Three things stand out about the East Stony Creek Trail to Wilcox lake:
This is one of the best hiking routes in the southern Adirondacks
East Stony Creek is noisy and beautiful
The intense green of the Adirondack forest in mid-June
At various points during the day the black flies also got my attention, but I'll forget that part soon enough.
East Stony Creek. This location is 1.5 miles from the parking area and from this spot to the bridge the trail is within sight (or sound) of the creek the entire way. On the day I was there the creek was running high following three weeks with substantial rainfall.
Just below the hiking bridge that provides access to Wilcox Lake.
This trail was previously marked for snowmobiles but blue markers have recently been added to designate the route for hikers. In the past there were parking complications at the trail head but a new parking area solves that problem. From the parking area hikers should continue along the road for four tenths of a mile and pick up the trail at the end of the road (where parking is now prohibited). The rest of the route is unchanged and the first quarter mile crosses private land with the permission of the land owner (so stay on the trail). The old trail to Tenant Creek Falls, which also crossed private land, is now closed. A new route to Tenant Creek Falls leaves directly from the new parking area.
From the new parking area it's 4.2 miles to suspension bridge over East Stony Creek. From that point it's one more mile to Wilcox Lake but you could choose to skip that part. The creek and forest you pass through along the way are well worth the walk. After crossing the bridge the mile of trail to Wilcox Lake is heavily eroded and Wilcox Lake itself has suffered from overuse in the past. That said, it's an attractive lake and I've been there twice and not seen a soul either time.
The newly built parking area is located on Hope Falls Road .4 miles from the end of the road (and the previously used parking). The trail to Tenant Creek Falls, which previously started at the end of the road, has been re-routed and leaves directly from the new parking area. That new trail is not shown on map above. You can see the new route here on the DEC website.
Green. Deep, intense green. In June the Adirondacks are a temperate jungle.
The East Stony Creek trail is within sight of the creek for much of the way and it is an exceptionally attractive path. The forest is mature second growth composed mostly of Hemlock with hardwoods mixed in. The high canopy, and open forest floor, provide a feeling of remoteness.
Green
Wilcox Lake from the point where the trail reaches the lake. A pair of loons were hanging out in the small bay to the left of where this was taken. A side trail leads to a nice lean-to on that side of the lake. To the right a path leads to the site of a new lean-to build in 2016 to replace the one that I visited the year before. The old one had stood for several years on the verge of collapse.
