Tug Hill

Location:   The North Country
Year:  410 million B.C.E.

Tug Hill (formerly called the Tug Hill Plateau) is a flattened mountain massif across the Black River valley from the Adirondacks. A large ovoid covering some 2,400 square miles, Tug Hill rises to over 2,000 feet. It makes up the western end of New York State's rugged, thinly-populated and remote North Country, and comprises portions of Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, and Oneida Counties.

Due to its location, Tug Hill has harsh winters. Lying north, inland, and within 50 miles of Lake Ontario, the area is seasonally blasted by lake-effect blizzards combined with an icy continental climate and Canadian cold fronts. Towns on Tug Hill have recorded extended periods of subzero weather and over 300 inches of snow in the winter, the heaviest snowfalls in the eastern United States. A local architectural oddity is second story front doors for use in the snow season.  

The area is heavily forested and subject to conservation, but is a popular hiking and camping area (in the summer) and ski and hunting area (in the winter).  It is an important area for maple syrup production, cheese, and locally-produced handicrafts.