Location: Glenfield, New York (and surrounding towns) in Lewis County
Description: The Otter Creek Horse Trail System is located on state land and has 65 miles of trails managed specifically for horseback riding (thank you, New York State!!!). The trails are gorgeous and meander through majestic red pine forests, magical white pine groves carpeted with ferns, and bluffs above pristine rivers and creeks. There are so many trails that you could spend a week or more here, as many people do. Here is a little taste of what you will find there:
Website: The official website, Otter Creek Trail System, is full of great information from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which manages the land and horse camping grounds. Another extremely helpful site is Friends of Otter Creek which is published by a group of riders who love the trails and have a stewardship agreement with the NYS DEC. They raise money and do physical labor to maintain the trails, and they are our heroines (thank you, thank you, thank you!!).
Google map: Click here
Trail map: Trail maps are available from the DEC and from Friends of Otter Creek. Each is different and both are useful. The one by Friends of Otter Creeek is our favorite. An important note about these maps: do NOT trust that the “P” for parking means you can park a horse trailer. Because these are multi-use trails, the “P” can mean there is car-only parking available and, because local emergency services rely on these maps for accessing the back country trails, the “P” also indicates ambulance parking. See the “parking” section below to find out where you actually can park with your horse trailer.
On the Friends of Otter Creek trail map, you might wonder what the numbers on the trails mean, since there is no numbered guide. In fact, these numbers were assigned to the trails to help emergency services. If you are injured and have to call 911, you can indicate your approximate location by giving them the name of the trail and number on the map you are closest to. You also might wonder what the trail colors on the map indicate. They do not refer to difficulty. They are used to differentiate one trail from another and correspond to colored markers you will see on trees to help you navigate.
Terrain: The terrain is varied but is mainly forest with sandy footing. In places it can be muddy if the weather has been wet. Most trails are single track but there are also old logging roads, and there are many ponds and creeks. In some places the terrain is rocky and steep.
Where to stay: At the Assembly Area, centrally located and 100% dedicated to horse camping, you can camp for free on a first-come-first-served basis. We don’t know if it ever fills up, but with tie stalls for 100 horses, it’s hard to imagine. Whoever designed this really knew what they were doing. There are 3 camping lots and an overflow area with plenty of room to pull your trailer in and out without backing (unless, of course, someone blocks you in). You can camp in your living quarters trailer or set up a tent.
Facilities for horses include 100 tie stalls and 2 stallion stalls, manure pit, and fresh water. Facilities for humans include potable water (cold only), flush toilets, and a dumping station. The water is usually turned on in mid-May and is turned off the day after Columbus day. Here is the DEC map and here is the Friends of Otter Creek map of the Assembly area.
There are other places to stay including camping and cabins. Our favorite places to stay are Horse Camps at Otter Creek (see our review here) and Camp Kanarondack.
Parking: the trail system is large and the maps have a lot of “P” symbols. You might think – since it is a horse trail system – that “P” means trailer parking. NOT TRUE! For example, we were shocked to see a “P” miles down a dead-end one-lane dirt road that we ride on but would never take a trailer down. These “P” symbols refer to parking for cars or ambulances. In reality, there are only 2 places you can reliably park a horse trailer: (1) at the Assembly Grounds where you can park in a camping lot if staying overnight, or in the overflow/day-use parking area here (click on link) and shown as “day use parking” circled in pink on the map below, and (2) on Sand Pond Road, which is east of the Assembly area, shown below indicated in pink. You can access both from the Otter Creek Access Rd. off of Chases Lake Rd. (AKA Erie Canal Rd. if coming from the north).
Restrictions and warnings:
- You may encounter cars on some of the dirt roads.
- Hikers and mountain bikers also enjoy the trail system, though we have seen few of these.
- A negative Coggins is required, as well as a health certificate for out-of-state horses.
- Hunting is allowed in the trail system, so know when hunting seasons are (Click here). The best protection to not ride during hunting season. If you do, take appropriate precautions.
- Trail and road conditions can change at any time. The actual conditions you encounter may differ from the information presented here. Horseback riding is inherently dangerous and you must employ independent judgement and use the information herein at your own risk. By accessing this site, you acknowledge and accept these limitations and agree to hold harmless Horse Trail Chicks, Monica Raymond, and Kerrie Garvey, from any liability, damages, injury, or death that result from using this information.
We applaud and thank the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation for creating this incredible resource for horseback riders.