Outdoor adventures within an hour of Monroe, NY

There are outdoor adventures within an hour of Monroe, NY.

Outdoor events do not have to be limited to the three warmer seasons.  Winter is still a great time to explore, as long as you’re bundled up properly for the weather.   In previous blogs, I’ve shared some of the Monroe NY area trails that I’ve explored during the winter. There are also some interesting places to go within an hour of Monroe.

Preparing

The temperature yesterday was somewhere in the mid-20s or so. I bundled up with long underwear, warm sweatpants and silk socks under my wool socks. In addition, I wore hiking boots and a really warm coat that has that shiny stuff inside that you see in coolers. OK, that might need more explanation but it’s as though I was wrapped up in special astronaut suit material. Finally, I was wearing my super duper sheepskin gloves.  I was ready!

Where?

“For what?”, you might wonder.  Well, I would love to keep the place a secret for as long as possible, but I’ll share some clues.  There is a large parcel of property that used to belong to a private owner. It has now become New York state park land.  It’s hidden off a wonderful country dirt road somewhere within an hour of Monroe, NY.  Acres and acres of forest, lakes and creeks are available for exploration. Yesterday, I went off with a bunch of family members to check it out.

What?

After about a mile of walking up and down hills and over frozen swamp land on snow covered ground in the pine forest, we found ourselves at a creek. Specifically the part of the creek that fed a very calm lake just before it turned into a series of waterfalls and rapids.  We also found remains of some sort of stone buildings.  We made up all sorts of rumors about what the buildings might have been. Our most popular guesses were either a mill or perhaps the home of someone who loved privacy.

If you live in the Monroe NY area, and would like to explore somewhere a bit further from town, here’s a hint. Take a map, draw a 60 mile circumference, and look for some interesting looking State Park Lands (any online mapping tool will work also).  If you find the spot in these pictures, you have found a kindred explorer in me!