Cross Country Skiing in the Adirondack Foothills
Cross-Country Ski Trails
  • Kunjamuk River Trail - Speculator
  • Black River Environmental Improvement Area(BREIA)

Cross Country Skiing in the Adirondack Foothills at Alder Creek Black River Environmental Improvement Area is Excellent. We also go to the Kunjamuk River X-country Ski Trail  in the Central Adirondacks.


View of Oak Mountain

The Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA)
Alder  Creek, NY and Boonville, NY
 Trails are Excellent!!!
Outside presents Cross Country Skiing in CNY. There is Excellent Skiing at the BREIA because of  the continuous Lake Effect snow  the Cross Country Ski System Trails have several feet of snow. There is a good base. The trails are Well Groomed. At the BREIA Cross-Country Trail System you can enjoy an extensive trail system right here in Central New York


View from the RIM Trail


Egypt Road Warming Hut, Alder Creek Gorge

The scenery is  gorgeous at BREIA.
The trails in excellent condition.

Click on a Thumbnail to view a photo.
Ten Click the browser Back button.
If your looking for a good place with a lot of variety to cross country ski in Central New York, try the BREIA system. This is a great X-country skiing experience.  You can enjoy an extensive trail system right here in Central New York. It's only a half hour to 45 minute drive from Utica/Rome area to near Boonville, NY. The Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA) provides  two main trail systems. This is a private foundation that provides all the maintenance and free public use of the trails.

The other BREIA XIC Trail system has two sections (See Map).
Boonville Egypt Road
  Black River Canal Trail   Echo Lake
  Jackson Hill Trails   Alder Creek Gorge

They are located off Egypt Road near Alder Creek, NY. Stay on Route 12 North when you arrive at the intersection of route 28 and route 12 North at Alder Creek Egypt Road is the first left passed Hinsteads Restaurant. The first parking lot is about three quarters of a mile down the road (see map). You will see a sign on the right. This trail  has three branches. One follows along Echo Lake or  there is a branch that leads to the Alder Creek Gorge which you can also get to from the second Echo Road entrance and parking lot. There is another short loop that goes to the Adirondack Rail Crossing. There is a sign-in station at the entrance with a trail map. 

All trails are Groomed

The second entrance is two miles down from the first entrance on the left. There is a large warming hut and large parking lot. This gives you immediate access to the Gorge loops.

One of the Echo lake trails goes to the Gorge trails and winds up at the second parking lot and warming hut. Here you can continue on the gorge trails. However you have to use the Echo branch again to get back to you car. The second branch follows Echo Lake except it goes through the woods and you don't see the lake. Then you come back the same way. The rail trail is a loop. The trail is good for beginners as it doesn't have the changing terrain of the gorge trails.

Overlooking the Alder Creek Gorge

The gorge trails provide loops of varying distances. The gorge trails are wooded. There are scenic views of the Alder Creek Gorge. There are some trails that go down into the Gorge that have fairly decent grades. There are warning signs at the top of each of these trails.

For the Boonville Trails keep going straight on Route 12 passed Egypt Road about 5 miles. The parking lot and warming hut are located adjacent to the Big M Shopping Center (see map) on Route 12 before Boonville. The facility has a 10 kilometer trail on the towpath of the abandoned Black River Canal. The canal trial follows the Black River Canal adjacent to Route 46 through Pixley Falls State Park.  The trail is very picturesque and when you get near Pixley Falls there are some good grades and the view is awesome as the trail runs along the Lansing Kill. At some point you have to turn around and go back on the same trail or , if there are two drivers, perhaps use two cars and park one at the finish and a all drive to the start.

The Jackson Hill Trails are off Route 46 between Boonville and Pixley Falls and are connected to the Canal Trail. You can go Route 46 from Rome or Boonville.

All the trails are beautifully groomed and wide enough for two lanes for skiers. Plus they all have warming huts. Expect to spend a few hours on any of the trails. All trails are designed for year 'round use (biking, hiking). By the way you can snow shoe on the trails. 

There are no snowmobiles allowed on the trails.

 


 


All in all this a fabulous place to cross country ski.

Central New Yorker CNYflyfish Outside House n' Yard Zach's Web Irish Connection