THE PARKS...
Buttermilk Falls State Park
Phone Number - (607) 273-5761
Website - nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=25
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November
Nearest Finger Lake - south of Cayuga
Directions - Ithaca; take Route 13 South to park entrance.
The Park
The Tutelo Indians resided from the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia down to the valleys of the Mayo and Dan Rivers in North Carolina. In the 1740s, remnants of the Saponi, Tutelo, and Occaneechi Indians sought the protection of the Iroquois Confederacy after dust-ups with the Algonkians. Collectively known as the Tutelo, they settled among the Cayuga in 1753, building a small cluster of wooden cabins near the falls. Their village of Coreorgonel was one of many Iroquois towns destroyed during the Sullivan Expedition of 1779. Like their neighboring namesake park, the initial funds for Buttermilk Falls State Park came from Robert and Laura Treman in 1924.
The Walks
It takes two separate glens for the Buttermilk Creek to storm 600 feet down the Cayuga Valley. You can circle the lower gorge that climaxes in the wide curtain waterfall at the bottom on two 3/4-mile trails on either side of the gorge. The north side is natural going through a shady hemlock forest while the south side utilizes a dramatic stone staircase. After that rollick adventure the remainder of canine hiking at Buttermilk Falls is relatively tame, but nonetheless desirable. The upper section of the park (on West King Street if you are driving, not hiking) features views of the gorge and an easy trek at Lake Treman, surrounded by a 1.5-mile trail. The 25-acre lake was built in 1930. About 100 yards south of the main entrance, accessed off Sand Bank Road, you can take your dog on a gentle wetland loop on the Larch Meadow Nature Trail. This is the only trail at Buttermilk that will stay open during the winter and when ice lingers even later in the gorge.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Most of the summer traffic here is for the swimming below the falls; the trails other than the gorge walk are not heavily used
Workout For Your Dog – About two hours to explore both glens
Swimming - Below Buttemilk Falls when the swimming pool is closed and Lake Treman are excellent places for canine aquatics
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike the trails around Buttermilk Falls
Something Extra
Near the top of the Gorge Trail you’ll pass by a dark spot shaded by a ragged 40-foot pillar of shale in Buttermilk Creek known as Pinnacle Rock. The rock has stood tall while all about it, literally, has fallen victim to the powerful stream waters.
Connecticut Hill State Wildlife Management Area
Phone Number - (607) 753-3095
Website - www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9331.html
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - west of Cayuga
Directions - Newfield; on the north side of Route 13. Take Connecticut Hill Road into the maze of unpaved roads.
The Park
Once called Saxton Hill, Connecticut Hill came by its name honestly. The mountain, at 2.097 feet the highest point in Tompkins County, was part of a 16,000 acre tract acquired in 1800 by the State of Connecticut and owned by the Nutmeg State for parts of the next 50 years. An interesting concept; perhaps the next time New York runs a budget surplus it could buy Mystic Seaport or something...Farmers who settled here did not last long. A harsh climate and thin soils soon sent them on their way. New York State acquired almost 10,000 acres of the Hill for use as a game refuge in the early 1900s. Since that time, Connecticut Hill has been the site of many experimental programs and studies designed to gain insight into the habits and needs of wildlife species. Today, Connecticut Hill is the largest Wildlife Management Area in New York State, totaling 11,045 acres.
The Walks
Most canine hiking in the wilderness on Connecticut Hill is conducted on a leg of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) that passes through the park. The FLT is a 562.9-mile long footpath that crosses the south end of the Finger Lakes while extending from the Catskills Forest Preserve in the east to the Allegany State Park in the west.There are two hiking loops that ust the FLT as a stem here. the Bob Cameron Loop (named for a former caretaker on the property), located to the west of Tower Road, traverses the top of Connecticut Ridge. You start in a twisting field of young conifers and won’t drop down too dramatically in its 2.6-mile course. You may notice open areas near this hike - proposals have been floated to establish wind turbines up on Connecticut Hill. Experienced canine hikers will love the sporty climbs around Cayuta Creek on the 5.8-mile Van Lone Hill Loop (end of a dirt road of CR 6, south of Cayuta Lake). In addition to the well-maintained natural trails, this loop uses old logging roads as well.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: The roads are unmarked, the trailheads are unmarked, the roads are hard to follow - don’t bring your dog here as an afterthought. Have a map and a plan. The Finger Lakes Trail is blazed in white; the loop trails in orange.
Workout For Your Dog – A full day possible
Swimming - Plenty of streams and ponds; the ponds were built after World War II to attract waterfowl for hunters, Cayuta Creek has some good pools
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome across Connecticut Hill
Something Extra
The State of New York erected an historical marker on Connecticut Hill in 1938 that read:“Born here, July 22, 1855, to Foster Ervay and wife, four children, know as ErvayQuadruplets, on exhibition for several years” The marker is curious for a couple of things. First, it gives the lion’s share of credit for the multiple birth to Foster Ervay rather than his wife Lucinda, who one assumes did most of the heavy lifting here.In fact, these were the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th children for the couple and Lucinda would give birth twice more. Second, although P.T. Barnum never met a set of quadruplets he didn’t like, it is unlikely that he exhibited the Ervay quadruplets. According to family genealogical records, Iva died at the age of three months on Connecticut Hill and Ina did not survive her first year either. The remaining quads, Irvan and Ida both lived into their seventies.
Cornell Plantations
Phone Number - (607) 255-2400
Website - www.plantations.cornell.edu
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - southeast of Cayuga
Directions - Ithaca; on the Cornell campus. From Dryden Road (Route 366) turn onto Judd Falls Road. Take the jughandle exit down to Plantations Road and turn right to the Visitor Center.
The Park
The stated purpose of the Cornell Plantations is “to hold, manage, protect, and enhance the living botanical collections and the natural areas and gorges of Cornell for the benefit and use of the university community and the public.” Cornell Plantations officially came into existence in 1944, when Liberty
Hyde Bailey coined the name. Most of the gardens and the arboretum have been developed since the early 1970s. Cornell maintains nearly 3,000 acres
in formal gardens and natural areas.
The Walks
A college campus is often a great place to seek a canine hike with your dog, especially when class is not in session. When the campus grounds are as spectacular as Cornell University’s, it is simply a bonus. The Cornell Plantations are a beguiling mix of landscaped grounds and natural areas. The backbone of the Plantations are 14 specialty gardens dispersed around Plantations Road. Dogs are not often permitted in public flower gardens so it is a rare treat to hike with your dog through these 25 acres of plantings. The same can be said for arboretums and your dog can enjoy the 150-acre F.R. Newman Arboretumhere,trotting onserpentinepathsthroughcollections of shrubs and native New York trees. Across Fall Creek your dog can explore such natural areas as Hemlock Grove across the stone Sackett Bridge, easily reached by foot. Pop out on the wrong trail and you may wind up on the Cornell University golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, America’s pre-eminent golf course designer at the time. If so, check out his massive trademark greens. You can also hike with your dog around Beebe Lake with just a minimum of streetwalking. Another unusual natural area is the greenway from campus into downtown Ithaca through the Cascadilla Creek gorge. This trail, “connecting town and gown,” covers 1.3 miles and many stairs.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Plenty of bikes, strollers and trail users everywhere but it is not difficult to find a quiet place
Workout For Your Dog – Easy going across campus
Swimming - There are places for your dog to reach the waters of Beebe Lake and Fall Creek
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome in Cornell Plantations
Something Extra
Ezra Cornell, founder of the university, created Beebe Lake in 1839 by building Triphammer Dam. He named the lake for Colonel Jeremiah S. Beebe, who hired Cornell shortly after he came to Ithaca in 1828.The lake provided reliable water for Beebe’s plaster and flour mills at the base of Ithaca Falls.
The water flowed to the mills through a tunnel Cornell blasted out of the south side of Falls Creek Gorge using black powder.
Danby State Forest
Phone Number - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - south of Cayuga
Directions - Danby; take Route 96B south out of Ithaca and continue south to the town of Danby, (about 6 miles). Go .5 mile past Danby Market and turn right on Michigan Hollow Road (unpaved) to Abbott Loop. The trail can also be accessed from Hill Road and Bald Hill Road (both seasonal).
The Park
After hiking long distance trails in New England in 1961, Wallace D. Wood of Rochester proposed a similar trail to the Genesee Valley Hiking Club and the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) across New York’s scenic southern tier was born. The precise route would be left to local clubs. The next year the Cayuga Trails Club in Ithaca won sponsorship of 70 miles of the new FLT. The club used a low-flying airplane to scout possible trail routes, flying through Michigan Hollow here at 500 feet before deciding on an appropriate trail corridor. For several years, Cliff and Doris Abbott of the Cayuga Trails Club had a vision to create the first loop trail of the Finger Lakes Trail System. After several years of planning, negotiating, flagging route, clearing trail, building foot bridges, and marking the final route, the Abbott Loop Trail was officially inaugurated in Danby State Forest in 1992.
The Walks
The Abbott Loop is a 6.7-mile detour off the main Finger Lakes Trail for a total circuit of 8.4 miles. Along the way you will cross three ravines and tag four hilltops, the most prominent being the westernmost, Thatcher’s Pinnacle. It is a hearty 200-foot climb to the overlook off Bald Hill Road. On a clear day the village of West Danby and the Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve spread before you.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: No bikes or horses allowed on the Finger Lakes Trail segments in the forest; this is a popular route but there will be stretches of an hour or more when you won’t see another trail user
Workout For Your Dog – Allow four to five hours to complete the Abbott Loop
Swimming - Streams and beaver ponds will provide a refreshing break from the trail
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike in the Danby State Forest
Something Extra
In the fall of 1965 the Cayuga Trails Club purchasedthe Tamarack Lean-to from the New York State Conservation Department and moved it piece-by-piece from Lampeer, NY to its current location on the FLT in the Danby State Forest, west of Route 96B. The cornerstone of Tamarack Lean-to was laid on October 10, 1965, in a ceremony described by a local radio station as “perhaps the first time in the history of the world that a cornerstone was laid for a lean-to.” The cornerstone at the trail shelter contained a Cayuga Trails Club emblem, an FLTC emblem, the October issue of Cayuga Trails, two 1964 pennies, some trading stamps, and orange and white flags used to mark the trail. There are plenty of up and downs on this track and some steep stretches
but nothing an energetic dog can’t handle. If you sense your dog flagging after a couple of hours on the trail, however, there are several dirt roads you can use to shorten your loop. On the other hand, if you are looking for a full-day canine hike, there is a connector from the Pinnacle that leads to the trail system of the Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve.
Ellis Hollow Nature Preserve
Phone Number - None
Website - www.fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=15
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - southeast of Cayuga
Directions - Dryden; from Ithaca follow Ellis Hollow Road 2.5 miles past East Hill Shopping Plaza. Turn left on Genung Road, then right on Ellis Hollow Creek Road. The preserve entrance is located on theleft side of road, just past the creek.
The Park
John and Peleg Ellis, two brothers, left Rhode Island as young men and headed west for Herkimer County. It wasn’t far enough west for Peleg, however, and he traded his Herkimer property for lot no. 84, originally assigned to Dr. Samuel Cook, a surgeon in the Revolution. At the age of 24 in 1799, Peleg came to survey his land, the area surrounding today’s intersection of Ellis Hollow and Ellis Hollow Creek Roads. He cleared the woods and the next year brought his wife and two daughters to the hollow. Peleg Ellis, who was born the year the Revolution started and died less than two years before the Civil War, was a captain of the early state militia in Dryden. He volunteered with his entire company during the War of 1812 where he became a major.
He built the family home at the headwaters of Cascadilla Creek and that house is the front half of “Headwaters” at 1735 Ellis Hollow Road. Barbara Keeton’s family were not residents of Ellis Hollow quite that long ago but loved it just the same and donated the land for this 111-acre preserve to the Finger Lakes Land Trust to remain unspoiled and available for quiet recreation.
The Walks
Normally you can judge a book by its cover - that’s what a good book cover is for. But not at Ellis Hollow Nature Preserve. From the parking lot you wind through a thick shock of vegetation, your dog unable to see anything but the NYSEG utility lines running overhead. Just when your dog’s ears are beginning to droop things change in a big way.You step into the forest and the feel of this canine hike changes immediately. There is little understory in the mature woodland and you can see that you will be working uphill to the back of the property. To avoid the steepest climbs take the main red-blazed trail in a counter-clockwise direction. this way you hike up a series of natural, step-like ledges. The surface under paw is dirt, often obscured by soft leaf litter.Just when you think this is a pleasant woodland excursion and nothing more you reach the back of the preserve and start rolling through a series of creek-fed ravines. When you bring your dog back to the trailhead you feel like you have just finished a good rollercoaster ride and want to hop right back on. And you can, by setting off on the smaller, interior yellow-blazed loop.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural wooded paths
Workout For Your Dog – About one hour of trail time
Swimming - The hills are lubricated by several small streams suitable for splashing
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome to hike at Ellis Hollow
Something Extra
The preserve is home to some particularly impressive cucumber trees, a large member of the magnolia family and the only one native to the Finger Lakes. The cucumber tree sports large, smooth leaves and greenish-yellow flowers that appear in spring. These flowers are not as showy as the ones associated with southern magnolias. The tree acquired its name because the immature fruit it bears looks like a cucumber. Cucumber trees do well in rich, well-drained soil in deciduous forests like this one and can grow taller than 100 feet in extreme cases.
Fillmore Glen State Park
Phone Number - (315) 497-0130
Website - nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/ info.asp?parkID=35
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November
Nearest Finger Lake - southeast of Owasco
Directions - Moravia; one mile south of the village on Route 38.
The Park
Dr. Charles Atwood, a local physician by vocation and a botanist by avocation, is the “Father of Fillmore Glen.” A member of the Finger Lakes State Parks Commission since it was formed in 1924, he led the preservationist movement to create this park. The area was well-known and appreciated by the locals for its wide range of botanical wonders. Trails were open in the glen for years before it became a jewel of the Empire State park system
in 1925. The glen is named for Millard Fillmore, 13th president of the United States, born down the road in Summerhill. The park today covers 941 acres.
The Walks
The main canine hiking experience at Fillmore Glen is on the Gorge Trail that crosses Dry Creek on nine bridges and visits five major waterfalls. Much of the elaborate stonework along the trail was constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps stonemasons during the Great Depression. This is an easy trot for your dog for two miles into the glen, starting flat and becoming increasingly steep as you reach the end of the gorge. Note that the Gorge Trail is closed in the winter and stays very wet after a recent rain. To complete a hiking loop back to the parking area you have two choices - the South Rim Trail and the North Rim Trail. The south rim route is the more benign of the two as it connects several picnic pavilions. The heartier canine hike is through the hemlocks on the higher side of the gorge, the north side. The most scenic side waterfall drops from this side.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Foot traffic only in the gorge
Workout For Your Dog – More than an hour of sporty hiking here
Swimming - Your dog will enjoy the natural swimming pool beyond the Cowsheds, a magazine cover-worthy waterfall that drops into a semi-circular ampitheatre
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed throughout the park, including the campground, save for the bathing areas.
Something Extra
Millard Fillmore was the first president born when George Washington was no longer alive and the last president who was neither a Democrat nor a Republican (he was a Whig). Fillmore was also the first non-elected President, ascending to office from the vice-presidency in July 1850 with the death of Zachary Taylor. Interestingly, he then served as President without a Vice-President. Fillmore supported the Compromise of 1850 that admitted California as a free state but also established a stricter slave law that was so controversial he was not even nominated by his own party to run for President again in 1852. Millard Fillmore was born in a log cabin five miles from the park in 1800 and a replica of the cabin constructed from similar materials is on display by the parking lot.
Finger Lakes National Forest
Phone Number - (607) 546-4470
Website - www.fs.fed.us/r9/gmfl/fingerlakes/index.htm
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - east of Seneca
Directions - Hector; forest headquarters are at 5218 State Route 414, north of Watkins Glen. To reach the Interloken Trail, turn right on Schuyler County Route 2, a half-mile north of the Ranger Station. Follow CR 2 for 4.0 miles until you reach the Blueberry Patch Campground and parking area.
The Park
In 1790 the Federal government gave away this former Iroquois land in 600-acre lots to Revolutionary War veterans. Settlers came, cleared the land and after 100 years of grinding a living out of marginal soils, mostly left. Between 1890 and 1930 more than half the farms and over a million acres of farmland were abandoned in south central New York State. Back came the Federal government. Between 1938 and 1941, over 100 farms were purchased in the area now in the National Forest. As this was done on a farm-by-farm basis not everyone was willing to sell, so today the forest lands are here and not there and sometimes over that way. In 1982 the forest was shuffled among federal agencies and became the Finger Lakes National Forest, New York’s only national forest and America’s smallest.
The Walks
The main activity in Finger Lakes National Forest takes place on the orange-blazed Interloken Trail that runs 12 miles north-to-south up the spine of the park’s largest contiguous tract of land. This is really an easy go for your dog as it weaves through second-growth forest and old-time pastureland. With a car shuttle you could complete the entire route or use the many intersecting trails to create loops of varying duration. Horses are only allowed in the southern sections where the terrain is a bit steeper; bikes and horses are both allowed north of Teeter Pond.Canine hikers may prefer a tour on the 1.25-mile Gorge Trail (Mark Smith Road off Route 79) or the Ravine Trail (at the Blueberry Patch Campground) that are reserved for foot traffic only. These are kinder, gentler gorges than the other nearby gullies. The stream’s work is less frenetic here and the soft dirt trail works along a rounded hillside. Both link with the Interloken Trail for an extendeded exploration of the forest.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: The forest is modestly visited, mostly in autumn. About half the trails are multi-use with several miles of hiker-only paths.
Workout For Your Dog – A full day possible
Swimming - Ponds along the Interloken Trail are ideal doggie swimming holes; the streams are better suited for splashing or sitting
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed on the trails and in the campground
Something Extra
The National Forest currently manages 1,400 acres as shrubland, a relatively uncommon habitat in the Finger Lakes. For canine hikers this means stretches of open-air travel with long views and maybe a bit of sunshine on the neck. Management is designed to maintain and promote fruit production so you may be able to pluck a blueberry or two in your travels.
Ganondagan State Historic Site
Phone Number - (585) 924-5848
Website - www.ganondagan.org
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - northwest of Canandaigua
Directions - Victor; from the New York State Thruway Exit 45 take Route 96 into Victor. At Maple Avenue (Route 444) in the center of town, turn right and proceed south to Boughton Hill Road and turn right at the flashing red light to the site on the right.
The Park
The Seneca Nation was the largest of the Confederacy of Five Nations during the 17th century, extending from Lake Ontario down into Pennsylvania. The Senecas traded widely and prospered. Here on this hill they established a great granary and the town that grew up nearby, Gannagaro, was one of the largest in the Nation. They were successful enough in the fur trade of the day to cause the French, under the Marquis de Denonville, Governor of New France, to send an army from Canada to destroy the Seneca competition. In 1687, 3,000 French soldiers invaded and burned the town, including the granary. The Senecas dispersed and would go on to build smaller villages but never again a town on the scale of Gannagaro, now known as Ganondagan.
The Walks
There is some super canine hiking on hand at Ganondagan but bring a patient dog with you because these trails are stuffed with interpretive signs. The Earth Is Our Mother Trail, for instance, is detailed with 29 signs across its two-mile course. The names of plants important to the Nation are listed with both their English and Seneca names. The Trail of Peace is a beautiful mown grass path that recounts the story of Seneca life here and the invasion and destruction of the town. Aside from the gentle, paw-friendly track the highlight here are the views across the surrounding countryside. Down the road (park in the grass across from Murray Road) you can explore Fort Hill, site of the palisaded granary. Your dog’s four-wheel drive will come in handy here, as it will in several places in the historic site as you hike across the steep hills. The trail system also connects to the six-mile Seneca Trail that leads back into Victor so you can make this a BIG outing for your dog -and he won’t be in any hurry to leave this special place.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Grass and dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog – Several hours of canine hiking possible
Swimming - The Great Brook gurgles through the property but it is not a canine swimming mecca
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike these historic trails
Something Extra
The Seneca came to be known as Haudenosaunee “the people who build houses.” Those houses were communal longhouses covered with elm bark. Pine pitch was smeared across the pieces of elm to waterproof the house. The Senecas lashed bitternut hickory trees together for the house frame. The inner bark of the shagbark hickory was boiled to soften it and then twisted into cord to tie sheets of bark to rafters and posts. The interior was covered with white birch bark to reflect light and brighten the living space. A demonstration Bark Longhouse of the Seneca was built at Ganondagan in 1998.
Hammond Hill State Forest
Phone Number - None
Website - None
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - southeast of Cayuga
Directions - Dryden; from Route 13 about 2 miles west of town turn south on Irish Settlement Road. Take the third left onto Hammond Hill Road, bear right at the Y where Hammond Hill and Star Stanton roads converge. Park in the gravel lot on the right, just past the top of the hill.
The Park
The Great Depression of the 1930s was bad for people, good for trees. In New York State, land that had been cleared for generations could no longer support families and people moved away and abandoned farms. The State Reforestation Law of 1929 and the Hewitt Amendment of 1931 set forth the legislation which authorized the Conservation Department to acquire land by gift or purchase for reforestation areas. These Reforestation Areas, consisting of not less than 500 acres of contiguous land, were to be forever devoted to “reforestation and the establishment and maintenance thereon of forests for watershed protection, the production of timber, and for recreation and kindred purposes.” The bottom line: New York had some 20% forest cover in 1930; today it has over 62%.The Hammond Hill State Forest is a typical reforested property. Between 1935 and 1940 Civilian Conservation Corps workers planted 708,000 pine, spruce, larch, sugar maple, white ash and red oak seedlings on the former cropfields. Today 3,618 acres are heavily forested.
The Walks
There are no great destinations in Hammond Hill State Forest. No great views, no sparkling waterfalls, no deep lakes. Just a great place to get out and hike with your dog. If you can’t find a suitable trail here, you aren’t trying. The trail system is elaborate. Sixteen designated trails can be combined in any number of combinations for however long you want to stay out with your dog. Each trail is labeled for beginner, intermediate or advanced and although the ratings are for skiers you can translate into hilly terrain from their guide.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: The trails are natural using old farm roads and single track and shady most of the way around the state forest
Workout For Your Dog – Many hours possible
Swimming - This is a hiking destination primarily
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike along these trails
Something Extra
Unlike most other Finger Lakes state forests at Hammond Hill there is an easy place to park, a defined trailhead, a trailmap and an a groomed trail system.
Keuka Lake Outlet Trail
Phone Number - None
Website - www.keukaoutlettrail.net
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - northeast shore of Keuka to the west shore of Seneca
Directions - Dresden and Penn Yan; off Route 54A in Penn Yan on Cherry Street north of the bridge and Routes 14 & 54 on the south side of Seneca
Street in Dresden.
The Park
Jemima Wilkinson was a tall, young woman with a magnetic personality but seemed destined to be remembered only by her family in Cumberland, Rhode Island when she fell mortally ill at the age of 24 in 1776. She revived, and spurred by her near-death experience Wilkinson formed the “Universal Friends,” America’s first evangelical congregation led by a woman. She arrived at Keuka Lake with 24 followers in 1790. Soon she boasted a following of 260 in about equal numbers from Pennsylvania and New England and thus the town of Penn Yan. Her sect did not long survive her death but by then settlers had discovered the industrial advantages of the 274-foot drop in the watercourse between Keuka and Seneca lakes. The Crooked Lake Canal opened in 1833 to transport goods between the two lakes but it was destined to fail. It took 27 locks to smooth out the six-mile, six-hour trip. Imagine a canal boat taking three times as long to cover the distance as you and your dog would take!
The Walks
Your canine hike on the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail is on the railbed of the Penn Yan and New York Railway that opened on the former canal towpath. As you mosey along, take note of all the twists and turns you make and you will know how the line got the nickname “Corkscrew Railway.” The trains ran until 1972 when Hurricane Agnes washed out the tracks. In 1981 a group of volunteers purchased the land and built a trail that is a notch above its rails-to-trails cousins. The embedded stone path favors bikes but will not grind at your dog’s paws. Nature has reclaimed the industrial passageway with a vengeance - the route is well-shaded and scenic, punctuated by dramatic waterfalls. And there is the vestige of that serpentine roadbed of the railway -you will likely forget you are hiking down an old railroad right-of-way. The linear park stretches six miles so the 274-foot elevation drop goes down easy. If you don’t have a car shuttle there are seven access points that will allow you to visit the Keuka Lake Outlet Trail in hikeable chunks.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: This popular trail is smooth enough for road bikes
Workout For Your Dog – More than an hour of trail time
Swimming - There is easy access to the Outlet Creek and sometimes deep enough for dog paddling
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed and poop bags are provided
Something Extra
The first mill established on the Keuka Lake Outlet was Seneca Mills, built at the impressive falls where water crashed over shelves of limestone. At one time as many as 40 mills were siphoning water from the stream to power grist and flour mills, sawmills, distilleries, fulling mills, paper mills, and more.
The only mill still operating on the Outlet Creek today is Birkett Mill in Penn Yan, the world’s leading producer of buckwheat products. They have been grinding wheat from this location since 1797. On September 27, 1987, they cooked the world’s biggest pancake - more than 28 feet across. The record stood until 1994 when a 46-footer, containing some two million calories, stole the Big Pancake crown.
Letchworth State Park
Phone Number - (585) 493-3600
Website - nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/ info.asp?parkID=12
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November
Nearest Finger Lake - southwest of Conesus
Directions - Castile; From I-390 take Exit 7 to the park off Route 36.
The Park
William Pryor Letchworth entered business at the age of 15 in Auburn in 1848, working as a clerk in the saddlery and hardware trade. He soon shifted to the iron products business and was successful enough to retire at the age of 48. But he did not stop working. He became an advocate for epilectic and poor children from his post on the New York State Board of Charities, agitating tirelessly for their treatment, often with his own money. He first bought land on the Genesee River in 1859 when he started to build his Glen Iris Estate with the help of famous landscape artist William Webster. When development of the Genesee River loomed in 1906, Letchworth scrapped plans for Glen Iris to be converted into an orphanage after his death and gave it to the State of New York instead to preserve the lands forever. A year later, and three years before William Letchworth’s death, his 1,000 acres became one of the cornerstones of the New York state park system during the Depression. .
The Walks
The “Grand Canyon of the East” covers more than 14,000 acres and serves up about 70 miles of trails, many of the multi-use variety. Most folks, however, don’t explore much beyond the three major waterfalls at the park hub so you will have no trouble slipping away into the woods with your dog in relative solitude. If you can, bring your dog to the Gorge Trail early in the morning before the crowds arrive to gape at the hydrospectaculars and admire the stone bridges and stairways created by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. Good places to sneak away with your dog are behind the museum, highlighted by the Mary Jemison Trail, and in the northern area of the park near the campground off Schenck Road with its gorge overlooks..
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Natural trails beyond the falls area
Workout For Your Dog – Days – maybe weeks – of trail time possible
Swimming - There are some side streams in the park for refreshing splashing
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome to hike and camp but are not allowed in any park building, cabin area or swimming pool area
Something Extra
In 1743 Mary Jemison was born aboard ship, bound for the New World. Her family settled near modern-day Gettysburg on the American frontier. In 1758, in the early days of the French and Indian War, the Jemison farm was raided by French and Shawnee warriors. The raiders headed west and soon killed everyone in her family except Mary. In Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) she was sold to Seneca Indians and renamed Dehgewanus. She lived among the Senecas, married and was led back to her husband’s homeland on the Genessee River, walking 700 miles with a young son on her back. She arrived but without her husband, who fell ill and died. She would live in the valley another 70 years until the “Old White Woman of the Genesee” died in 1833 on the Buffalo Creek Reservation. Two generations later her grandchildren appealed to William Letchworth to have here remains moved to her one-time land here. He obliged, and Mary Jemison came home. You can see her grave, topped by a statue dedicated in 1910, behind the Glen Iris Inn.
Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve
Phone Number - None
Website - www.fllt.org/protected_ lands/protected_lands1. php?id=22
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - south of Cayuga
Directions - West Danby; south of town on Route 34/96. The preserve lot is on the east side of the road.
The Park
As Director of the Cornell Institute for Research in Chemical Ecology Thomas Eisner was well familiar with trips to exotic locales around the world in search of beneficial plants. Born in Uruguay, he had extensive field experience on four continents. But what about in his own backyard? Was it possible that temperate climates like that experienced in Ithaca could harbor plants with medicinal value like those hunted for in humid tropical jungles? Dr. Eisner approached the Finger Lakes Land Trust to see if they could find an ecologically diverse tract to pursue research for useful botanical chemicals. Through significant private donations the trust was able to piece together this remarkable preserve that became the world’s first temperate-zone preserve for research in chemical ecology and bio-prospecting.
The Walks
One of the joys of hiking with your dog is watching her react to her surroundings and there is plenty to stimulate the canine senses here. Ravines, heavy brush, open meadows, beaver ponds, stands of hemlock and pine, marshes, glacially carved hillside, oak-hickory forests are all on the hiking menu at Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve. The star walk here is the Blue Trail that mixes open meadows with long views of the surrounding hills and a hillside woodland loop. The full tour of the Blue Trail will take about an hour but you will want to mix in trips along the Red Trail and Yellow Trail to get the full effect of the preserve. This is a sporty track, down one side of a wide valley and up the other.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: The property is drained by the Cayuga Outlet creating plenty of soft, paw-friendly soil under paw
Workout For Your Dog – More than an hour of trail time here
Swimming - Coleman Lake is the most obvious spot for a refresher
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome on these trails
Something Extra
Celia’s Cup, named for the wife of a preserve benefactor, is a large depression hollowed by a mighty chunk of glacial ice. It makes ian easy-to-see example of the region’s “kettle and kame” topography. Kettles can contain a number of different ecosystems. Celia’s Cup is a dry, unforested kettle. The property is drained by the Cayuga Outlet creating plenty of soft, paw-friendly soil under paw.
Monkey Run/Cayuga Trail
Phone Number - (607) 255-2400
Website - www.plantations.cornell.edu/collections/natareas/Public/Monkey/Monkey.htm
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - east of Cayuga
Directions - Ithaca; take Route 366 East. Turn left on Monkey Run Road. Continue beyond the abandoned railroad right-of-way to a small parking area at the bottom of the hill. The beginning of the Cayuga Trail is one mile north of downtown Ithaca at the Stewart Avenue bridge over Fall Creek.
The Park
The 500 acres of the Monkey Run Natural Area were acquired by Cornell University over a period of years from 1908 to 1926. It is managed as woodland, agricultural field and pine plantation. The Cayuga Trails Club started building the Cayuga Trail in 1964; it now runs on both sides of Fall Creek through Monkey Run.
The Walks
The Cayuga Trail is a long loop that takes canine hikers along the high banks and water’s edge of Fall Creek. There are vigorous climbs to many steep clifftops and unprotected views down to the water. Keep a close rein on an exuberant dog. The trail is mostly paw-friendly dirt (susceptible to wet conditions) through hardwood forests, pine plantations, and blankets of lush ferns. Part of the trail utilizes the abandoned right-of-way of a railroad that once hauled coal into Cornell’s power plant.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: There is a pleasing mix of open air and shaded forest hiking for your dog along the Cayuga Trail
Workout For Your Dog – There are many options to crafting the duration of your time here, up to six miles
Swimming - Not the ideal spot, but possible
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are not allowed on the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Research Farmland tract
Something Extra
Fall Creek is spanned by several pedestrian bridges, including a pair of suspension bridges. Downstream, below Beebe Lake, the present bridge is the second on the site, replacing a narrower wooden suspension bridge in 1960. The current bridge hangs exactly 138 feet, 3 1/2 inches above the water.
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge
Phone Number - (315) 568-5987
Website - www.fws.gov/r5mnwr
Admission Fee - Donations accepted
Nearest Finger Lake - north of Cayuga
Directions - Seneca Falls; From Exit 41 of the New York State Thruway that bisects the refuge go south on Route 414 and east on Route 318 to the main entrance on Route 5/20.
The Park
The name “Montezuma” was first used in 1806 when Dr. Peter Clark named his hilltop home after the Aztec Emperor Montezuma. Eventually the Marsh, the Village, and the Refuge all acquired the name. The wetlands survived the building of the Erie Canal to its north but the Seneca River was dramatically altered by the expansion of the Cayuga extension to the canal in 1910. The level of the river plunged eight feet and the water drained from the marshes. In 1937 the Bureau of Biological Survey, which later became the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, purchased 6,432 acres of the former marsh and set about building dikes to restore the marsh habitat. In 1938, Montezuma Migratory Bird Refuge was established to provide resting, nesting, and feeding habitat for waterfowl and other migratory birds. Since its opening 320 species of birds have been identified here.
The Walks
One of the reasons often given for keeping dogs off trails in National Parks is that dogs disturb wildlife. So you might be surprised to learn about some of the best lands our federal government maintains where you can hike with your dog - our National Wildlife Refuges.While the priority of National Wildlife Refuges is to manage lands for the benefit of wildlife, human visitors are welcome in 98 percent of the refuges. And most will welcome your dog in as well. And that is the case at Montezuma. Unlike most wildlife refuges you can hike on more than park roads here. In fact, there is no walking on Wildlife Drive.The marquee dog hike is on the Esker Brook Nature Trail, actually a series of three parallel paths that combine into a 1.5-mile loop. Your dog will be trotting along a glacially formed ridge, through a long-gone apple orchard and down to the views across man-made ponds. This is easy going through light woods onnatural dirt and gravel footpaths.For a sensuous open-air excursion, guide your dog around the .75-mile Oxbow Trail on wide mown paths in a refuge grassland. The route visits the edge of the water where you can see carp in the stream and canal.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Foot traffic only
Workout For Your Dog – Easy going and more than an hour of it
Swimming - The water here is for the birds, not the dogs
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome to hike the refuge trails
Something Extra
Montezuma was the release site for the world’s first bald eagle “hacking” program where young bald eagles were relocated, artificially raised and released back into the wild. The female of the first pair, Agnes, was set free in 1976 and returned to nest in 1980. Several pairs of nesting bald eagles - they are monogamous and mate for life - can be seen here. They build large nests, called eyries, at the top of sturdy tall trees.
Robert H. Treman State Park
Phone Number - (607) 273-3440
Website - nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=104
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November, although you can hike into the park on the Finger Lakes Trail
Nearest Finger Lake - southwest of Cayuga
Directions - Ithaca; 5 miles southwest of town on Enfield Falls Road (Route 327) off Route 13.
The Park
Enfield Creek has been especially busy here. A perfectly good gorge was filled in by glacial debris after the most recent Ice Age 10,000 years ago and the little stream had to get started again, carving a whole new gorge. In the lower part of the park it started by unearthing the previous gully but as it reached the upper park the creek got tired and gouged out a new path in the bedrock. So Enfield Glen today is a mix of the old and the really old. In 1920 Robert H. Treman, an outstanding baseball pitcher at Cornell in the 1870s and later Deputy Governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, donated 387 acres in Enfield Glen to the State. In 1924, the property came under the auspices of the newly formed Finger Lakes State Parks Commission with Treman at the helm. When he died in 1938 his favorite park was named in his memory. The nearby Allan H. Treman State Marine Park is named for his son.
The Walks
This is not the place to bring your dog for a casual hike (unless you just want to sneak down for a look at the 115-foot Lucifer Falls and return up the Red Pine Trail). There are only two main trails, parallel two-mile routes down the Enfield Gorge. From the Upper Park you would be best advised to take the Rim Trail down to the bottom of the gorge for two reasons; first, you’ll be hiking upstream on the return up the Gorge Trail so you get longer looks at the waterfalls and second, your dog will go down the many steps of the amazing Cliff Staircase, not up. But any way you explore Enfield
Gorge will be a winner. The Civilian Conservation Corps did some of its most impressive stonework in the gorge to make it passable. The Gorge Trail mostly climbs steadily but the Rim Trail rolls up and down, actually touching the creek at times. Both these trails close in November until the ice clears in the spring; the Finger Lakes Trail that runs through three miles of the southern part of the park stays open through the winter.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Stone walks through the gorge
Workout For Your Dog – About 90 minutes to complete the hike up and down the gorge
Swimming - There are places for your dog to swim safely in Enfield Creek from both the Gorge Trail and the Rim Trail
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed on the trails and in the campground but not in the swimming area or in the cabins
Something Extra
Still standing in the Upper Park is the “Old Mill,” built by 36-year old Isaac Knapp Rumsey in 1839 to grind meal. The water-powered mill spurred development of the hamlet of Enfield Falls. Complete with original machinery, the mill was restored in the 1920s. And an additional bonus is another set of falls you may have missed - located behind the mill where Fish Kill Creek tumbles to meet Enfield Creek.
Stevenson Forest Preserve
Phone Number - None
Website - www.fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=30
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - west of Cayuga
Directions - Ithaca; take Route 13 South to Route 327 North. Turn left on Trumbull Corners Road and the preserve is 1/2 mile on the right, before the stream. Parking is on the roadside.
The Park
After the Revolutionary War the Harvey family left New Jersey for the wilderness of central New York on the Sullivan Trail. Like other veterans coming to claim their lots for compensation in the Revolution, they hacked out their land. The Harvey and Stevenson families soon became intertwined by marriage.Two hundred years later, the last 150 undisturbed, the land came down to Elizabeth Stevenson Bennett through inheritance. She had not visited her 25 acres here until donating it in 1995 to the Finger Lakes Land Trust to form the core of the 83-acre preserve. Your dog won’t want to wait that long for his visit.
The Walks
Your canine hike in the stately Stevenson Forest starts smartly in a cool hemlock forest as you climb to meet the white blazes of the Finger Lakes Trail. Once there, turn uphill through the hemlocks before transitioning to an oak-beech climax forest at the fallow field opening.From here the length of your day’s outing is up to you. Adjacent to the preserve is the Reiman Woods, a private conservation area managed by the Cayuga Trails Club. Another neighbor is the Treman State Park. You can take your dog on the Finger Lakes Trail back and forth for two hours and never notice the time passing in these unhurried woodlands.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: No bikes and no horses; maybe you will see someone on these trails on a sunny weekend
Workout For Your Dog – More than an hour of rambling in this woodland
Swimming - The fast-moving stream near the trailhead provides cool relief for your dog after a long day on the trail
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike through the Stevenson Forest
Something Extra
You normally don’t want to advocate the scarring of magnificent old trees but you might notice one carving in an old beech tree - “Rex, R.S., 1938.”
It was etched there by a grieving ten-year old boy, Dick Stevenson, in memory of his dog.
Stony Brook State Park
Phone Number - (585) 335-8111
Website - nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=102
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November
Nearest Finger Lake - south of Conesus
Directions - Dansville; take Route 36 South from I-390, three miles south of town on the left side of the road.
The Park
A local landowner was the first to look into the Stony Brook gorge and see dollar signs. He built a few conveniences and began charging curious visitors a small admission fee.In 1883 a railroad was built into Dansville and Stony Brook became a popular summer destination for well-heeled tourists. A high railroad bridge was built across the gorge (the massive stone and concrete footings are still in the gorge so you can see exactly how high) that brought guests directly into the resort. The Stony Brook railroad station once stood where the campground office is today. By the 1920s summer tourists had been passing by Stony Brook for glitzier destinations for years. New York State revived the tired resort by purchasing 250 acres here and creating the state park. Franklin Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps went to work here in the1930s, like they did at so many New York parks, building trails and freshening the park.
The Walks
As with the Finger Lakes’ other gorge parks, Stony Brook connects its Lower Park to the Upper Park with three trails. From the Lower Park the Gorge Trail works upstream past three major waterfalls and a fistful of smaller ones. Although you are going from 750 feet in elevation to 1,250 feet your dog won’t notice it much until the rim trails. Like other trails constructed through steep gorges this one can be closed for safety reasons in bad weather. Your climbing begins in earnest when you hike out of the gorge. The West Rim Trail uses steps to reach the rim where you won’t be rewarded with many jaw-dropping views. This is more a forest hike - and a good one - rather than an excursion to see the gorge.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: TBikes are not permitted on the trails; more folks come for the swimming and playground than to go deep into the gorge on the trails
Workout For Your Dog – Several hours in these woods
Swimming - Your dog can find safe spots to slip in the water to cool off but no major swimming holes, unless the human swimming area is filled with water and not filled with people
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are welcome to hike in the Stony Brook gorge but can’t play in the playground
Something Extra
Seneca Indians fishing in Stony Brook were familiar with gas bubbles rising from the water. In 1882, a local entrepreneur tried to strike oil by drilling near the bubbles. No oil but the natural gas was used for lighting and cooking. The gas bubbles can still be seen in the lower part of the park.
Sweedler Preserve at Lick Brook
Phone Number - None
Website - www.fllt.org/protected_lands/protected_lands1.php?id=29
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - south of Cayuga
Directions - Ithaca; take Route 13 South. Turn left on Sandbank Road, just past Buttermilk Falls State Park. At the Y intersection, bear right on Town Line Road; park on the right side of road, just before the bridge.
The Park
Cornell math professor Moss Sweedler would occasionally publish under the name “Boo Barkee,” Boo being the name of his former dog. The 120 acres he owned around the gorge at Lick Brook had been in private hands for 200 years when the Finger Lakes Land Trust came calling. It had long been “number one” on the conservation group’s “hit list” for protection. Sweedler had always intended to deed Lick Brook to the trust after his death but the story goes he decided to act sooner - by trading a spectacular piece of land that could pass for a state park for a lesser piece of property with a pond where his dogs could swim. Dog owners can relate.
The Walks
You will be taking your dog down to the bottom of a 500-foot gorge and back up at Lick Brook so don’t be lulled into your “stolling” pace by the gentle entrance path of wood chips. It is about a two-mile round trip on the hillside between two gullies and a serious canine hike indeed. You have your choice of how to attack the gorge and its three major waterfalls. If you prefer a more gradual ascent and don’t mind a straight-down descent, take the blue-blazed trail to the floor of the gorge. If you favor a safer climb down with a harder hike up, stay on the white-blazed Finger Lakes Trail to the bottom. Either way, your dog is in for a work-out. Take care on the edges of the gorge - they are unprotected but the trail doesn’t get that close so it should not be dangerous.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Foot traffic only; its nickname of the “Lost Gorge” gives you the idea it is not a mainstream destination. And you won’t find many casual hikers here.
Workout For Your Dog – Expect a weary dog when you cimb out of the Lick Brook gorge
Swimming - Your dog can cool off under the waterfall at the bottom of the gorge but it is an untidy plunge pool
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike around Lick Brook
Something Extra
Lick Brook has long been a place to see the crow-sized peregrine falcon. The world’s fastest bird - over 200 mph in its attack dive - prefers to nest on clifftops like those found here. Peregrines feed almost exclusively on birds such as doves, waterfowl and songbirds, plunging into the wings of its victim to cushion its impact. Perches like those above the 140-foot waterfall give it clear sightlines to a meal.
Taughannock Falls State Park
Phone Number - (607) 387-6739
Website - nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=93
Admission Fee - Vehicle entrance fee May to November
Nearest Finger Lake - west shore of Cayuga
Directions - Ulysses; eight miles north of Ithaca on Route 89.
The Park
The Ithaca Council of the Boy Scouts of America was born in 1920 and three years later established its first summer camp here on an undeveloped parcel along Taughannock Creek, Camp Barton. The “father” of Camp Barton was Sam Bogan, the first Council Executive hired by the fledgling council and the camp was staffed by a number of Cornell University professors, including famed American ornitholgist and illustrator Louis Agassiz Fuertes.
When he was killed in an automobile accident four years later, the Ithaca Council was renamed “Louis Aggasiz Fuertes Council” at the request of the
Scouts themselves. After the 1926 season, however, the State of New York purchased the site of Camp Barton to create Taughannock Falls State Park (the name “Taughannock” comes from the Delaware Indians, roughly meaning “great fall in the woods”). That fall would be Taughannock Falls whose single drop of 215 feet is 33 feet higher than Niagara and higher than all but one cataract east of the Rocky Mountains.
The Walks
Unlike its gorge kin in the Finger Lakes the easy canine hike here is the Gorge Trail that travels up to the falls on a wide, flat path. The more challenging fare is up on the rims. The grade is so gentle that the Gorge Trail remains open even through the winter. It is .75 miles under towering shade trees to the fine mist rising out of the plunge pool; you will need to retrace your steps to return on this extremely agreeable canine hike. Adventurous canine hikers will want to head up the rim trails that form a 2.6-mile loop to the top and across the gorge. You will gain about 400 feet in elevation for which you purchase splendid views overlooking the gorge. The trails don’t hug the edges but are close enough to give your dog pause in spots.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Foot traffic only; taking your dog up the rim trails will leave the casual sightseers behind
Workout For Your Dog – If you head up to the top of the falls
Swimming - There is splashing to be had in Taughannock Creek below the falls and access to Cayuga Lake, especially in the northern section of the park
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed on all these trails
Something Extra
Your dog won’t find great swaths of groomed grass anywhere in the Finger Lakes like the ones beside Cayuga Lake. Perfect for a game of Frisbee or big game of fetch. Or, to just sit with your dog.
Wesley Hill Nature Preserve
Phone Number - None
Website - www.fllt.org/protected_ lands/protected_lands1. php?id=31
Admission Fee - None
Nearest Finger Lake - east of Honeoye
Directions - Honeoye; from town, head east on Route 20A and go south on East Lake Road. Take a left on Pine Hill Road and then a right, following signs for Cummings Nature Center. The road becomes Gulick Road and you are close to two preserve parking areas. Make a right on Wesley Road
to one area or stay on Gulick about one mile past Wesley to the other.
The Park
Briggs Gully is one of the Finger Lakes’ biggest gorges. Its steep sides managed to defy some loggers although penty of timber was felled here to feed the hungry Frosttown sawmills nearby. In 1926 three young Rochester artists -John C. Wenrich, James Havens and Colburn Dugan - bought a 90-acre
slice of Briggs Gully as a place to come for relaxation and inspiration. In 1999 the Finger Lakes Trust was able to make this retreat the core of the Wesley Hill Nature Preserve. Additional purchases have increased the preserve’s size to around 400 acres.
The Walks
This a paradise for an active dog to hike. A quintet of well-blazed, interesting trails cover over six miles and visit all corners of the preserve. The star hike here, accessed from the Gulick Road lot, is the red-blazed Rim Trail that bounds through mature forests, visits a woodland pond, plunges into old growth stands of white pine and white oak, explores some side gullies, traces the rim of Briggs Gully and arrives at the Wenrich Cabin before looping back to the parking area for a trip of almost three miles. To explore different habitats you can start at Wesley Road where more recently abandoned farms are in various stages of reforesting. Oh, yes. There are arresting views of the Honeoye to be had from rock outcrops on the north rim of Briggs Gully.
Where The Paw Meets The Earth: There is plenty of room for your dog to stretch out on these generous, dirt trails
Workout For Your Dog – A half-day of canine hiking and more possible
Swimming - There is easy access to the woodland pond from grassy banks
Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed to hike these trails
Something Extra
The most accomplished of the triumverate of original artist-owners was James Dexter Havens.The son of a United States Congressman and head of the legal department for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, Havens was stricken by juvenile diabetes at the age of 14 in 1914. Doctors gave him only two years to live but he clung to life, bedridden, for eight years. At that point, through his father’s contacts, young Jim Havens became the first American to undergo insulin therapy. By the time he received treatment, he weighed less than 74 pounds at the age of twenty-two. The treatment worked and Havens went on to live a relatively normal life until he died in 1960. Having taken up drawing to relieve boredom during his illness, Havens first made his mark in the art world as a printmaker and was elected an Associate of the National Academy in 1951.