The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced the finalization of an updated management plan that will continue public recreational access and protect natural resources within the Edinburgh and Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts in Saratoga County. 

The Edinburgh and Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts are owned by Lyme Adirondack Timberlands II and Lyme Timber Company. A conservation easement agreement between the landowner and the State of New York allows for limited public recreation access in addition to sustainable forest management. The Recreation Management Plan (RMP) outlines what public recreation activities are permitted under the agreement. The updated RMP applies to the combined 13,730 acres of the Edinburgh and Corinth Conservation Easement Tracts. 

The combined easement tracts offer an exceptional snowmobile experience for winter recreators. Twenty-two miles of snowmobile trails exist on the easement tracts. The popular snowmobile trail system acts as a network, connecting a large area between Great Sacandaga Lake and the Towns of Greenfield and Corinth. A trail ending at the State land boundary 0.1 miles from the Spruce Mountain Fire Tower offers a unique opportunity for a combined day of snowmobiling and hiking. 

The Spruce Mountain Fire Tower is located on a 2.5-acre parcel of Wilcox Lake Wild Forest and can be accessed by hikers, snowshoers, and cross-country skiers via a trail on the Corinth tract. Under the updated RMP, that foot trail will remain closed during big game hunting season, as was previously negotiated in a Cooperative Agreement with the landowner. Hunting, fishing, and trapping are not permitted on the easements.  

For more information, the final plan can be viewed on the DEC website.