Getting Oriented
The Tug Hill Plateau rises out of the Black River Valley east of Lake Ontario, and its heavy tree cover and thin population made it an unlikely place for a legal ATV network. New York State closes Department of Environmental Conservation land to off-highway vehicles by default; state law only allows ATV use on public land where an agency specifically designates and posts it, and DEC's own Tug Hill State Forest permits snowmobiles, hikers, and hunters but not ATVs. Lewis County worked around that limit by building its trail system almost entirely on county-owned reforestation parcels and private land, with individual landowners granting the easements one parcel at a time. The result, spread across the towns of Diana, Greig, Lewis, Leyden, Lyonsdale, Martinsburg, Montague, New Bremen, Pinckney, Turin, and West Turin, is what county officials describe as the first trail system of its kind administered by a New York county.
Trail Overview
The network mixes three kinds of ground: town and county roads open seasonally to registered, insured ATVs; off-road trail through county reforestation land and private timber tracts; and a dedicated 144-acre play area for riders who want mud and water holes without covering distance. The current county map divides the system into named zones, among them Cronk Road, Forks Factory, Middle Road, Wildcat, Lee Gulf, Lyons Falls, and Bald Mountain, each corresponding to a cluster of trail and a marked parking area. Surface varies block to block: hard-packed gravel through the reforestation land, narrower dirt and root-laced singletrack through private timber stands, and mud in low ground after rain. The Tug Hill Adirondack ATV Association, which represents clubs in Lewis, Jefferson, Oswego, and Oneida counties, has pushed for years to link Lewis County's system into a single regional network; for now, that interconnection is a stated goal rather than a finished loop.
Points of Interest
- The 144-acre mud play area, the county's answer for riders who want technical, low-speed riding in one place rather than mileage.
- The Brantingham cluster in the Town of Greig, home to the Black River Valley Four Wheeler Club and one of the system's busiest concentrations of marked parking areas.
- Whetstone Gulf, a three-mile-long, 380-foot-deep gorge cut by Whetstone Creek just south of the trail towns of Turin and Martinsburg, outside the ATV network itself but close enough for a side trip.
Where to Camp
Singing Waters Park, a Lewis County campground on Fish Creek Road in Greig, reopened in September 2024 after a $450,000 renovation that replaced its bathhouse and upgraded its tent sites; overnight stays require a reservation through the county. Whetstone Gulf State Park, a short drive south, runs a 62-site wooded campground (20 with electric hookups) from mid-May through mid-October. Neither campground connects directly into the ATV trail network, so plan the ride and the camp as separate legs.
Tips for a Safe and Enjoyable Trip
- Buy the permit before you unload. Riding without one carries a $250 fine for a first offense and a $500 fine plus permanent loss of access for a second; riding off the marked trail carries its own $500 fine and machine impoundment on a repeat.
- Wear a helmet. New York requires one for ATV operators, and the county requires proof of liability insurance and registration for any machine that uses the connecting town and county roads.
- The system opens April 1, conditions permitting, and closes the Tuesday after Columbus Day, timed to the start of New York's fall hunting seasons on the same private land the trails cross. Blaze orange is worth carrying in the closing weeks even though it isn't required for riders.
- Ninety percent of the mileage crosses private land under individual landowner agreements, not public right of way. Straying off the marked trail risks the access easement for every rider behind you, on top of the fine.
- Carry a paper map or an offline GPS track. Much of the system runs through reforestation blocks and private timber tracts with unreliable phone signal.
Fuel and Water
Lowville has the last reliable fuel, groceries, and lodging before splitting off toward the trail towns; it's also where Lewis County sells trail permits and printed maps in person. Hamlets along the system, including Constableville, Copenhagen, Harrisville, Glenfield, and Turin, have some seasonal gas stations and general stores, but hours are inconsistent and several close in the off-season. Carry drinking water; there's no potable water along the trail network itself, and the play area and reforestation blocks have no facilities.
Nearby
Whetstone Gulf State Park, a 515-acre park built around a three-mile-long, 380-foot-deep gorge cut by Whetstone Creek, sits just south of the trail towns of Turin and Martinsburg; its rim trail runs about six miles and its campground operates mid-May through mid-October. Singing Waters Park, the county's own campground on Fish Creek Road in Greig, reopened in September 2024 after a renovation and sits in the same town as the Brantingham trail cluster. To the east, the Stillwater Reservoir area and the western Adirondacks are within range for paddling and hiking on days off the ATV.