Adventure Outdoors Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 108

& TRAVEL EXCURSIONS Oswego County, NY Named for an Iroquois word meaning “place of the pouring out,” Oswego County is located on the southern shore of Great Lake Ontario and the edge of Central New York's Tug Hill Plateau, with convenient access to Interstates 81 and 90. The area's unique natural features make it the perfect place to explore the great outdoors. most spectacular fisheries, holds thousands of Pacific and Atlantic salmon, steelhead and brown trout. Public land and private fishing preserves offer plenty of angling options. Oswego County's Derby Hill is a premier hawk watch, where an average of 40,000 raptors are counted each spring as they head across the lake towards Canada. Miles of trails through state forests offer four outstanding seasons of outdoor recreation. Lake Ontario's "Lake Effect" snows produce the highest recorded snowfall east of the Rockies, creating exceptional conditions for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. Ice climbers love the spectacular 110-foot Salmon River Falls. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain described Oswego County's landscape in 1615 as "a very pleasing and fine country, watered by numerous small streams, two small rivers which empty into said lake [Ontario] and a number of ponds and prairies..." Oswego County waters have produced 12 world and state record fish, including a 47-lb. Chinook salmon. From trolling for trout and salmon to fly-fishing for steelhead and brook trout, the fishing is second to none. Professional guides and charter captains provide expert advice and Scenic rivers and lakes provide endless the necessary equipment. opportunities for boating and paddling. Autumn brings stunning foliage and the annual Look for remnants of the old canal along the salmon run on rivers and tributary streams. Oswego River, watch for bald eagles on pristine The Salmon River, one of North America's reservoirs, and shoot the Salmon River's whitewater. 106 Fall 2016 Adventure Outdoors His description is remarkably accurate four centuries later. For visitor information, go to http:// visitoswegocounty.com/the-great-outdoors/ or call 1-800-248-4FUN.