Osgood Pond & Cathedral Pines Trails 1/8/2023

Paul Smiths NY

Sunday started sunny & chilly, but eventually warmed up to around 30 degrees- a perfect day to be in the woods. I’ve been making it a point to visit more Franklin County trails, and these were our choice for the day.

Specifically, our destination was the Paul Smiths Conservation Easement’s Osgood tract. This 109-acre plot sits between NYS Routes 30 and 86 White Pine Road and Osgood Pond. There are several trails with each having a spur or two, so there’s quite a network to keep track of. The nice part is that being surrounded on all four sides, it would be hard (but not impossible) to get very lost.

The first trek was along the Cathedral Pines Trail (not to be confused with the nearby “Elder’s Grove Pines”). This trail starts on White Pine Road, a few hundred yards before the Osgood Pond boat launch. The trail takes you through some wonderful white pine stands, and it’s easy to see how it got its name.

*One of the footbridges over the Church Pond Canals*

An interesting feature of the trail is crossing one of the canals that were dug over a century ago to connect Osgood Pond with Little Osgood and Church Ponds. This allowed the residents of Osgood Pond and the famous White Pine Camp to boat to Sunday Services at St. John’s Episcopal Church. The trail reaches the Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church on Hoffman Road. Church Pond would have also been used to travel to this church.

This trail was 2 miles round trip, including a lean-to and a short spur to a bench overlooking Church Pond. It shares some sections with the Red Dot and Jackrabbit trails. There are signs and markers in the intersections to guide you as needed.

Our second trail led from the Osgood Pond boat launch, again on White Pine Road. The trail led past Osgood Pond and to the canal between Osgood and Little Osgood Ponds, crossing on a small footbridge. The trail immediately forked, with us following to the right. Although this section is mostly unmarked, it’s easily followed. We reached the shore of Osgood Pond shortly and continued to the left. The trail mostly follows the shoreline along a tall hemlock studded esker ridge that offers wonderful elevated views of the pond through the trees.

At about 0.75 miles from the trailhead, we reached another lean-to. From there the trail followed the shoreline another 0.5 miles before returning along an old logging road. Briefly, the trail is again along the Red Dot and Jackrabbit trails and then crosses the canal on a second footbridge.

The total mileage for this route was 2.4 miles and was every bit as enjoyable as the Cathedral Pines trails. Although these are far from true wilderness hikes, they are both located in a wonderful forest with plenty of history. If you find yourself around Paul Smiths, these are surely worth your time and friendly for the entire family.