Wednesday, September 23
Finger Lakes Trail South of Boylan Rd., Newfield
Hike report by Jim
Five hikers met at the junction of Boylan and Hulford Roads in the Town of Newfield for an out and back hike on the Finger Lakes Trail.
This is a modified version of hike # 55 which I altered after pre-hiking the route described in the linked hike description because I didn’t like the current state of the footpath between Connecticut Hill and Boylan Roads after that section was logged a year or two ago.
Today’s hike was planned for a short FLT hiking window between the early antler-less deer season last week and the start of bow hunting season on October 1st.
Today’s hike took place entirely on FLT map sheet M16. Map sheets in either paper or electronic formats may be purchased through the Finger Lakes Trail Conference at Purchase Individual Maps – Finger Lakes Trail Conference. Sale of the map sheets helps to defray the on-going costs associated with trail maintenance.
I arrived at Boylan Rd to find the town highway department grading the length of the dirt portion of Boylan Rd with graders, tractors with rakes and rollers. The other arriving hikers were able to park along the wide grassy shoulder of Hulford Rd without incident.
After a short road walk on Boylan Rd the hikers turned southerly onto the FLT. The Trail first crosses an open field, which had been mowed in the recent past, so the grasses there were very short. The footpath enters the woods and remains under canopy for the remainder of the hike except for a short previously logged section near Cabin Rd and a couple of small meadows which the Trail skirts the edge of.
Trail conditions were generally good, with dry footpath, no stream crossings and only a few smaller blowdowns lying across the Trail which were easily stepped over or around. Temperatures were pleasantly cool, the sun was out during the hike, and we were greeted by cooling breezes as we returned to the open fields bordering Boylan Rd.
Elevation changes are minimal throughout the hike.
The logged portion near Cabin Rd has grown up since the last time I hiked this Trail section. Immediately after that area was logged, the affected hillside had the appearance of a moonscape. A couple of years after that logging operation, the Trail now passes through a mowed area surrounded by small saplings that conceal any remaining logs or other logging debris.
The hikers arrived at Cabin Rd without incident. Randy O and Nancy L suggested that we take a few minutes to look for some mushrooms they had observed in the area on their last hike there. The group only found a couple of very past-their-prime mushrooms.
After turning around and beginning to re-trace our route the various hikers opted to stop and look at various fauna, trees and other natural things that the group was passing by. We noticed an apple tree still bearing fruit, and several hikers availed themselves of an apple or two before resuming their hike.
By the time we arrived at Boylan Rd the highway department was wrapping up their roadwork, leaving us with a much-improved seasonal dirt road surface compared to what had been there previously.
For those hikers tracking their FLT miles for a 2026 FLT 50 or FLT 100 patch, today’s hike included 3.4 FLT miles.
Saturday, September 26
Fillmore Glen State Park, Moravia
Hike report by Nina F.
Twenty hikers and two dogs met at Fillmore Glen State Park in Moravia for a fall hike in a gorgeous state park. We made a quick stop for a photo at the bottom of The Cowsheds Waterfall, before ascending a set of stairs to head up to the Gorge Trail. Walking this direction allows for the best views of the gorge and waterfalls. At the top of the Gorge Trail we headed to the North Rim Trail and took a right for an out and back/lollipop portion along the Waterfall Loop Tail for a final waterfall view, before descending down the North Rim Trail back to the parking lot. The North Rim Trail is lovely in its own right, with tall Eastern Hemlocks along the winding trail. The hike was two hours and we were just shy of four miles.
Sunday, September 27
Dryden Rail Trail from Dryden Village
No report was submitted for this hike.