Great 8 Challenge – Southville State Forest in Potsdam

I had to drive through St. Lawrence County recently, and thought maybe I could take the opportunity to do another Great 8 Challenge hike. For me, the Great 8 Challenge is an interesting way to explore trails in this region of upstate New York, so since I was in the area, I might as well take some time to do a hike! So I headed to the Southville State Forest, near Potsdam.

As the temperature has been rather mild so far this winter, I didn’t really know what condition the trails in the forest would be in. It was pouring rain when I arrived, and I quickly noticed that the heavy rain of the previous days had completely melted all the snow. So I left my crampons and snowshoes in my car, and set out on the trails of the Southville State Forest for the very first time.

The Great 8 Challenge is designed to highlight lesser-known places in St. Lawrence County, the largest county in the entire state of New York. The trails I’ve hiked so far haven’t been very difficult, but have allowed me to explore some beautiful places, like Robert Moses State Park and the Wilson Hill WMA.

The Southville State Forest trail is part of the Riverside Run category of the challenge, a category that highlights the county’s major rivers. In this case, the trail goes along the St. Regis River, the 138-kilometres (86-mile) long river that flows from the Adirondacks to the St. Lawrence River.

I started my hike from the West Stockholm-Southville road, along which there is enough space to park. I didn’t have too much difficulty finding the trailhead, and I immediately walked into the forest, in the pouring rain.

The 551-acre Southville State Forest was purchased by the state in 1941 for the purposes of reforestation, wildlife management, timber production, recreation and watershed protection. From the first few metres on the trail, I was impressed by the tall pine trees, which reminded me of some of the restored forests near my home in Eastern Ontario. The sandy forest floor was covered in places with a carpet of moss, a somewhat odd thing to see in winter.

The trail forms a loop of approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 miles), part of which runs along the St. Regis River. The river seemed to me to be particularly swollen by the rain and the melting snow, and I stayed several minutes on the bank observing the rushing water, on its way towards the St. Lawrence River, further north.

The sound of the roaring water of the river accompanied me as I hiked along it. I really liked this section of the trail, despite the gloomy weather.

It seems that the forest is an excellent place for cross-country skiing in winter, but when I was there, there was no snow left at all. Some sections were covered in water and mud, but other than that it was a nice, leisurely hike.

In total, I covered 5.1 kilometres (3.1 miles), with an elevation gain of 157 metres (515 feet). It was another successful Great 8 Challenge hike, and I’m looking forward to the next ones!

Other Great 8 Challenge hikes done so far:
Robert Moses State Park
Wilson Hill Wildlife Management Area
Indian Creek Nature Center
Abbe Picquet Trail in Ogdensburg
Lost Pond Trail in Cranberry Lake