Including Terry Mountain State Forest, Burnt Hill State Forest and the Franklin Falls, Shell Rock and Black Brook Conservation Easement Tracts
- Open for recreation: Year-round
- Fee: Free
- Contact Information:
- DEC Region 5 Ray Brook Office: 518-897-1200 (M-F, 8:30AM to 4:45PM); [email protected]
- Search, rescue, wildfire, and enforcement matters: 911 or 1-833-NYS-RANGERS (1-833-697-7264)
A local Forest Ranger is a valuable source of information for the state land you would like to visit.
- Location: Towns of Ausable, Black Brook, Peru and Saranac, Clinton County; Towns of Chesterfield, Elizabethtown, Essex, Jay, Lewis, and St. Armand, Essex County; and Town of Franklin, Franklin County.
- Wildlife Management Unit: 5C, 5F & 5G
- Maps: Taylor Pond Complex East (GeoPDF) || Taylor Pond Complex West (GeoPDF) - GeoPDF Instructions || Google Earth || DECinfo Locator
The 53,280-acre Taylor Pond Complex consists of numerous tracts of various types of state land and easement land spread over a 567 square mile area. The Complex is comprised of:
- 45,637 acres of Adirondack Forest Preserve lands in 26 separate parcels classified as Wild Forest;
- 6,314 acres of State Forest lands in the 2,752-acre Terry Mountain State Forest and the1,575-acre Burnt Hill State Forest; and
- 23,067 acres of conservation easement lands with public recreational rights in the 15,713-acre Black Brook Easement Tract, 3,748-acre Franklin Falls Easement Tract, and the 794-acre Shell Rock Easement Tract.
The largest parcels of public lands and easement land with public access are concentrated along and around the Saranac River, Franklin Falls Pond, Union Falls Pond, Silver Lake and its namesake Taylor Pond. The many waters, forested lands, and low-lying hills and mountains provide a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities.
Timber harvest is allowed on State Forest and Conservation Easement Lands, but not on Forest Preserve Lands.
Backcountry Information for the Northeastern Adirondacks provides general information regarding backcountry and seasonal conditions; specific notices regarding closures and conditions of trails, roads, bridges and other infrastructure; and links to weather, state land use regulations, low impact recreation and more.