Category: hike reports

Wednesday, November 6

 Finger Lakes Trail from White Church Rd., Brooktondale

Hike report by Jim

Sixteen hikers met on White Church Rd in the Town of Caroline for a hike of the FLT and the future South Hill Rec Way extension (the former FLT footpath southeast of Ridgeway Rd along Wilseyville Creek). This is hike # 24 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-24.

The day was overcast as hikers gathered in the parking lot. A small amount of rain had fallen while I was en route to the hike, but the start of the hike was a temporary reprieve from further rain.

Hikers left the parking lot and walked a short way down White Church Rd before the group turned and entered the open fields. Once in the woodline we stopped for a quick group picture before continuing to the next trail intersection.

The trail intersection here was a recent re-route of the FLT, the new section heading to the southeast near the intersection of White Church and Coddington Rds. The group headed in this direction, the freshly fallen leaves thick underfoot and the conversational buzz of hikers in the line behind me carrying into the distance as the line of hikers inevitably stretched out on the flat trail. Bare fields lay alongside the trail on one side or the other, intermingled with deeper woods visible through the now-barren tree branches we passed.

Reaching White Church Rd we paused briefly before setting out towards Ridgeway Rd. Passing the turn we had made from the open fields, we continued on what was the former footpath of the FLT before the re-route, a footpath that will in the future become part of the extension for the South Hill Rec Way. Willseyville Creek lay alongside the footpath. This part of the former FLT has not become overgrown in the short time since the re-route, and I suspect that landowners are maintaining it as an ATV path until the towns are able to put in the Rec Way extension. A couple of areas along this section of footpath that are normally pools of standing water were nothing more than muddy holes today.

The group reached Ridgeway Rd without incident, taking a minute to check out the water levels in the field on the opposite side of Ridgeway Rd. When I first started hiking with the group the water levels there were much lower than they currently are.

After a short stop on Ridgeway Rd the group returned to the trail and re-traced our route, turning back onto the FLT and crossing back over the open fields to the parking lot and our cars. Right about this time the rain began again, and while we ended the hike a few minutes sooner than I had planned, no one was complaining.

Saturday, November 9

Loop Hike: Lower Treman Park

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-nine hikers and two dogs met in the Tapan Mitra Preserve parking lot at Shady Corners, the junction of state routes 13 and 34-96, for an out and back hike on the Finger Lakes Trail through Robert Treman State Park  led by Mary W. This is hike # 8-1 on our list of regular hike locations:  https://www.ithacahikers.com/208-2. This section of the FLT is on map sheet M16, which can be purchased in electronic or paper formats here:  https://fingerlakestrail.org/…/purchase-individual-maps/. Sale of the map sheets helps to defray the expenses associated with maintenance of the FLT.

The group posed for a photo and then headed west on the Finger Lakes Trail, initially through the lower park camp area in Treman before entering the woods and beginning an uphill climb that persisted for the majority of the hike for most of the group.

The hikers quickly broke down into subgroups, consisting of a fast group, a medium speed group and some casual strollers at the back of the line.

The day was cool at the beginning, but with the climb underway most people forgot about the chill. The fallen leaves were thick underfoot, the sound of rustling leaves under so many feet drowning out the sounds of conversation that normally accompany our hikers.

The sub-group I was with encountered no other hikers at all, although there were several cars in the parking lot at both the beginning and end of our hike that belonged to other people.

At the turn-around time a few of the faster hikers chose to break away from the main group and continue on with their own hike. The rest of the hikers scooped up the slower hikers as the faster groups absorbed the slower hikers as they passed them on the way back to the trailhead.

The group arrived back at the cars at our normal time.

Warm welcome to Michelle and Margaret on their first hike with the group!

Sunday, November 10

Roy H Park Preserve to Hammond Hill State Forest, Dryden

Hike report by Jim

Thirty hikers met at the north side of the Roy Park Preserve for a hike of its trails towards Hammond Hill Rd. This is hike #32 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-32.

The morning was sunny but cool with a persistent wind blowing across the parking lot as other hikers were arriving for today’s hike. Looking across the boardwalk at the hill we would soon be climbing, I observed that the fall colors were mostly gone, with some isolated and rare examples still remaining. The hillside was now mostly a dull earth tone of muted greens and browns.

The last hikers were still pulling up as the group prepared to set off on the hike…a reminder to all to arrive early, as we do try to start at the listed start time for each hike. Crossing the boardwalk, we plunged into the woods and were passing through a section of trail that on one of our more recent hikes here was literally a flowing stream. On todays hike the footpath towards Hammond Hill Rd was dry, with even those few areas that are sometimes muddy quagmires during the summer months being mercifully bone-dry today. Theres also been some sawyer work done along the trail, so we were spared having to do any step-overs at all. I’m not complaining at all about today’s trail conditions!

As the red blazed trail begins to climb the hill it begins a series of modest switchbacks that make the uphill climb more enjoyable. The fresh leaf cover was deep enough and past foot traffic here so infrequent that I lost sight of the route a time or two. If we hadn’t come here so often in the past, that feature might have confused a newer hiker here. So, a few more blazes along the route, particularly at turns, might be called for.

Soon we reached the flat stretch of trail that occurs just before Hammond Hill Rd. By now the group was spread out over a wide section of trail, so we waited a minute on Hammond Hill Rd for the stragglers to arrive so we could take a group picture.

In the past we’ve continued the hike onto the Hammond Hill trail system, but the group had an incident here a couple of years ago during hunting season when someone discharged a firearm very close to the group, and so I avoid the Hammond Hill trails during hunting season now. Instead, the group walked up and down the seasonal portion of Hammond Hill Rd until we reached the gate that blocks off the abandoned part of the road from through traffic. Most of this last section of seasonal road is a fairly sustained uphill slog on the outbound part of the hike, so if uphill climbs are not your thing, you might find that last bit of seasonal road to be a challenge

Turning around at the metal gate we re-traced our previous route back to our parking area, the last of the hikers arriving back at our cars at exactly the two-hour mark. We encountered two other couples hiking the trail section between Hammond Hill Rd and the Park Preserve. The only other people we saw today were some bicyclists in the large Hammond Hill Rd parking area.

Wednesday, October 30

Fillmore Glen State Park, Moravia

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-three hikers and two dogs met in Fillmore Glen State Park for a loop hike of the rim trails there, led by Nancy L. This is hike # 14-2 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-14.

The morning was cool as hikers arrived at the park, and while the weather forecast said that the day would warm up, many hikers started with more layers on than they ended the hike wearing.

The group walked across the stone bridge where park workers were busily repairing the stone retaining walls and began the long steady climb up the north rim trail. This set of stairs crisscrosses the hillside, alternating between older stone steps and the newer pressure treated woods steps that were installed a couple of years ago.

Eventually the stairs end, and the path begins a looping route through the woods, your feet crunching the numerous acorns and shuffling through the carpet of freshly fallen leaves that lie across the trail. Much of the trail here follows the lip of the ravine, offering many good views of the creek below and the woods on the south side of the ravine.

The hikers bypassed the short cut to the Gorge Trail but turned into the waterfall loop trail, which they completed before returning to the North Rim Trail and continuing on our route.

Eventually the trail comes out at a nice pond with dam, which we crossed to get to the South Rim Trail. That trail bypasses a lean-to and kiosk that drew some attention from hikers, at the same time dipping in and out of a park road before finally returning to the woods.

Nancy paused the group for a minute at one overlook area, then continued on towards the lower park area we had started from. Passing a pavilion, the hikers began our final descent towards the lower park. Reaching the end of the stairs, Nancy led the group to the near-by Cow Pens area before bringing the hike to its inevitable conclusion.

By now the sun had been out for some time, most hikers had shed at least one layer, and the temperatures of the day had approached 70F, if not higher.

The hikers shared the trails with a decent number of other day hikers. while encountering only one slightly muddy area along the entirety of the route.

A warm welcome to Rich, who hiked with us for the first time today.

View Nancy Lorr’s photo album.

Saturday, November 2

New “Chunks” Hike, Stone House Rd., Enfield

Hike report by Jim

This was an Ithaca area hiking day for many groups….during the hike we ran into FLTC sawyer Erin Potter who brought a group from Binghamton to upper Robert Treman. After the hike I encountered the Triple Cities Hiking Club standing along the side of West King Rd where they were doing the FLT spur trail hike that we did a couple of weeks ago….also during our hike, we ran into Cayuga Trails Club hikers Lucy Gagliardo and Tom Formanek on the trail. The trails were full of hikers today, to put it mildly.

As to our own group hike….

Eighteen hikers and one dog met on Stone House Rd in the Town of Enfield on a cool windy morning for a group first-time hike of a new route that we ‘ve stitched together to form a new two-hour hike. This hike is not yet posted to our hikes page.

The hike starts out with the new loop trail in Margarets Woods, the Land Trust property that will eventually be absorbed into Robert Treman State Park.  After completing the loop, the group took the new connector trail that meets the FLT and the CCC trail near the wooden bridge just off Woodard Rd. Taking the CCC trail into Upper Treman, we took a slight pause near the Old Mill and then hiked across the old upper Treman camping area to the base of the Red Pine Trail before looping back to the Gorge Trail.

Because we were ahead of schedule I changed our route and the group hiked into the gorge area to view Lucifer Falls. Returning to the Upper Treman parking lot the group walked back to the CCC trail and re-traced our route back to Stone House Rd. For our first hike using this new route we ended up about five minutes over our scheduled time; not bad for a first attempt, not counting the pre-hike that Leigh Ann Vaughn and I did a couple of weeks ago when we first planned this hike.

Overall, I like the new route. The loop through Margarets Woods could use a little extra blazing at points, and the connector trail to the FLT/ CCC trails will be helpful in changing up some of the other hikes that we currently do in the area. I highly recommend that hikers check out the new Land Trust Loop trail when they’re able!

Warm welcome to Jennifer E on her first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, November 3

Dryden Rail Trail from Dryden Village

Hike report by Jim

Twenty-six hikers and four dogs met in the Village of Dryden for an out and back hike of the Dryden-Freeville Rail Trail. This is hike # 49-A on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-49.

The day was a beautiful and clear day for our hike. Some of the early morning chill persisted until the beginning of the hike but was soon forgotten once the group started to move over the very flat and mostly well-maintained grassy trail surface. Compared to many of our recent hikes on more traditional hiking trails, the rail trail offers hikers the chance to walk and talk to others in the group without being forced to watch your feet continually for trip hazards

This was a go-at-your-own-pace hike with no real hike leader or sweep. The group mostly made if to Railroad Street (state route 38) in the Village of Freeville before turning around and re-tracing the route.

I recall when this trail first opened a few years ago, I was hiking it when the footpath in many places was still a muddy, uneven mess. I am happy to report that the trail has really come into its own since then. I still prefer to hike here on Sunday mornings when the road noise from near-by roads is greatly diminished compared to weekdays.

The day was mostly sunny, putting some wooded parts of the trail in shadow. The distant views across the William George fields were good.

There were several other day hikers, dog walkers and bicyclists sharing the trail with our group today.

The slowest subset of our hikers got back to the cars at 1 hour 59 minutes; the lead hikers were already long gone, so maybe we’ll have to add some distance to this hike when we do it again in the future.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, October 23

FLT Watkins Glen West

Hike report by Mark Sussman

On Wednesday, October 23, sixteen hikers and two dogs met at Whites Hollow Road, just to the west of the famous gorge at Watkins Glen for an out and back hike along the Finger Lakes Trail. This was a new area for most of the hikers.

The day was perfect for hiking. The sun was out, and while it started out cool, it soon warmed up so that most hiked in just shirts. 

The hike has a number of interesting sites. There is a wonderful stone bridge and staircase, most likely dating back to the CCC days. There is a dam with a lovely pond beyond it, There is also the Hidden Valley 4H Camp just off the trail. The group enjoyed exploring the area and special sites. We arrived back at the cars after 2 hours of hiking and exploration.

Saturday, October 26

Abbott Loop east from Michigan Hollow Road to Hill Road and beyond, Danby SF

Hike report by Anne Becker

15 hikers met at the lower Abbot Loop crossing on Michigan Hollow road for a 3.5 mile hike in the Danby State Forest. There were enough leaves still on the trees and plenty of sunshine peeking through to make up for the chilly temperatures.

The route starts with a considerable climb, and then continues east to a lower section that includes boardwalks and creek-side views. A short road walk on the seasonal use Hill Road completed the eastern loop and got us back to the long descent to our cars. Keeping the group together proved challenging for first time hike leader Anne B., but all 15 did arrive back at the starting point safely.

Timing was not too far over the 2 hour mark, and so three club members then traveled south one mile to tour the property of Wayne Myers, known as Myers Gardens. The gardens were dormant, but this property also boasts beautiful stonework, a replica mill house and lots of antique farm equipment.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, October 27

Halloween Cemetery Hike

Hike report by Jim

For our annual Halloween Ithaca City Cemeteries hike, there was a problem before the hike started. Ithaca High School was hosting a large lacrosse event that left us with no place to park at our planned meeting location. A last-minute change of parking to Stewart Park, with a quick group email and a flurry of text messages to the hikers I knew were planning on attending the hike, found the majority of hikers able to locate the group at the park. We managed to acquire a few more hikers who joined us in the cemetery. In the end, our group consisted of 32 hikers and five dogs on a sunny and warm loop hike through the city cemeteries and Cascadilla Gorge.

After hiking from Stewart Park to Lake Street, we turned into Lake View Cemetery, stopping to check out a notable occupant or two along the way. We exited that cemetery and. stopped at Sunset Park to enjoy the view and take a group picture before setting off again on Stewart Ave to reach the Ithaca City Cemetery.

As we turned into the City Cemetery, we opted to bypass our usual wandering path through that place in order to save a few minutes, and we walked through the cemetery to University Ave., where we encountered a guided tours of the cemetery. Turning downhill, we walked to the base of the Cascadilla gorge trail, which we took to College Ave. The gorge trail was very enjoyable, between the visuals of the freshly fallen leaves throughout the gorge and the decent amount of water flowing in the creek. There were many other people hiking the gorge trail today, so I found myself frequently having to pause and wait for them to pass me by. From College Ave., we walked downhill through Highland Place and Williams Street back to Stewart Ave., where we took the pathway that follows Cascadilla Park Road back to the base of University Ave.

Once we were back in Fall Creek, the larger group splintered into many small subgroups as clusters of hikers stopped to admire the various Halloween decorations and other things to see in the Fall Creek neighborhood. The small group I was with opted to stop at Ithaca Falls on our way back to the cars and arrived back at Stewart Park 40 minutes later than the earliest hikers who had completed the route.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, October 16

Sessions Hill Rd & Forbes Rd, Homer

Hike report by Steve Schwartz

Leader:  Steve Schwartz.  14 hikers (including 6 hikers from the Onondaga Chapter of the ADK).

The hike was followed by a tour and lunch at Beck Equipment hosted by hiker Roger Beck.

This is a loop hike of about 4 miles on very lightly traveled dirt roads with a short paved section.  For the most part this is easy walking on level terrain with only two moderate hills.  The roads offer open scenes of the sweeping rural countryside of Cortland County.  The views were especially striking with the fall colors at peak.  The weather was threatening with glints of sunshine between the light rain and wind with temperatures in the low 40s.  Basically it was a blustery fall day with more threats of rain than actual downpours. 

After the hike we caravaned down the hill following Roger the short distance to Beck Equipment in Preble.  We had an informative and interesting tour viewing how they repair heavy construction equipment in the massive facility there.  Roger provided a sumptuous repast of ham with all the fixins, pizza, coffee, and much else.  Thank you Roger!   Everyone had a wonderful time.  

Saturday, October 19

FTL from Schuyler County Veterans Memorial Park, Alpine

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Twelve hikers and two dogs enjoyed a spectacularly shiny day on the FLT. We went from the Schuyler County Veteran’s Park to where the wooden bridge used to be in Hendershot Gulf. This hike is about 5.5 miles round trip and is almost flat, with about 275 feet of elevation gain. It is rewarding any time of year, as it goes along fields, a bog, through forests, and along Hendershot Gulf. The bright blue sky contrasted mightily with the peak fall foliage.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, October 20

Spur trail from upper Lick Brook/Townline Road to upper Buttermilk Falls SP/Yaple Road

Hike report by Jim

Nineteen hikers and two dogs met on Townline Rd in the Town of Ithaca for an out and back hike of the Thayer Preserve and the FLT spur trail into Upper Buttermilk Falls State Park. This is hike # 11 on our list of regular hike locations.

After an initial photograph the hikers set off on the red blazed portion of Toms Trail within the Thayer Preserve. This involves a couple of short uphill sections that eventually come to Sandbank Rd where the actual kiosk for the Preserve and a small parking area is located. Continuing onwards, the group passed by the junction with the blue blazed section of Toms Trail that we would touch later in the hike.

Beyond that trail junction the footpath crosses an open field behind South Hill Cidery before the trail plunges back into the woods before coming out on a utility right of way. By now the sun was out and the day was warming up nicely. The group hiked the right of way to West King Rd; from there a short road walk brought hikers to the orange blazed FLT spur trail that passes through some nice sections of woods and a couple of open field sections that were well along in their transition to fall colors on today’s hike. The last time we did this section of trail it was very much under water or suffering from heavy mud, forcing the group that day to road walk on Yaple Rd. No such problem existed today, and while the field sections could probably use one more mowing, it was a great improvement from the last hike here.

The hikers reached Yaple Rd earlier than normal, so we crossed the small bridge on Comfort Rd and entered the state park for a short hike to Treman Lake. We turned around at the lake and with Leigh Ann now in the lead we re-traced our earlier route.

Reaching the junction with the blue blazed trail we turned onto that section of trail, crossed the dry Lick Brook stream bed, and completed the loop of Toms Trail that brings hikers back to Townline Rd a short distance from the cars on the opposite side of the bridge located at the trailhead. That last section of trail is always one of my favorites in this area; while it doesn’t offer the same degree of awe that you get while hiking the trails on the opposite side of Townline Rd above the falls in the Sweedler Preserve, this section does offer some very enjoyable views as you hike the trail above the creek bed before it reached Townline Rd.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, October 9

Watkins Glen State Park

Hike report by Jim

Ten hikers met at the junction of Whites Hollow and Punch Bowl Roads, just outside of Watkins Glen State Park, for a hike of the FLT and Gorge Trails within the park. This is hike # 14-1B on our list of regular hike locations:  https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-14.

This section of the FLT is on map sheet M15, available for purchase in paper and electronic formats here: https://fingerlakestrail.org/store/maps-and-gps/?. For todays hike the map on the state park website:  https://parks.ny.gov/…/WatkinsGlenTopographicalMap.pdf is more than adequate.

After a quick group photo the hikers entered the park through the gate on Punch Bowl Rd and quickly turned off the service road onto the FLT footpath. This trail followed the hills above the stream, eventually arriving at the upper shelter in the park. The group stopped briefly to look over the shelter before continuing on the hike, The FLT in this section has some modest elevation changes, and other than some trip hazards from roots its a pretty nice section of trail. The only mud we encountered on the hike today was in the immediate vicinity of the shelter, and that was minimal at best.

On the trail it was overcast and in shadow, but the sun shone brightly overhead, its light shining through the canopy in beams of light. Occasionally we would walk out from underneath the canopy into a well-lit short section of trail that never seemed to last very long before we were plunged back into shadow.

The group stopped briefly at the dam below the shelter area before continuing on.

It was in this area that encountered a work crew who were in the area attempting to treat the hemlock trees in that part of the forest.

Eventually we arrived at the mile point bridge, turning into that bridge and crossing into the Gorge Trail.. Up to this point other than the work crew and a very few day hikers, we had had the trail to ourselves. Once on the Gorge Trail we found ourselves mingling with quite a few park visitors.

Our group walked down the Gorge Trail, stopping frequently to take photos or to wait for passing hikers in the narrow confines of the trail. We turned onto the Lovers Leap trail and took that to the Sentry Bridge, which we crossed over and returned to the FLT.

Once back on the FLT it was a steady uphill slog for a while until we arrived back at the mile point bridge. From there we retraced our previous route back to our cars. On the return portion of the hike we encountered many more park visitors than we had during our initial hike from the trailhead.

The group arrived back at the cars about fifteen minutes late, but no one was complaining as it was a great day to be in the woods today.

Saturday, October 12

Long Point State Park, Aurora

Hike report by Jim

Twelve hikers met on a sunny and slightly cool morning in Long Point State Park outside of Aurora for a hike of the trails there. This is hike # 14-3 on our list of regular hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-14.

The morning was clear, with large clouds in the sky as I turned onto Lake Rd to get to the park. Before the road dips towards the lake a traveler is treated to a panoramic view of the fields, the lake in the distance, all against the distant shores on the opposite side of the lake and the blue skies overhead.

I had a little drama when I got to the park, as they were still charging the entrance fee, while the state park website said that the seasonal entrance fees were no longer being collected. I had scheduled this hike within the week-long narrow window of the entrance fee not being collected and the start of hunting season next week, when we would lose access to all trails within the park. The persistent lack of accurate information on several state park websites has repeatedly been a frustration for me in planning hikes for the group. I was able to speak to park staff and resolve this issue today to my satisfaction.

The hikers posed for our usual group photos and then started the hike. This park is a fairly new location for the group; I think this was only the third group hike we’ve done here. I opted to take the group on a loop around the perimeter trails on the easterly side of Lake Rd. This consisted of parts of the Sunset Ridge Trail, the Spring Run Ravine Trail, the North Woods Trail, the Pheasant Run Trail, the Whitetail Crossing Trail, and the Hidden Forest Trail.

The trails here are what I would describe as being very easy, with only minor elevation changes along the entirety of the route. There are trail signs at every intersection but no blazing on the trail routes; this time of year when the fallen leaves obscure the footpath, having a map to assist you on a first hike here is helpful.

I knew from the last time that we did this hike that we wouldn’t get a full hike out of the trail section, and today was a faster hike than our hike here last fall. Once we completed the trail loop, we crossed back over Lake Rd and walked to the paved path that follows the shoreline of Cayuga Lake. By now the day had warmed up, a stiff breeze was blowing in from the lake, and there were many whitecaps on the water. A few hardy boaters were on the lake getting their last days of boating in before the weather turns colder next week.

We encountered no other hikers on the trail portion of the hike, and not many day walkers along the shore. I wasn’t surprised by this, as our hikers who’ve previously come to this park on their own reported that the hiking trails here were unknown to them on their previous visits. I will admit that the only reason I knew of the trail system in this park was by looking at state park maps online where I had noticed the trail system depicted.

After the hike several members of our group reconvened at the Aurora Brewing Company for lunch. We got a table outside under the porch, with a field of grapes and the lake in the distance made for enjoyable surroundings.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, October 13

Sims-Jennings Preserve at Cayuga Cliffs

Hike report by Jim

Thirteen hikers and four dogs met in the Town of Lansing for a hike of the Sims-Jennings Preserve at Cayuga Cliffs: https://www.fllt.org/simsjennings. This is hike # 67-30 on our hikes list: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-67-bonus-hikes.

This was our first group hike here since the Land Trust opened the Preserve to the public earlier this year. At that time Nancy H and I had hiked the Preserve trails and posted a report here that the trails were insufficient for our group hike durations. A member posted a response that we had missed an entire loop of trail which didn’t appear on the Preserve map. Eventually I got around to plugging this location into our hike schedule for today.

The weather forecast for Sunday was not favorable, especially in comparison to Saturday. The overnight rain on Saturday had me convinced that I would wake up Sunday morning to find a slew of RSVP cancelations on our Meetup group. Instead, I found that we had received additional RSVPs, not cancelations.

The rain had stopped by the time hikers started arriving at the Preserve parking lot on Ridge Rd. It might have been overcast, but the views of the lake from the parking area were promising.

Our group photo was taken by an unidentified jogger who was passing by the group, so for once we are all in the picture….

The hikers took the main white blazed trail down the hill, eventually turning onto the blue blazed Dannys Trail loop. The nice feature of Dannys Trail is that it is sandwiched between two nice ravines that give hikers some good views as they descend and then re-ascend through the course of the loop. Hikers mentioned that the carpet of freshly fallen leaves on the forest floor around us was a visual treat, as was the striking visual effect of so many treetops being in vibrant fall colors while the lower parts of the trees were still a deep green. It was also noted that trees higher up the slope were further along the seasonal leaf color changes than those trees lower on the slope, many of which were still entirely green.

After completing Dannys Trail there’s a nice viewing area at the end of the white blazed trail which offers some nice views of the lake. This viewing area is as close to the lake as hikers get while in this preserve.

From the viewing area the next section of trail on our route today was the yellow blazed out-and-back path that takes hikers to the dead end of Fiddlers Ridge Rd. This trail section is nice as it passes through a great little section of woods with a couple of minor stream crossings along the way. There was a little water flowing after the overnight rains, but no mud on the trails. Leigh Ann commented that while the Preserve is fairly new, the trails give the appearance of getting some frequent and on-going use by the public. Clearly Lansing residents are taking advantage of this new hiking resource in a town that in many respects has fewer hiking options than many of the other townships in the county.

The last portion of the Preserve that we visited was the red-blazed vista loop. This is the trail section that doesn’t appear on the official maps. The mowed loop that follows the tree line around the perimeter of the open fields is about a mile or so in length. While there aren’t many views of the lake from here, there is a sliver of Cayuga Lake visible from the loop. Today the multitude of fall colors from the surrounding trees and the scrubby vegetation in the open fields was a nice part of the hike.

While we were in the open fields it started to drizzle a little; not enough to make the hike any less enjoyable.

Once we completed the Vista loop we returned to the yellow blazed trail and from there back to the parking area. The rain grew somewhat in intensity for this last part of the hike, and soon after arriving back at our cars (at exactly two hours), the skies opened up and the rain really poured.

Welcome to Annika on her first hike with the group!

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.