Tug Hill Winter Trails Guide: Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing in Northern New York

Groomed cross-country ski tracks through a snow-covered forest
Groomed cross-country ski tracks through a snow-covered forest on Tug Hill. (AI-generated illustration)

Tug Hill’s lake-effect snow makes it one of the snowiest places in the eastern United States, and cross-country skiing on Tug Hill is the best way to use it. The plateau rises east of Lake Ontario across Lewis County and into Jefferson and Oswego counties, and when the lake-effect bands set up, Tug Hill picks up snow that other parts of Northern New York never see.

This guide covers the plateau’s winter trail systems in two groups: the groomed networks, where machines set tracks for classic and skate skiing, and the ungroomed state-forest trails, which are marked but left natural — expect to break your own trail after a storm. Between them, there is a Tug Hill ski day for every level, from a first-timer on a flat beginner loop to a backcountry skier working a gorge rim.

A few expectations up front. Most Tug Hill systems are volunteer-run or set on public land, so trailhead amenities are simple: a plowed lot, a kiosk, maybe a warming hut. And because this is lake-effect country, conditions can change by the hour — check the conditions links in each entry before you drive.

On this page: Groomed winter trails · Ungroomed and backcountry trails · A note on Maple Ridge Center · Rentals and lessons · Snowmobiling on Tug Hill · Trail conditions and resources · Before you go · Frequently asked questions · Trailhead map

Groomed winter trails

Winona Forest — Lorraine & Boylston

Location: Winona State Forest, east of I-81 (Mannsville, exit 39), towns of Lorraine (Jefferson County) and Boylston (Oswego County) · Trails: 22.3 miles of DEC-designated cross-country ski trails · Grooming: Machine-groomed by Winona Forest Recreation Association volunteers · Cost: No fee — membership voluntary · Parking: Three DEC lots, all plowed in winter · Source: winonaforest.com

Winona is the Tug Hill region’s biggest groomed network. The 9,233-acre state forest holds 22.3 miles of designated ski trails by DEC’s count, and the Winona Forest Recreation Association (WFRA) trail table lists about 30 named trails — Winona Way (5.0 mi), Wart (3.9), Bargy (3.1), Tucker (2.6), and Alice’s Alley (2.5) among them. Across Winona and the Jefferson County Forest Preserve combined, WFRA says it maintains roughly 70 miles of trails.

The network has racing roots: Winona’s ski trails began around 1980 as the Tug Hill Tourathon trails, and WFRA still hosts the annual Tug Hill Tourathon ski race, a snowshoe race, and the Tug Hill Challenge sled-dog race. WFRA itself began as the Tug Hill Ski Club and reorganized to include all user groups; today its volunteer grooming team grooms under a stewardship agreement with DEC.

There is no day-use fee and no trail pass at Winona — because the forest is state land, the association cannot charge for access. Voluntary membership is WFRA’s main support: for 2026–27, Basic and Family memberships are $40, with Silver ($85), Gold ($170), and Platinum ($400) tiers. Two cautions: several main trails (Bargy, Tucker, Hessel, Hawley, Wart) are multi-use and shared with snowmobiles and sled dogs, and there are no rentals, lodge, or warming hut in the system — bring your own gear and plan to be self-sufficient. All three DEC parking lots (CCC, Bargy Road, and Wart Road) are plowed in winter and have a kiosk and accessible privy. For winter, park at the CCC lot on Bargy Road at County Route 90 (the main trailhead lot), the Bargy Road lot off County Route 13, or the Wart Road lot at Center Road and Wart Road — DEC lists all three lots as plowed in winter.

BREIA — Boonville

Location: Four trail campuses south of Boonville (Oneida County), at the Tug Hill–Adirondack edge · Trails: 50+ km across all campuses · Grooming: Groomed and track-set, classic-oriented · Cost: Completely free · Rentals: At the Canal Trail trailhead hut, for a small fee · Phone: (315) 942-2299 · Source: breiax-countryski.org

The Black River Environmental Improvement Association (BREIA) runs the region’s most beginner-friendly groomed skiing — roughly 30 miles of groomed, tracked trails, designed mostly for novice skiers with trails for all levels. Its four campuses: Potato Hill Farm & Trails (6+ km on 170 acres), the Alder Creek Gorge / Egypt Road Trails (a rim trail, four expert gully trails, and connecting routes), the Jackson Hill Sunfield & Telemark Trails (beginner loops up to advanced telemark terrain), and the Canal Trail, a 13 km one-way route along the historic Black River Canal from Boonville south through Boonville Gorge, past Pixley Falls State Park.

BREIA is a not-for-profit funded by a private family foundation as a gift to the people of New York, and it is entirely free – trails, facilities, and programs. Donations are never accepted. Warming huts stand at Egypt Road, at the Canal Trail trailhead in Boonville, and at Jackson Hill, and the only charge anywhere in the system is the small rental fee for ski equipment at the Canal Trail trailhead hut during operating hours. Each BREIA campus has its own parking lot — at the Potato Hill farm buildings, the Egypt Road trailhead, the Jackson Hill Telemark Center lot, the Canal Trail trailhead, and in Boonville. BREIA does not publish winter plowing information for its lots.

Osceola Tug Hill XC Ski Center (UXC Ski) — Osceola

Location: 1486 Osceola Rd, Osceola (mailing Camden), Lewis County · Trails: 28 km on 120+ acres · Grooming: Daily, for classic and skate · Cost: Trail tickets at the lodge — prices are not posted online · Rentals & lessons: Yes, at the lodge · Source: uxcski.com

UXC Ski is the plateau’s original cross-country center, founded and designed by Hugh Quinn more than 40 years ago and now under new owners. Its 28 km of trails run flat to rolling to hilly, most of them 10–12 feet wide, and are groomed daily with a Ginzu groomer for both classic and skate skiing; snowshoe-only trails are also being developed. The center adjoins state forest land to the south for skiers who want to explore beyond the tracked network.

The remodeled lodge has a woodstove, snack bar, and retail store, with ski and snowshoe rentals and lessons available on site and a large parking lot. The center pegs its average lake-effect snowfall at more than 200 inches a year and runs a live conditions page and webcam – check them before the drive, because UXC sells trail tickets at the lodge but doesn’t post prices online. Note: UXC is a separate business from Osceola Ski & Sport Resort (next entry), roughly 0.6 miles away on the same road.

Osceola Ski & Sport Resort — Osceola

Location: 1573 Osceola Rd, Camden (Osceola area), Lewis County · Trails: Groomed for classic and skate, all levels — total distance not published · Cost: Season passes offered — prices are not posted online · Source: skiosceola.com

The newer of the two Osceola centers (opened around 2020) sits roughly 0.6 miles from UXC Ski and is a different business: a brand-new lodge with a kitchen and café, plus a retail shop. Its trail system was built for all levels and is groomed for both classic and skating. The resort doesn’t publish a total trail distance or its pass and ticket prices online, so check its site or call ahead for current numbers.

The resort is also home turf for the youth Osceola Ski Club, which meets weekly in January and February ($55 per season, with gear rental extra) — a good on-ramp for local kids new to the sport.

Ungroomed and backcountry trails

The state-forest systems below are marked and maintained, but nobody sets tracks. After a lake-effect storm, the first skier in breaks trail — which is exactly what some skiers come for. All are free, none have rentals, and trailhead facilities are limited to parking and signage.

Carpenter Road Ski Trails — Turin

Ungroomed backcountry · Free · Lesser Wilderness State Forest (DEC)

DEC is candid about what to expect here: “The trails are not groomed, but regular use keeps them in good shape. The first skier using the trails after a heavy snowfall may find themselves breaking trail through a couple feet of fluffy lake effect powder.” For patient skiers, that’s a fair trade for quiet woods on the plateau’s eastern edge. The Tramp and Trail Club assists DEC with trail maintenance. Parking: DEC-designated ski parking areas on Seymour Road and on Carpenter Road (DEC does not publish plowing status for these lots).

Tug Hill State Forest & Inman Gulf — Barnes Corners

Location: 12,000+ acre state forest, towns of Rodman (Jefferson County) and Pinckney (Lewis County) · Access: North side of NYS Route 177, about 2 miles west of Barnes Corners · Parking: 30-car plowed lot on NY-177 (DEC-maintained) · Trails: About 14 miles of named ski trails from one parking area · Grooming: None posted · Source: NYS DEC, Tug Hill State Forest

From the single Route 177 parking area, DEC’s marked ski trails fan out across the forest: Home Run (1.0 mi), Snowbird Loop (1.7), Electric Loop (2.2), Zigzag (0.8), Whiteway (2.0), Linkup (1.6), John Young Nature Trail (1.4), Inman Glide (1.9), and Explorer (1.7). The Black River Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club helps maintain the Snowbird and Linkup trails.

The signature route is the Inman Gulf rim: the John Young, Oak Rim, and Inman Glide trails combine for a 4.6-mile run along the gulf, with views of Rainbow Falls — often frozen solid in mid-winter. Know before you go: the Oak Rim Trail is snowshoe-only in winter, some trails are shared with snowmobiles, and Williams Public Forest Access Road is a main snowmobile route, so use caution at crossings.

The John Link and Oak Rim trail lots are not plowed in winter (2–4 cars each; DEC lists them as unplowed).

Whetstone Gulf State Park — Lowville

Location: 6065 West Rd., Lowville (towns of Turin/Martinsburg, Lewis County) · Phone: (315) 376-6630 · Winter season: December 15–March 15 · Fees: $7 day-use fee listed; Empire Pass accepted · Grooming: None posted · Source: NY State Parks, Whetstone Gulf

Whetstone Gulf is built around a three-mile-long gorge on the eastern edge of the plateau, and its trails include a loop circling the gorge — the most dramatic winter walk or ski in this guide. Unlike the state forests, the park keeps a fixed winter-recreation season, December 15 to March 15, and it also lists snowmobile trails among its amenities.

Parks lists a $7 day-use fee for Whetstone Gulf and accepts the $80 Empire Pass; the posted toll-booth hours cover the summer season, so how the fee is collected mid-winter isn’t specified online — check the park page before you go. Whetstone is also the one system in this guide with a posted dog policy: pets are allowed (maximum two, supervised, crated or on a leash of 6 feet or less) in campsites and day-use areas, but not in buildings or playgrounds.

Chateaugay State Forest — Orwell

Location: 4,014 acres on County Route 2, just east of Orwell (Oswego County) · Access: I-81 exit 36 (Pulaski), then County Route 2 east about 10 miles · Trails: Marked trails for skiing and snowshoeing · Grooming: None posted · Parking: Two DEC lots on County Route 2 and New Scriba Drive · Source: NYS DEC, Chateaugay State Forest

Chateaugay sits on the plateau’s western edge and takes heavy lake-effect snow. DEC maintains marked trails here for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking — snowmobiling is also permitted — and DEC’s page for the forest even posts cross-country ski trail etiquette, a fair sign of how much winter use these trails get. It is the quietest option in this guide: no fees, no rentals, no frills.

A note on Maple Ridge Center

Longtime readers may remember Maple Ridge Center in Lowville (7421 East Rd.) for its snow tubing hill. That operation is in transition: on December 1, 2025, the center entered a lease-to-own agreement with Jefferson-Lewis BOCES, and the center’s own site says BOCES does not intend to operate the snow tubing hill. No public winter schedule is posted, so don’t plan a tubing trip around it this winter — check mapleridgecenter.org for any updates.

Rentals and lessons

Rentals concentrate at the groomed centers; the state-forest systems have none.

  • BREIA (Boonville): Ski equipment rentals at the Canal Trail trailhead warming hut in Boonville, for a small fee during operating hours — the lowest-cost way to try the sport in this guide, since BREIA’s trails themselves are free.
  • Osceola Tug Hill XC Ski Center (UXC): Ski and snowshoe rentals at the main lodge, plus lessons — the center’s instructors run lessons through the season.
  • Osceola Ski & Sport Resort: The youth Osceola Ski Club (above) rents gear to its members for an extra fee; the resort doesn’t post general rental or lesson details online, so call ahead.
  • Winona Forest and the state forests: No rentals anywhere in these systems — arrive with your own skis or snowshoes.

Snowmobiling on Tug Hill

This guide covers non-motorized trails, but snowmobiling is the plateau’s other winter world, and some trails above are shared. If you’re coming for the sled trails, two official sources will serve you better than any summary: the New York State Snowmobile Association, whose interactive webmap shows trails as open or closed with club-posted conditions, and the NYS Parks Snowmobiler’s Guide, the state’s own rules and openings explainer.

Know the opening rule before you ask “are the trails open yet?”: New York does not set a statewide opening date — local clubs designate openings each season based on weather and trail maintenance. And on DEC lands, state regulation (6 NYCRR § 51.4) allows snowmobiles only on routes designated and posted by DEC, only after the close of the regular big game hunting season (through March 31), and only when the route is covered with a minimum of three inches of snow and/or ice.

Trail conditions and resources

Before you go

  • Lake effect is the main event. A clear morning in Watertown can be a whiteout on the plateau. Check the forecast for the trailhead town — not the valley — and read our Winter Driving in Northern New York guide before you set out.
  • Dress and pack for standing still, not just moving. Cold, wind, and short December daylight punish a broken binding or a wrong turn. Our Jefferson County Winter Survival Guide covers the layering and emergency basics.
  • Expect dead zones. Cell service is spotty across the plateau’s interior. Download trail maps ahead of time (the Avenza app works offline), tell someone your trailhead and return time, and note that state-forest parking lots are unsigned beyond a kiosk.
  • Share the trail. Several Winona and state-forest routes are multi-use. Yield to sled-dog teams, step aside for snowmobiles at crossings, and stay off set ski tracks when you’re on snowshoes.
  • Hunting seasons overlap early winter. Ski trails in the state forests are open year-round, but the same woods host hunters into early December — a blaze-orange hat is cheap insurance.
  • Winter parking: only the Route 177 lot in Tug Hill State Forest is plowed — the small trailhead lots at John Link and Oak Rim are not. Other Tug Hill State Forest lots: a 10-car lot at Waite Road/7 By 9 Road and unpaved parking on Grunley Road. Carry a shovel, and never block gates or plow turnarounds.

Frequently asked questions

When do Tug Hill ski trails open?

There is no single opening day. The state forests (Winona, Tug Hill, Chateaugay, and Lesser Wilderness) are open year-round, so skiing starts whenever snow cover allows. Whetstone Gulf State Park is the exception, with a fixed winter-recreation season of December 15 to March 15. BREIA and the two Osceola centers open when their grooming base allows and post the call on their own conditions pages.

How much does it cost to ski on Tug Hill?

Less than almost anywhere. BREIA is completely free — it is foundation-funded and never accepts donations. Winona Forest charges nothing, and the state-forest trails post no fees at all. Whetstone Gulf lists a $7 day-use fee (Empire Pass accepted). Both Osceola centers sell trail tickets or passes but don’t post prices online, so check ahead.

Do I need a trail pass or membership?

No. Winona cannot sell trail passes or charge day-use fees because the forest is state land; WFRA membership ($40 Basic or Family for 2026–27, with higher support tiers) is voluntary and funds the grooming. BREIA requires nothing. The only passes in this guide are the Osceola Ski & Sport season pass and the state parks Empire Pass at Whetstone Gulf.

Where can I rent cross-country skis or snowshoes on Tug Hill?

At the groomed centers: BREIA rents ski equipment at its Canal Trail trailhead hut in Boonville for a small fee, and UXC Ski rents skis and snowshoes at its lodge in Osceola. Winona Forest and the state-forest trail systems have no rentals — bring your own gear for those.

Are dogs allowed on the trails?

Whetstone Gulf State Park posts the clearest rule: pets are allowed (maximum two, supervised, crated or on a leash of 6 feet or less) in campsites and day-use areas, but not in buildings or playgrounds. The other systems in this guide don’t post a pet policy — check with the operator before you bring a dog. Sled dogs, for the record, are established users at Winona Forest, which hosts a sled-dog race each winter.

What’s the difference between groomed and ungroomed trails here?

Groomed systems (Winona, BREIA, and both Osceola centers) machine-set their tracks — Winona’s are groomed by WFRA volunteers, BREIA’s are track-set for classic skiing, and UXC grooms daily. Ungroomed trails (Carpenter Road, Tug Hill State Forest, Chateaugay, Whetstone Gulf) are marked and maintained but left natural: after fresh snow, the first skier breaks trail, sometimes through a couple of feet of lake-effect powder.

Trailhead map

Sources: Winona Forest Recreation Association · NYS DEC — Winona State Forest · BREIA · Osceola Tug Hill XC Ski Center · Osceola Ski & Sport Resort · NYS DEC — Tug Hill State Forest · NYS DEC — Lesser Wilderness State Forest · NYS DEC — Chateaugay State Forest · NY State Parks — Whetstone Gulf · Maple Ridge Center · 6 NYCRR § 51.4 (snowmobiles on DEC lands) · NYSSA · Tug Hill Recreation Guide / visittughill.com

Facts verified October 17, 2026.

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