# List of New York wild forests

Lands designated as "wild forest" in New York are managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as part of the Forest Preserve.

## Management

Wild forests are intended to retain an essentially wild and natural character, however management facilitates a greater amount of recreational use than areas designated by the state as wilderness, which feature an increased sense of remoteness and solitude. Most are located within the boundaries of Adirondack Park or Catskill Park.

## List of New York wild forests

| Forest | County or counties | Park | Area | Notes |
| Aldrich Pond | Herkimer, St. Lawrence | Adirondack | 26,702 acres (108.06 km$^2$) | |
| Balsam Lake Mountain | Ulster | Catskill | 13,500 acres (55 km$^2$) | |
| Black River | Herkimer, Lewis, Oneida | Adirondack | 121,506 acres (491.72 km$^2$) | |
| Blue Mountain | Essex, Hamilton | Adirondack | 37,800 acres (153 km$^2$) | |
| Bluestone | Ulster | Catskill | 2,895 acres (11.72 km$^2$) | |
| Champlain Islands | Clinton, Essex | Adirondack | 4 acres (0.016 km$^2$) | Includes four small islands (Garden Island, Cole Island, Sheepshead Island, and Signal Buoy Island) in Lake Champlain. |
| Colgate Lake | Greene | Catskill | 1,500 acres (6.1 km$^2$) | |
| Cranberry Lake | St. Lawrence | Adirondack | 24,111 acres (97.57 km$^2$) | |
| Crystal Lake | Sullivan | | 497 acres (2.01 km$^2$) | |
| Debar Mountain | Franklin | Adirondack | 83,405 acres (337.53 km$^2$) | |
| Delaware | Delaware | Catskill | 27,800 acres (113 km$^2$) | Created in 2008 through re-classification of Cherry Ridge-Campbell Mountain Wild Forest and Middle Mountain Wild Forest. |
| Dry Brook Ridge | Delaware, Ulster | Catskill | 8,900 acres (36 km$^2$) | |
| Elm Ridge | Greene | Catskill | 1,355 acres (5.48 km$^2$) | |
| Ferris Lake | Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer | Adirondack | 147,454 acres (596.73 km$^2$) | |
| Fulton Chain | Herkimer | Adirondack | 15,140 acres (61.3 km$^2$) | |
| Grass River | St. Lawrence | Adirondack | 1,274 acres (5.16 km$^2$) | |
| Halcott Mountain | Greene | Catskill | 4,760 acres (19.3 km$^2$) | |
| Hammond Pond | Essex | Adirondack | 45,558 acres (184.37 km$^2$) | |
| Horseshoe Lake | Franklin, St. Lawrence | Adirondack | 21,336 acres (86.34 km$^2$) | |
| Independence River | Herkimer, Lewis | Adirondack | 76,574 acres (309.88 km$^2$) | |
| Jessup River | Hamilton | Adirondack | 47,350 acres (191.6 km$^2$) | |
| Kaaterskill | Ulster | Catskill | 8,550 acres (34.6 km$^2$) | |
| Lake George | Warren, Washington | Adirondack | 71,133 acres (287.87 km$^2$) | |
| Moose River Plains | Hamilton, Herkimer | Adirondack | 64,322 acres (260.30 km$^2$) | |
| Overlook Mountain | Ulster | Catskill | 590 acres (2.4 km$^2$) | |
| Phoenica | Ulster | Catskill | 7,315 acres (29.60 km$^2$) | |
| Raquette River | St. Lawrence | Adirondack | 3,057 acres (12.37 km$^2$) | |
| Rusk Mountain | Greene | Catskill | 3,900 acres (16 km$^2$) | |
| Saranac Lakes | Essex, Franklin | Adirondack | 79,000 acres (320 km$^2$) | |
| Sargent Ponds | Hamilton | Adirondack | 49,768 acres (201.40 km$^2$) | |
| Shaker Mountain | Fulton, Hamilton | Adirondack | 40,500 acres (164 km$^2$) | |
| Shandaken | Ulster, Greene | Catskill | 5,376 acres (21.76 km$^2$) | |
| Split Rock Mountain | Essex | Adirondack | 3,383 acres (13.69 km$^2$) | |
| Sundown | Sullivan, Ulster | Catskill | 30,500 acres (123 km$^2$) | |
| Taylor Pond | Clinton, Essex, Franklin | Adirondack | 45,637 acres (184.69 km$^2$) | |
| Vanderwhacker Mountain | Essex, Warren, Hamilton | Adirondack | 91,854 acres (371.72 km$^2$) | |
| Watson East Triangle | Herkimer, Lewis | Adirondack | 13,417 acres (54.30 km$^2$) | Also known as Watson's East Triangle Wild Forest. |
| White Hill | St. Lawrence | Adirondack | 9,932 acres (40.19 km$^2$) | |
| Wilcox Lake | Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren | Adirondack | 124,643 acres (504.41 km$^2$) | |
| Willowemoc | Sullivan, Ulster | Catskill | 15,900 acres (64 km$^2$) | |
| Wilmington | Essex, Clinton | Adirondack | 16,938 acres (68.55 km$^2$) | |