Monkey Run Natural Area, south side of Fall Creek, Varna – Two Trailheads
Trailhead # 1
This is our traditional parking area when hiking the south side of the creek
Meet-up: Dead end of Monkey Run Road, a little north of Route 366 in Varna
Click here to see the location of the meet-up
Click here to see the Google Maps page showing details of the entrance into Monkey Run Road off Route 366. Once you’ve turned in, drive north on Monkey Run Road to the dead end. You need to watch carefully for the road sign. Confusingly, the road on the other side of Route 366 is named “Turkey Hill Road.”
Some Monkey Run history:
The Bridge at Monkey Run – The Finger Lakes Blog
Digital and paper copies of this trail system are available for purchase at:
About Finger Lakes Trail Maps and GPS data
The map sheet for this trail system is labeled “The Cayuga Trail.”
The trails we hike in this area are part of the Cayuga Trail, initially built in the 1960s by the Cayuga Trails Club and maintained by that organization to the current day.
The entire Cayuga Trail is over 10 miles long and extends from downtown Ithaca through the Cornell campus to the Town of Dryden, where it links with the Dryden Rail Trail.
This walk can’t match the other side of Fall Creek (hike #5) for drama and excitement, but it’s a great one in its own way. We go through extensive, beautiful woods, cross several big fields just outside of Varna ( Taiby Flats ) , and encounter some amazing high bluffs with undercut trees leaning over the precipice and the creek far below. Several stretches hug the edge of the creek. There are some junglelike flood-plain areas, pine woods, and several picturesque small beach spots good for standing around and admiring the creek.
The exertion level for this hike is easy to moderate.
This is one of our more reliable winter hikes, because the trail is usually clear of significant snow. Some points along the hike route can be hazardous in the winter, due to slippery trail conditions from heavy use, so foot traction and poles are recommended for winter hikes.
Parking at the trailhead is limited. Be prepared to park along the shoulder of Monkey Run Rd.
If you need to leave early, it’s possible to bail out of this hike at several points along the route.
Trailhead # 2
Just east of the intersection of Lower Creek Road and State Route 13, on the northerly side of state route 13, is a long driveway with a parking area.
See map here: Monkey Run Northeast Parking – Google Maps
I’ve always avoided starting hikes from this parking area, as this end of the red-blazed trails has always been extremely muddy for much of the year. Recent trail improvements including several new sections of puncheons in the muddy sections makes starting hikes from this parking lot more feasible for the group
Last edit 12/2024 JFR