The Tall Pines of Pack Forest
March 6, 2022
The flat, mile-long Nature Trail takes you into the tall pines.
An early March Saturday found two of us headed north from Saratoga to explore the rich attractions of the Pack Demonstration Forest, located just north of Warrensburg in the First Wilderness. This preserve offers both a short educational nature path and a 4.1-mile loop trail around a small but scenic lake and surrounding wetlands.
This property, now officially a campus of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, originally was presented to Syracuse University in 1927 by Charles Lathrop Pack. Mr. Pack’s goals with the gift were to provide a demonstration of good forestry methods to the public and particularly to the owners of forest properties; to offer the best facilities for the training of forestry students in the woods; and to furnish a field laboratory for various lines of forest research, especially in the economic field.
The forest is an easy hiking experience of four to five miles with a modest elevation gain, depending on whether you include the one-mile nature trail or go straight for the 4.1-mile hike around Pack Forest Lake. On this 30-degree cloudy day, we decided to hike both trails.
We strapped on our snowshoes and set out on the fully accessible Grandmother Tree Trail, a nature path winding through the woods with stops along the way to learn about the environment and the remarkable tall pines populating the area. The trail covers a 50-acre forest of old-growth hemlock and white pine trees, including the historic Grandmother Tree, a 300-year-old white pine towering 175 feet high as one of the tallest trees to be found anywhere in New York State. She and the other trees in this section are truly an impressive sight. We agreed that the Grandmother Tree Trail will be a perfect outing with even our youngest grandchildren.
You’ll be enclosed by trees for most of your hike but at two points you’ll break into the open.
While the maps don’t show a connection at the end of the nature trail, we learned at the end of the path that hiking another clearly marked one-third mile completes a loop back to the parking area and the longer loop trail. Following the signs, we made the necessary right turns through the woods and across the stream that flows adjacent to and through the nature trail.
Opting for the counterclockwise direction from the main parking lot, knowing that much of the hike would be along a snowmobile trail and an access road, we switched from snowshoes to microspikes. The experience began with hiking on a tree-lined road that's also great for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. Looking to the right, through the trees we saw Spruce Mountain to the east. Off to the left, views of Pack Forest Lake appeared just before the top of the loop.
Beginning at the trail’s northern tip, the route is barred to snowmobilers. Just as the main trail turns to the southwest, we encountered a spur that heads upward to the top of Ben Wood Mountain. We decided to defer that experience to another day. The snow here became softer and more woods-like, broken only by hikers and skiers. We could have used snowshoes here, so the trekking on microspikes made for slower and more strenuous going.
After another mile or so we reached the Environmental Education Camp, with its short paths to direct – and wheelchair accessible – fishing spots on the lake. During the summer, nearly 500 campers between the ages of 11-17 gather in this beautiful place for the opportunity to engage in lessons relating to forestry, ecology, and wildlife science and participate in activities such as camping, fishing, archery, canoeing, orienteering, and hunter safety.
Shortly after passing the camp, we were back in the parking lot, having spent almost three hours covering 5.3 miles with a 174-foot elevation gain at a leisurely pace, enjoying the unique experience that the Pack Demonstration Forest offers for hikers of all ages and ability levels.
Getting There
Take the Northway I-87 to Exit 23 (Warrensburg/Diamond Point). Turn left and then right onto US-9. Proceed through the town of Warrensburg. Go straight through the intersection of Rt. 9 and Rt. 28, and approximately a ¼ mile after the intersection turn left at the large white sign reading "Charles Lathrop Pack Demonstration Forest." Follow the driveway slowly (15 mph) to camp, approximately 1.2 miles. You’ll find the trail guide below on the Warren County Recreation Mapper.
