The Peru Gazette

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos has approved the Wilmington Wild Forest Unit Management Plan Amendment. The Amendment provides for rerouting some trails, developing 4.8 miles of new mountain biking trails, and constructing two additional parking lots.

Other provisions in the amended management plan include:

• Reroute and improvement to the Cooper Kill Trail, a multi-use trail classified as a class I (secondary) snowmobile trail to better protect natural resources;
• Reroute of the Marble Mountain hiking trail to better protect natural resources;
• Construction of .7 miles of accessible trails providing access to scenic areas; and
• Improvements to existing parking areas.

The Wilmington Wild Forest consists of 16,900 acres of state forest preserve lands in towns of Wilmington, Jay, Saint Armand and Keene in Essex County and the town of Black Brook in Clinton County.

There are currently more than 20 miles of mountain biking trails in the unit, making biking one of the more popular outdoor recreational activities in the unit.

The unit also offers numerous other recreational opportunities, including snowmobiling, fishing and hunting, cross-country skiing, hiking, camping, rock & ice climbing, and trapping.