The Rock River Trail passes through a beautiful forest that ends at a very scenic area on the Rock River, which lies within the Blue Mountain Wild Forest. Along the way, there is an option to hike to the shore of Rock Lake.

Key takeaways

• Distance: 5.6 miles round trip
• Elevation gain: 760 feet
• Hike includes trail junctions 

Hiking to Rock River

From the trailhead you will start on a soft trail that gets much less use than other trails in the Indian Lake area. You initially work your way over a few rolling hills before you descend to a low land area with Rock Pond through the woods on your left. At just under 1 mile, a crossing with a snowmobile trail is reached. To your left the trail could be taken to get to the beach on Rock Lake. This would be a bit out of the way, adding 1.6 miles and 150 feet of elevation gain round trip. Continuing straight, the pond can be seen slightly through the forest, but no trail actually approaches its shore from here.

The trail will swing from high ground to low ground, but eventually stays high above the lake to avoid any wet trail crossings. Wildflowers throughout the year will be very apparent along this area. The trail slowly swings northerly around Stark Hills before it starts to slowly descend, crossing a few small streams, and eventually ends at the shore of Rock River.

Fishing

This is a nice destination on the river, and bringing a telescoping fishing rod and a bit of bait, or a fly fishing rod, you could even catch a nice trout dinner.

Rock River in the winter

This would be an excellent snowshoe or cross-country ski. It doesn't get much winter use so the trail would be untouched in most cases making travel a bit slower and more difficult. There is a sharp descent to the shore of Rock River; this is also along a narrow trail with many trees lining it. It would be wise to take off the skis and walk down the hill, the river is just a bit further down the trail. Be prepared for any Adirondack winter outdoor adventure.

Experience more trails in Hamilton County

Looking to find some more trails to hike in Hamilton County? With hundreds of miles of trails, we can help you find more amazing hikes in the big outdoors.

How to get there

From the intersection of Route 30 and Route 28 in Indian Lake follow Route 28/30 toward Blue Mountain Lake for 6.0 miles to the trailhead on the right.