State Land

Rockwood State Forest

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Rockwood State Forest is an 856-acre property located near the village of Rockwood. It contains access to Rockwood Lake, as well as several miles of trails and old logging roads. The state land is used for water quality protection, recreation, wildlife habitat and timber production.

 

Featured Activities

General information on hiking includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Rockwood State Forest contains 1.69 miles of hiking trails and several additional miles of marked multi-use trails that provide access to the property.

General information on primitive camping includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

There are three primitive campsites located on this property. The Cemetery Road primitive campsites are located in the northern portion of the property, near Rockwood Lake, and the Spring Road primitive campsite located in the southern half of the property.

At-large primitive camping is allowed. Campsites must be at least 150 feet away from the nearest road, trail or body of water. Camping for more than three nights or in groups of ten or more requires a permit from a Forest Ranger.

General information on paddling includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Access to Rockwood Lake is obtained via a 270-foot-long path that starts from the parking area at the end of Cemetery Road and continues down to the shoreline of Rockwood Lake where visitors may hand launch non-motorized boats.

General information on fishing includes how-to and safety tips and links to seasons, rules and regulations.

Rockwood Lake provides the main opportunity for fishing on this property.

Adirondack/Lake Champlain Fishing provides information on fishing in the area and links to top fishing waters, stocking lists, public fishing access and waters open to ice fishing listed by county.

Wildlife Management Unit: 5J & 6R

General Information on hunting includes how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations.

Please note that Rockwood State Forest is divided by Route 29, which is the North-South Hunting Zone line of demarcation, resulting in differing hunting seasons within this state forest.

Wildlife Management Unit: 5J & 6R

General information on trapping includes how-to and safety tips with links to seasons, rules and regulations.

Please note that Rockwood State Forest is divided by Route 29, which is the North-South Hunting Zone line of demarcation, resulting in differing hunting seasons within this state forest.

General information on horseback riding includes how-to and safety tips and links to rules and regulations.

Horseback riding does occasionally occur on Rockwood State Forest; however, the trails are not currently maintained for this type of usage. There is a horse trailer parking lot that can be found on the south side of Route 29.

General information on animals includes links to information about birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects that inhabit or migrate through the state.

Directions

Parking areas:

  • Unpaved horse trailer parking lot off Route 29 (43.05482505°N, 74.48848665°W) Google Maps 
  • Unofficial parking area at the end of Cemetery Road (43.0619787°N, 74.4991866°W) Google Maps 

Primitive campsites:

All coordinates provided are in decimal degrees using NAD83/WGS84 datum.

Rules, Regulations and Outdoor Safety

Practice Leave No Trace Principles when recreating on state land to enjoy the outdoors responsibly, minimize impact on the natural resources and avoid conflicts with other users.

All users of Rockwood State Forest must follow all State Land Use Regulations and should follow all Outdoor Safety Practices for the safety of the user and protection of the resource.

Specific Rules

This state forest has differing hunting seasons because the property is divided by Route 29, which is the North-South Hunting Zone line.

Planning and Management

DEC has developed a Fulton County State Forests Unit Management Plan (UMP) (PDF) which will describe the management activities for these lands. In addition to management objectives, the UMP contains detailed information on natural features, recreational infrastructure, geology, natural and human history, habitats, wildlife, fisheries and much more.

If you have questions and/or comments about this UMP, please email us [email protected].

Nearby State Lands, Facilities, Amenities and Other Information

State Lands and Facilities

Where to Find Nearby Amenities

  • Gas, food, supplies, dining and lodging may be found in the nearby communities of Gloversville and Johnstown.

Fulton and Montgomery Chamber of Commerce and the Fulton County I Love NY can provide information about other recreation, attractions and amenities in this area.

Numerous guidebooks and maps are available with information on the lands, waters, trails and other recreational facilities in this area. These can be purchased at most outdoor equipment retailers, bookstores and on-line booksellers.

Additional information, outdoor equipment, trip suggestions and guided or self-guided tours may be obtained from outdoor guide and outfitting businesses. Check area chambers of commerce, telephone directories or search the internet for listings.

Consider hiring an outdoor guide if you have little experience or woodland skills. See the NYS Outdoor Guides Association for information on outdoor guides.

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Region 5 - Eastern Adirondacks/Lake Champlain
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