Matt, Rick and his son Alex and I did an overnight camping trip to the Gull Lake lean-to after Christmas.  Skip and Mack the dog joined us for the short hike in, but left us to hike back out the same afternoon.

Gull Lake is a popular 3-season destination.  To get there take NY Route 28N to Woodgate, turn right (east) at linking light onto Bear Creek Road for 3.2 miles dead-ending at the parking area / trail head.  Recent roadwork by the DEC has leveled the road and added crushed stone to provide handicap access to the Gull Lake Trail resulting in a fast two mile hike to handicap parking lot.  At this point there are no further improvements.  Turning right, one ascends 200 feet along a .6 mile trail to an intersection with the Chubb Pond trail.  The sign said 0.4 miles but the many ups and downs made the distance seem longer.  The total hike in was about 3.3 miles.  The lean-to is on a peninsula along the north shore with a nice view of the lake.

We met at the Mapledale Stewart’s at 10:30 and were on the trail by noon.  We ate lunch once we reached the lean-to and then acquired our firewood.  We cut up a downed spruce log and had a great evening fire to hang out around.  Rick and Alex cooked over their alcohol stoves, Matt ate brats cooked over the fire and I ate a freeze-dried camp meal.  We were rewarded with a nice sunset across the frozen lake.  It rained overnight, but other than a little sleet encountered on the hike out the weather conditions were favorable.