| Pepperbox Wilderness Area | |
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IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
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| Location | Adirondack Park New York USA |
| Nearest city | Webb, NY |
| Area | 22,560 acres (91.3 km2) |
| Governing body | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation |
The Pepperbox Wilderness Area, an Adirondack Park unit of the New York Forest Preserve, lies entirely within the town of Webb in Herkimer County. Stillwater Reservoir and the Beaver River Primitive Area form the southern boundary, while the north bank of the West Branch of the Oswegatchie River generally forms the northern boundary. The western boundary is the county line, and the eastern boundary is the Raven Lake Road and the Five Ponds Wilderness Area.
It contains 46 bodies of water on 270 acres (1.1 km2) and 2 miles (3.2 km) of foot trails.
The terrain is generally flat with a few small, rolling hills. Swampland predominates with spruce, fir and red maple. Alder swamps, marsh and beaver flows are also common. The drier sites are vegetated with pole-size northern hardwoods. The entire area appears to have been heavily burned over and logged in the past and is not particularly scenic by usual standards. It is, however, ideally suited for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Several ponds are found in the area. They are generally of low productivity and some may even be sterile. The area is classed as wilderness because of its remoteness and also due to the extensive wetland ecosystems involved. The flora and fauna associated with moist ecosystems, such as found in the Pepperbox, seem to exhibit more species diversity than any others in the Adirondacks. Birdlife and small mammals are especially abundant.
There is very little human use of the area at present, except for light hunting. Access is moderately difficult because of the distance from public roads and the lack of a trail system.