Report by Norma Lee Havens – – ADKers were amazed to see the amount of snow at Gilbert Lake on the hike of Tuesday, March 5th. As we drove up to the Park from Oneonta there was virtually no snow on the surrounding fields and along the road but upon turning into the Park it was a winter wonderland. Never underestimate the possibility of good snow at Gilbert Lake State Park. It’s in the Snow Belt. All but one person used snowshoes and that person seemed to have a great time on cross country skis. From the perimeter park road we turned left onto the trail ascending to the Hill Top campsites and then descended to meet the Twin Fawns Trail. Trekking the “pond loop” in reverse, we reached “Twin Fawns Pond” first and “Ice Pond” second. After passing the cabins and taking the eastside lake trail to the parking lot we finished a snowshoe outing about 2 ½ hours and more than 3 miles long. Definitely it was a vigorous workout. The sun, blessing the event, came out just as we left the parking lot. There is a new map available at the ranger’s office that is printed on white paper and easier to read.
There’s also a link to a colorful NYS Parks Gilbert Lake Trails map at the top of this page. If you decide to print you need to use a printer that can handle 11×17 paper or print it on two pages and tape it together.
NYS Map
Susquehanna Chapter 