The name might not be easy to pronounce, but everyone can enjoy a winter outing at Whaupaunaucau State Forest. Located between County routes 12 and 29 in the town of North Norwich, in Chenango County, NY, the forest has 13 miles of beginner and intermediate level cross-country ski trails that wind through natural hardwoods and tree plantations.
Visitors can glide or snowshoe among red oak, American beech, sugar maple, red maple, black cherry, white ash, and eastern hemlock trees, as well as towering Norway spruces and Scotch pines.
According to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the name Whaupaunaucau (sounds like wa-pawn-ock-cow) “is Native American and means ‘Land of the Marten,’ and the forest was once home to the small, carnivorous, furbearing member of the weasel family.” Whaupaunaucau State Forest was purchased by the state in the 1930s.
Although the marten no longer lives here, a variety of other wildlife does.
At this State Forest you’ll find white-tailed deer, porcupines, and foxes browsing on a carpet of white ash seedlings, or turkeys clustered under a beech tree.
You can also enjoy the view of the 10-acre Jeffery’s Pond, nestled into a forest hollow, and savor a packed lunch or snack at the lean-to and fire pit located along Trail 20 at the crossing of Trail 17. For more information and a link to a map, check out DEC’s Whaupaunaucau State Forest webpage.
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