the county...
in Essex County
Essex County, New York
Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its name is from the English county of Essex. Its county seat is Elizabethtown...
. It is bounded on the north by private lands lying south of the Blue Ridge Road and the Sand Pond Mountain tract donated to the state by Finch, Pruyn and Company for fish and wildlife management and silvicultural research and experimentation purposes, on the east by Interstate 87
Interstate 87
Interstate 87 is a Interstate Highway located entirely within New York State in the United States of America. I-87 is the longest intrastate Interstate highway in the Interstate Highway System. Its southern end is at the Bronx approaches of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge in New York City...
and private lands immediately west of the Northway, on the south by private lands lying north of the Loch Muller Road and on the west by the jeep road and trail that extends from Irishtown along Minerva Stream northward to the Blue Ridge Road near Cheney Pond.
The area contains 8 bodies of water covering 156 acres (62.4 ha) and 30 miles (48.3 km) of foot trails.
The area is mountainous and rugged with three north-south ridges in excess of 3,000 feet (914 m) dominating the area: Blue Ridge, Texas Ridge and Washburn Ridge.
The forest cover ranges from second growth hardwoods of sapling and pole-size to nearly solid conifer stands of near mature size at the higher elevations. On some of the better soil, exceptionally large diameter hardwoods occur.