We will meet in Margaretville at the Village Parking Lot on Bridge Street across from the Fresh Town Supermarket at 8:30am. We will drive to Alder Lake in the Town of Hardenberg and leave an appropriate number of cars for the end of our hike. From there we will proceed to the Balsam Lake Fire Tower southern trailhead. We will hike to the summit of Balsam Lake (1.8mi) and enjoy the views from the historical fire tower. We will then hike over the Millbrook Ridge (5.9 mi) back to our cars at Alder Lake (.6). Some participants will need to drive back to the Balsam Lake Trailhead to retrieve vehicles. Alder Lake is a lovely location for a picnic at the end of the hike. This is a lengthy hike suitable for experienced hikers.

Event Duration: 9 miles, 6 hours

Level of Difficulty:   Moderate-Difficult

Leader: Laurie Rankin

Bring: All participants should wear sturdy hiking boots, bring plenty of water, lunch and snacks. Layers of clothing, including an outer waterproof layer, hat and gloves as well as sunscreen may all be appropriate for this hike.

Registration required by 9/29/2023 .  Use registration form below to register.

PLEASE contact the leader and cancel if you are not able to come as others may want to take your place.

Group size is limited to 12 so register early.

Fee:  No

Dogs allowed:  No.

Additional Information:  This is a beautiful loop that will take us to a historic fire tower, past 2 lean-tos, springs, view points, and end at a lake where one could launch a non motorized boat or swim if conditions allow. There will be picnic tables and an expansive grassy area to have a picnic at the end of the hike. Once we leave the meeting place we will be in a remote area with no stores or gas stations so please plan accordingly. There is little cell phone service in the area.

Questions about this event can be directed to:  Laurie Rankin lauriejrankin@gmail.com (845) 926-2182

Covid-19 Guidelines:   We ask participants to socially distance,  to be vaccinated and to cancel if they or members of their household are or have been ill with covid-like symptoms within the past ten days.   Other guidelines may apply, depending on event. The event leader will inform participants.

Driving Directions:From State Route 28 turn onto Bridge Street in Margaretville. The Village parking will be immediately on your left after crossing the bridge. The Fresh Town Supermarket is on the right. (Margaretville is 43 miles west of the NYS Thruway exit at Kingston and 24.5 miles east of Delhi.)

GPS coordinates: 42.14793, -74.64749

After you press “Submit” below the registration form, you will see a screen that says “Your registration has been submitted”. If you do not, an error has occurred. Please resubmit, being sure to complete all fields. You should receive a message from the leader acknowledging your registration.

Register:  Complete the form below.