Aqua-Terra Wilderness Area

Quick Bits

Main Activities - Hike, Bike, Fish
Distance - 8.3 miles of trails across 466 acres
Quiet - relatively quiet
Surface - Trails range from flat/smooth to steep/rough.
Elevation - Significant elevation, 450' up former ski slope
Pets - Permitted on leash
Address - Maxian Road, Binghamton, NY

AquaTerra 2022 07 13.pdf

In a Nutshell

This multi-purpose area is part of the Broome County, NY Park System. It includes a 6-acre pond and a former ski area, so there is something for everyone within the 664 acres.

Location and Parking

Google Maps and other GPS services should get you to Aqua-Terra easy enough. The parking areas are on the southeast side of Maxian Road. There is one, just off the road and then much more space if you keep going down the dirt road. If the "pond" area is on the other side of Maxian Road, so that first parking area is closer. If your focus is on the former ski slope than the larger area at end of road is closer. 

If you're doing both, take your pick.

More details

Aqua-Terra Wilderness Area is a unique park in the Broome Country park system. It is a combination of two former properties and is bisected by Maxian Road. On the southeast side of the road is the former Innsbruk USA Ski Area which was open from 1965 to 1978. The lift is gone, the path of the lift and some runs remain. This makes this area a boon for mountain bikers, and gets the heart pumping for hikers. With the shared use, please be careful of others. This area rises from about 1320 feet to 1800 feet. Along with the former ski runs is the red trail which parallels the West Fork of the Little Snake Creek for a while before snaking itself to an elevation of about 1600 feet. It then runs roughly at that elevation perpendicular to the former runs and lift area.

The other area, northwest of Maxian Road,  is the site of the former Aqua-Terra Sportsman's Club. Here you'll find trails that are much more level. There is also a 6-acre pond formed by a small dam on an unnamed tributary of the West Fork of the Little Snake Creek. One trail here circles the pond and is under a mile. Several other trails add a few miles. The white trail covers most of the perimeter of the park boundary and does gain some elevation, going up to 1600 feet. The trails could be marked better but if you get off trail following the flow of water tends to take you back to the pond. If you plan on doing the loop around the pond counter-clockwise, you might want to take a look at where you cross along the dam first to make sure you are comfortable with the crossing before going all the way around. 

Some of the trails can be quite muddy at times and a little rough, but nothing overwhelming. Well, maybe mud can be overwhelming in the wettest seasons.

There are no restroom facilities at Aqua-Terra. 

When it was running, the Innsbruk USA had 1200 vertical feet of ski trails, 15 active trails, and three lifts. Broome County took it over in 1983. The peak is known on some maps as "Lucky Hill".

Wander & Ponder Videos Recorded Here

Rule #2 (Ep. 13)
September 21, 2023