Getaways

Pure Joy

This spring, hitch up, and head to central New York’s Pure Country Campground for an unforgettable equestrian adventure. Article and Photos by Shawn Hamilton

The well-appointed Pure Country Campground offers 30 campsites with electrical and water hookups, as well as 19 rustic sites with water only. There are also 28 covered, portable horse stalls and a large outdoor arena.

Health papers in order and everything checked off the list, I loaded the horses into the trailer. My riding buddies hopped in the truck. We were off on a seven-hour drive from our home in Ontario, Canada, to Pure Country Campground in New Berlin, New York, in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. We were looking forward to a four-day camping trip and exploring new trails.

The well-appointed Pure Country Campground offers 30 campsites with electrical and water hookups, as well as 19 rustic sites with water only. There are also 28 covered, portable horse stalls, a 100-foot-by-200-foot outdoor arena, and a five-acre obstacle course. The campground’s events include women’s retreats, organized trails rides, endurance rides, clinics, and fundraiser horse shows. A quick tour of the facilities revealed firewood, fire rings, and phone and WiFi access, plus contact information for a nearby veterinarian and farrier.

I also discovered that we would have full use of the main pavilion, which houses an industrial kitchen and four bathrooms, each

Getting Settled A few raindrops hit the windshield as we turned into the driveway. The camp host, Jim Weidman (known as Jimbo), greeted us warmly and suggested we let the horses stretch their legs in the camp’s central arena.

Pure Country Campground’s obstacle course covers five acres.

equipped with a hot shower. Never before had I camped with my horse in such luxury.

We set up camp as our horses quickly settled into their covered box stalls that Weidman has prepared for us.

Scenic Trails After a rainy night, the horses were dry and appeared well-rested. Ignoring the drizzly, gloomy day, we tacked up and hit the trails.

The 130-mile Brookfield Trail System runs through three scenic state forests: Charles Baker; Brookfield Railroad; and Beaver Creek. Off-road trails are open annually from May 31 to October 31.

The trails are beautiful, but they aren’t very well-marked. I recommend bringing along a map (in a zip-close plastic bag or map holder to keep it dry) and a GPS. (For Brookfield Trail System trail maps, (click here.) We chose to ride a short loop off the main path. The trail began fairly easy, but got surprisingly challenging, with steep hills and thick mud. Still, it went well, despite a >>

Top: Trail riders on the road from Pure Country Campground to the 130-mile Brookfield Trail System that runs through three state forests. Bottom: A rainbow arches over Pure Country Campground’s main pavilion, which houses an industrial kitchen and four bathrooms.

slippery bridge—more nerve-wracking for us than the horses.

We headed toward what we thought was the way back to camp, but a quick GPS calculation showed that we’d taken a wrong turn, so we made the necessary adjustments.

Lost Pond Trail The next day was cool, but sunny. We packed our lunch and headed out to the trail early in hopes of reaching Lost Pond. A local Standardbred driver passed us with a horse and buggy.

After a nice warmup, we cantered up the hill to the trails. The boggy ground showed signs of the wet spring—loggers had put down rocks to get through the deep mud. Eventually, the trail dried up and wound us through the forest to hitching posts and a picnic table overlooking Lost Pond, where we had lunch.

On the way home, the trails were rocky in spots; I was glad I had Bailey shod. At one point, the trail turned into flat-rock steps with a small waterfall flowing down them. Pretty, but slippery. Under a clear sky, we enjoyed spectacular views from the trail’s highest points.

Singular Adventure On our last morning, I tackled the onsite versatility course. Bailey Boy and I headed out with high hopes. We mastered the steps, the car wash, and the canter poles—but then I had to pick up a bucket of water and pour it into a barrel. This didn’t impress Bailey one bit.

We galloped to the finish line to stop the clock. Our times weren’t in contention with the big guns, but our fun meters rose for the day.

We loaded up the horses and hit the road. On the way home, all we could talk about was, “Where else can you do so much with your horse and have so much fun?”

This equestrian getaway is one-of-akind. USR