Category: hike reports

Wednesday, September 10

Finger Lakes Trail from Comfort Road

Hike report by Jim

Thirteen hikers and one dog met on Comfort Rd for an out and back hike on the Finger Lakes Trail from Comfort Rd towards Bruce Hill Rd. This is hike # 17-2 on our list of regular hikes: https://www.ithacahikers.com/17-2.

This hike took place entirely on FLT map sheet M17. FLT map sheets may be purchased in paper or electronic formats at:  https://fingerlakestrail.org/store/maps-and-gps/purchase-individual-maps/. Sale of the map sheets helps to defray on-going costs related to trail maintenance.

This section of the FLT has been closed to hikers since July 2024 due to storm damage. As soon as I heard recently that the section was re-opened, I scheduled todays hike. This section will be closed to hikers again in a couple of months due to hunting season closures, so I didn’t want to wait long to hike here.

The day was sunny and warm. This section of trail is often quite muddy during the rainy part sof the year. As this summer has been quite dry, we had no mud at all, other than a very small patch of trail that I suspect gets runoff from a spring. All water crossings were bone dry.

Once in the forest there it was a patchwork of shadow and light on the forest floor. Some of the hikers commented that they could tell that the trail hadn;t been hiked much due to the weedy overgrowth on the footpath. It doesnt take long for nature to start reclaiming a trail once left alone.

The outbound leg of this hike is generally a gentle downhill walk, with the return leg obviously being a gentle uphill. The footpath leads through many nice stands of pines and along open fields where the round hay bales were in abundence as we passed by

Various hikers walked at their own comfortable pace, so the group soon stretched out through the woods. Everyone turned around at the hour mark and re-traced their route.

For those hikers who are tracking their FLT miles to apply towards an FLT50 or FLT100 patch, I believe that todays FLT miles totaled around 4 miles.

Warm welcome to Savanna who joined the group today for her first hike!

Saturday, September 13

FLT: Schuyler County Veterans Park to Gulf Road and beyond Hike #66

Hike report by John D.

17 hikers and two dogs gathered at the Schuyler County Veterans Park. 

The day began with partly sunny skies which would turn cloudy over the course of the hike.  The temperature was in the 60s.  We hopped onto the FLT off of S. Pine Rd. heading south.

I note that there is a spot about 0.1 miles in where the trail is easily lost.  As you approach the edge of a field the trail becomes overgrown. You enter the field and make an immediate left back into the woods though there is no blaze visible.

We followed the trail until we reached County Rd. 6, followed the road for a tenth of a mile to Gulf Rd., and then rejoined the trail off of Gulf Rd. The trail runs along Cayuta Creek which we followed for about a mile and one half.  We turned around at the one hour mark with Casey and Mary continuing on a little further.

Travelling back along the creek we ran into Zoe and Rogelio and their canine companions who were delayed by being detoured through an alternate dimension. (New total 19 people + 4 dogs)

The creek-side trails hosts various flora. I saw woodland goldenrods, Spikenard, American Cranberry Bush, Cardinal Flower and more.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, September 14

Texas Hollow State Forest, Bennetsburg

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Sixteen hikers and two dogs on leash met where the FLT crosses Texas Hollow Road for an easterly out-and-back hike. Mark Sussman told me he and David Priester had been doing some heavy trail maintenance there over the past week and it showed – trail conditions were excellent, and there was no hint that the portions of the trail had been almost impassable a week before. 

These were the best trail conditions I’ve ever seen on this section of the FLT and on the blue trail that loops out scenicly to the north. Instead to staying entirely on the FLT, we took the blue trail loop both ways because of the views it gives of large and small ponds in the valley floor. These are lovely any time of the year, but on this hike, the ferns that line the shores had turned orange and looked like they were on fire. That is, fire with little white flowers scattered all through it.

Once past the blue trail going east, the FLT heads steeply uphill toward Newtown Road. We didn’t reach Newtown Road because we took the blue trail (which is fine, because Newtown Road is not very interesting in itself). Even so, the maximum elevation gain hikers some hikers got was almost 1000 feet. This was in approximately 4.75 miles, round-trip, which we all finished in two hours.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, September 3

Potato Hill State Forest, Caroline

Hike report by John D.  

Eight Hikers gathered of a gorgeous sunny day where the FLT crosses Level Green Rd. In Caroline. 

We travelled northeast on the FLT through Potato Hill SF and then the Summerland Farm Preserve. The muddy spots in the section through the state forest were fortunately on the drier side and easily passable. The understory through there is mostly open. We noticed ferns, wood asters, and Canada Mayflower, some bearing berries. 

After the trail enters Summerland Farm Preserve there is a large field with views extending tens of miles to the east and west. 

After the field the trail reenters the woods where we continued on with hikers turning around at different points for a total distance between 4 and 4.9 miles (the latter being Casey C. special). 

Saturday, September 6

Sessions Hill and Forbes Rd intersection, Town of Homer

Hike report by Jim

Six hikers and one dog met in the Village of Dryden at the Kenny Van Sickle ballfield for an out-a-back hike on the Dryden Rail Trail. This is hike # 49-1 on our list of hike locations: https://www.ithacahikers.com/hike-49.

The morning was overcast with a light rain as the group started the hike. Soon the rain tapered off and we were alone on the trail, passing over several road crossings and along streambeds and open fields as we made our way towards the village of Freeville. Much of our route takes us along or through lands of the William George Agency. Most of the time I prefer to schedule this hike on Sundays when there is much less traffic and associated road noise on state route 38, but for whatever reason there was only light road traffic today

We reached Railroad Street in Freeville where we turned around and re-traced our route. The rain soon started again and persisted through the end of the hike, much stronger than at the start of the hike.

All in all, it was a very good hike despite the weather!

Sunday, September 7

Robinson Hollow State Forest, Richford

Hike report by Nina F.

Fifteen hikers and two dogs met at the tiny parking lot on Robinson Hollow Road to hike in Robinson Hollow State Forest (Hike #64-2). It was a cool but pretty morning and everyone seemed prepared for the hills this hike promised. Though the hike description mentions the initial hill at the start of the trail, we discovered that there were decent hills for much of the hike, making it a good workout in both directions.

Before we set off, we met and chatted with a through-hiker, who we later ran into again as he stopped for his morning snack. He walked with us for a bit until he moved on at a faster pace. We sidetracked off the main trail to make a stop at the Kimmee lean-to, and after a brief rest continued to our turn-around point at the stream, where the water level was much lower than normal despite rain the day before. 

LeighAnn was tracking our elevation throughout the hike, and when we finished she let us know that we had gained 994 feet in elevation throughout the hike. Several hikers then chose to head back up the initial hill to get an extra six feet of elevation and make it an even 1,000 foot gain for the total hike! 

Wednesday, August 27

Finger Lakes National Forest

Hike report by Mark Sussman

Fifteen hikers and one dog met at Picnic Area Road in the Finger Lakes National Forest for the 5 Ponds Loop Hike. Although the weather forecast looked promising, we unfortunately started out in the rain. This certainly did not help on the slippery puncheons on the quarter of a mile stretch before Foster Pond. Some hikers wore spikes (which helped a lot), and some used poles, while some were just extra careful. Luckily no one slipped and fell on these treacherous board walks.

Once we got to Foster Pond, the rain had stopped, and the weather held up for the rest of the hike. The group enjoyed seeing all the ponds, and the walk overall. We finished very close to the 2 hour time window.

Saturday, August 30

Hammond Hill, Dryden

Hike report by John D.

Twenty-four hikers and two dogs met at the parking lot on Hammond Hill Road. Summer was missing-in-action but more than a few hikers were fine with that. It was a mostly sunny day and the trails were dry. This hike was entirely a woods hike with hints of a vista in the portion facing Route 38/Dryden Harford Rd.

The map posted at the trailhead is out of date. It does not include several recently added trails. However, our route was entirely on yellow trails so that map sufficed. We travelled Y1 -> Y3 -> Y8  -> Y4 -> Y5 -> Y6 -> Y1,  a total distance of 4.3 miles in a tad under two hours.

We encountered a few trail runners and one cyclist. I was happy for the latter having warned of that possibility. We also came across a hollow tree which appeared to have burned on the inside.  There was speculation as to whether this was from a lightning strike.

I was pleased to lose no one in my first time as hike leader.  Thanks to Leigh Ann for acting as sweep to make that happen.

After the hike two hikers went back to investigate the dilapidated shack seen from the trail. No word of their fate.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, August 31

Cayuga Trail north side, Varna cliffs, Ithaca

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Thirty-six hikers and three dogs on leash met at the Cornell Agricultural Plots on Freese Road for this out-and-back hike. We followed the North Monkey Run section of the Cayuga Trail over toward the junction of Hanshaw and Lower Creek Roads, where the people in front turned around. The trail conditions were excellent – well-mowed, dry, and easy to navigate – except for a heavily-traveled short stretch that the creek is undercutting. This is well known to be an opportunity for rerouting, and it looks like rerouting would dramatically increase the safety of that stretch once it happens.

The weather was stunning – really, it’s hard to imagine how it could have been better. Spirits were high as the long train of hikers stretched several tenths of a mile through the woods. It was fun to see and hear others across the wooded edges of gullies where the trail doubled back and coming down switchbacks to the creek. Everyone arrived back at the cars within two hours, and many stayed to chat for a while after that.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, August 23

Mundy Wildflower Gardens (Forest Home) to Beebe Lake Loop, Ithaca

Hike report by Nina F.

Twenty-seven hikers and two dogs met at Mundy Wildflower Gardens on a gorgeous day for a diverse and beautiful hike. We started by walking through Mundy Wildflower Gardens along a tranquil, shady path, left the Wildflower Gardens and crossed Judd Falls Road over to Cornell Botanic Gardens, where we made a loop around the stunning herb garden, seemingly still in full bloom, and from there to Beebe Lake and Sackett Bridge. We made a photo stop at the observation deck overlooking Fall Creek Cascades, walked around Beebe Lake and enjoyed the larger waterfall as we crossed the Beebe Dam Bridge on the West end of the Lake. From there we walked through the Forest Home neighborhood, former home of Pearl S. Buck, author of The Good Earth.

We spent the second half of the hike walking though F.R. Newman Arboretum – voted the #1 college arboretum – where we saw two young fawns, passed the sculpture garden, crossed a lovely marsh and wound our way back to our starting point. 

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, August 24

Black Diamond Trail southbound from Kraft Road

Hike report by Margaret F.

17 hikers and no dogs met at the intersection of Kraft Rd. and the Black Diamond trail on 8/24 for an out and back hike.  1 new hiker joined the group.  The weather was warm and sunny and the trail very conducive to conversation along the way.  The fastest hikers reported 7 miles round trip!  Margaret F. as hike leader completed 5 miles in the middle of group. 

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Wednesday, August 13

The FLT in Danby State Forest from 96B to the Tamarack Lean-to

Hike report by Casey

11 Ithaca Hikers met at the corner of Durfee Hill Road and Route 96B in Danby for hike #23-2  .

Last Sunday’s hike went from South Danby Road on the FLT, to and past the Tamarac lean to. This hike covers the same part of the FLT but starting from the opposite direction. This was a simple out and back which gave everyone the chance to hike at exactly their own pace. The faster hikers got about ¾ of a mile from the South Danby Road access point when they turned around. Since they managed to get back a little ahead of the two hour goal, it is a safe bet that in the future the faster hikers may go all the way to South Danby Road, turn around, and get back not more than 5 minutes after 2 hours.

I would not want to try that starting from the other direction because when you start at 96 B you fairly soon encounter a formidable uphill that just goes on and on for quite a climb. You would not want to do that in the middle of your hike. But getting it out of the way up front and then being able to pick up lots of time coasting down that hill on the way back seems to work just fine.

We managed to get in 4.6 miles.

As usual for this hike there were a few people who didn’t get the memo about not trying to arrive via Durfee Hill Road due to its roughness.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Saturday, August 16

Lick Brook from Townline Road

Hike report by Leigh Ann

Twenty-one hikers and one dog on leash hiked from Townline Road, down the FLT to Lick Brook Falls, over to the railroad tressle, back up the blue trail to the cars. Eleven of these continued around the orange-blue trails loop in Thayer preserve back to the cars. This is a short (appx. 3 miles) but steep-in-sections route. Fortunately, there are several options that let people choose their own adventure to some degree, with enough places where we come back together and communicate about who is choosing which option. These options include whether you turn around after seeing Lick Brook Falls, whether you take the blue trail or the white FLT trail back up to the cars, and whether you do the orange-blue Thayer loop or leave early. We communicated well amongst ourselves about who chose to do what.

We reliably stop for a few minutes to admire Lick Brook falls on this hike. Instedad, today we stopped for about 15 minutes to walk all across the base of the falls, which were astonishingly dry. There is usually enough splashing, crashing water that crossing the stream to get anywhere near the base of the falls is a challenge, as is doing the stream crossing to get to the railroad tressle. Not today.  And the normally challenging stream crossing to get to the railroad tressle was also dry. Heat aside, this was a lovely route, and we were delighted to find that someone had given the often-overgrown section of trail between the falls and tressle some weed-wacking. All the hikers had returned to the cars by 11:30, whichever choices of routes they took.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.

Sunday, August 17

Finger Lakes Trail from Woodard Road to Hines Road and beyond, Enfield

Hike report by Nina F.

Sixteen hikers and one dog met on Woodard Road in Enfield to hike a beautiful stretch of the Finger Lakes Trail through Upper Treman State Park. The first mile is quite hilly, with some steep elevation changes, but our hardy group made it look easy. On the second mile the trail levels out and winds through some picturesque fields, past an impressive stone wall and back into the woods to the turnaround point. On the return, two hikers left the group to take the faster route back to the cars along the road while the rest of the group returned through the woods.

View Leigh Ann’s photo album.