Rules on State Land · 7 min
Whose land is it: Forest Preserve, Wilderness, Wild Forest
Why this matters
A client asks whether they can take the mountain bike, or bring the dog, or land a float plane. The answer is never 'it depends on the state'. It depends on the classification of that particular parcel, and a guide who cannot name the classification of the ground they work is guessing at the rules that govern it.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Explain what the Forest Preserve is and what Article XIV protects
- Distinguish Wilderness, Primitive, Canoe and Wild Forest classifications by what is allowed
- Name the other categories of State land a guide may work on
The Forest Preserve is the State-owned land inside the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. Since 1894 it has been protected by Article XIV, Section 1 of the New York Constitution, the "forever wild" clause: the lands "shall be forever kept as wild forest lands", not leased, sold or exchanged, and the timber not sold, removed or destroyed. It is constitutional protection, not statutory, which is why changes require an amendment approved by the voters.
Note the geography. The Parks contain both public and private land. Roughly half the Adirondack Park is private. Being inside the blue line does not make ground public, and a guide who assumes it does will eventually trespass with clients in tow.
The classifications that change what you may do
The Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, and its Catskill counterpart, sort Forest Preserve into categories. Four matter constantly.
| Classification | Character | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Wilderness | At least 10,000 acres, managed to look untrammelled by people | No motor vehicles, motorboats, float planes, bicycles or other mechanised equipment. Foot and paddle only |
| Primitive | Essentially wilderness, with a non-conforming structure or use | Managed as wilderness with named exceptions |
| Canoe | Water-based wilderness, chiefly the St. Regis Canoe Area | Wilderness rules, water travel |
| Wild Forest | Can absorb more use without loss of character | Motor vehicle use on designated roads, snowmobile trails, bicycles where allowed |
The rule of thumb worth carrying: if it has a wheel or an engine, it belongs in Wild Forest, not Wilderness. That single sentence answers most client questions correctly.
Other State land you may guide on
- State Forests (Reforestation Areas, Multiple Use Areas) outside the Parks, managed for multiple use including timber
- Wildlife Management Areas, bought with sportsmen's dollars and managed first for wildlife and wildlife-dependent recreation
- Unique Areas and State Parks, the latter run by OPRHP with its own rules, not DEC's
- Conservation easement lands, privately owned with public rights bought by the State. Rights are defined by the individual easement, and are often seasonal or limited to certain uses. Read the easement summary for the tract, never assume
Easement land is the classic trap. It looks like Forest Preserve on a map, it carries DEC signs, and the public rights on it might exclude camping, exclude hunting during certain weeks, or exclude everything but the road.
From the field
Your client wants a mountain bike trip to a remote pond. You find the pond on a DEC map and it sits in a Wilderness Area. The trip is illegal as designed. The fix is not a permit, because Wilderness bars the bicycle itself. You either move it to a Wild Forest tract or change the trip.
This lesson is part of the NYS Licensed Guide Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.