Chimney Bluffs State Park, NY

Bluff Trail
Approximate Length: 1.25 miles
Approximate Elevation Change: 140 ft
Trail Footing:Not very good - muddy in spots, and very rugged in others

This last Sunday, I went to Chimney Bluffs State Park, NY on lake Ontario. It was a great hike, and the cliffs were great to see. The trail was not extremely well maintained, and in parts could be lost. There were many people on the trial, and in parts the trail was narrow enough as to force waiting for someone to pass before one could continue. Also, while I highly recommend walking on the beach and looking at the cliffs, it should be noted that the beach does not take you all the way back to the area of the parking off of Garner Road.

Chimney Bluffs State Park, NY

• Park Website: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/43/details.aspx
• Park Map: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/attachments/ChimneyBluffsParkMap.pdf

Watkins Glen State Park, NY

Gorge Trail
Approximate Length: 1.5 miles (one way)
Approximate Elevation Change:  500 ft
Trail Footing: Very good (slippery in spots)

Yesterday I went to Watkins Glen; one of the most amazing places I have ever been.  It is a relatively easy walk. The "trail" is difficult (if not impossible) to loose.  I went on a Friday, and the lower parking lot was full.  The path is well traveled and many people were there.

The path winds its way through the gorge.  You will go behind and over waterfalls.  Personally I thought this trial was amazing that it resulted in sensory overload.  You will hear the water throughout most of the hike, and just be amazed at the waterfalls.  This is a place I think everyone should visit at least once.

On the way back, I tried the Indian Trail on the back, but I was not very impressed.  There were a couple of neat spots to look out over the falls, but not as many as I was hoping for.  However, after having used the Gorge Trail, I am not sure much could compare.

Watkins Glen State Park, NY

• Park Website:http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/142/details.aspx
• Trail Map: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/attachments/WatkinsGlenTrailMap.pdf

Clark Reservation State Park, NY

Lake Trail & Cliff Trail
Approximate Length: Less than 1 mile (each)
Approximate Elevation Change: small, but stairs and to and from trails
Trail Footing: Difficult - rocky and lots of roots in spots

Beautiful place to hike. I saw fish, a painted turtle, and a couple of northern water snakes. The hike around the lake is less than one mile, it was muddy in spots there today, and there are some areas where the trail is not the easiest to navigate. It is a very neat, and relatively short hike.

Also, check out the Cliff trail. There are some amazing views. There are other short trails at the park. The ones that I went on, were predominately through the woods. Only real negative of the park, was in parts you can hear the roar of cars, I am guessing on 481 in the background.

Clark Reservation State Park, NY

• Park Website: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/126/details.aspx

Tinker Falls, NY and Labrador Pond

Approximate Length: Together about 1 mile
Approximate Elevation Change: relatively little

These are two relatively easy ways to get outdoors. Together these two walks are equivalent to about a mile, and the parking areas for the two walks are only about 1.5 miles from each other. I did these hikes after a more demanding (approximately 4 mile) hike in Morgan Hill State Forest.

The boardwalk provides an excellent opportunity to be able to walk through a marsh and see fauna and sites that would normally be inaccessible. Also, the end of the board walk provides a great view of the pond.

The Tinker Falls trail, is about half a mile up and back. It is not a very difficult walk, and seems rather well visited. The waterfall is very nice, and there is a bench at the end of the trail to sit on and just enjoy the beauty of the water.

Labrador Pond	Tinker Falls, NY

• Park Website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/37070.html


• Approximate Map:


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Morgan Hill State Forest, NY

Approximate Length: 2 miles each way (note need to measure better still)

Approximate Elevation Change: 360 ft


Yesterday, I went to the Morgan Hill State Forest. I learned a good lesson about trying to hike in a NY State Forest: Always plan it out in advance and plan exactly where you are going to try to go. I had a map with me, and planned to just figure it out as I went, this created some frustration, but eventually I did get a decent hike in.

After some driving, at first I went through the forest on a "truck trail." I approached the forest from the North on Herlihy Rd. At the end of Herlihy Road, right before the pavement ends, there is a spot on the side of the road where a couple of cars can park. There is also a parking spot by Spruce Pond a little over half a mile in from where the pavement ends (bear right at the split in the road). Note that the Spruce pond is not on the DEC Forest map below, but the parking is.

You can extend this hike to into the Labrador Hallow Unique Area, and to Tinker Falls, which I cheated and drove to and will be posted soon.

Morgan Hill State Forest, NY

• Park Website: http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/37115.html


• Forest Map: http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/regions_pdf/morganhill.pdf

Chickies Rock County Park

Today I stopped by Chickies Rock County Park, in Lancaster County, PA. The park features a rock outcrop that overlooks the Susquehanna. The view of the Susquehanna is great. The trail is rather short, round trip from parking to rock outcrop is less than a mile. There is an "upper" and "lower" trail to get to the rocks. The upper trail is a bit more difficult and includes going over a hill. The lower trail is a flat wide trail with good footing. The trail does not seem to be too busy. While I was at the park there were only a few carloads of other people on the trail.

There are other trails in the park, that I did not visit today. I plan on going back and hiking them to get a more complete understanding of the park.

Chickies Rock Count Park

• Park Website: http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/parks/cwp/view.asp?a=676&q=518276


• Park map: http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/parks/lib/parks/Chickies_Rock_County_Park_Revised_09-09.pdf


• Approximate Google Map:
  
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Cunningham Falls, MD

Yesterday, I rode out to Cunningham Falls State Park, and Catoctin Mountain Park in Thurmont Maryland. Cunningham Falls is one of the best waterfalls (at least that I know of) in Maryland, and there are lots of great hikes in the area with overlooks of the surrounding area.

There are two main ways to get the falls. First, you can go to the State Park and do a short .75 mile hike over the hill to see the falls (1.5 miles round trip). The path is not the easiest, but it short so it is not too bad. You can also go to the National Park, and do a longer hike in (2.8 miles round trip).

First, I went into the State Park, and did the .75 mile hike to the falls. The trail is very rocky and "rooty" in spots. It is not very level, and is a rough surface, and there are a couple of spots where you walk up a steep incline. However, with the trail being so short, it is not too bad.

After doing the quick trail to the falls, I went to the Federal Park (Catoctin Mountain Park). As one of the signs at the park will tell you, the two parks used to be one, but the Federal Government gave Maryland the southern part. Here, I did a loop consisting of trails that took me to the Blue Ridge Summit Overlook, Hog Rock, and the falls Nature Trail. There was a over 600 ft in elevation change in the hike (Hog Rock is at 1610 ft, and the Visitor Center is at 920 ft).

The highlight of this hike was seeing a black widow spider. Which had just caught a bee in its web. The spider, seemed to quickly secure the bee in its web. I assume it had injected the bee, and then it retreated a bit further away from the bee, to let its venom worked. Once the bee stopped moving, the spider moved back, finished securing the bee. Cut the web that was holding the bee on the outside, and then carried the bee under a log. See the pictures below.

Cunningham Falls	Black Widow Spider - Catoctin Mountain Park

• Park Websites: http://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm


• http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/cunningham.asp


• Map link: http://www.nps.gov/cato/upload/park%20map%20web%200310.pdf

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

On Friday afternoon, I went to Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania. This is an amazing hike. I would highly recommend going there. The streams are picturesque and in any other hike would be the highlight. However, the waterfalls are amazing and are obviously the highlight of this hike. There are 22 named waterfalls on the trails. The pictures I have do not do them justice.

I parked on rt. 118 and then walked a looped. The advantage of walking the hike this way is that you get to walk uphill on the first part of the hike and, downhill at the end. The hike is between 5 and 6 miles, see the approximate trail map below. I guessed this map based on the terrain map and satellite imagery in Google Maps, and memory. At the beginning of the hike there is an option between the Upper Trail and the Lower Trail. The Lower Trail follows the stream and is effectively in the stream bed in parts. The Upper Trail follows a ridge, it is not a huge elevation change, and the path is well maintained. It is a much easier walk.

Overall, I did not find the trail to be too hard, though there were people who were stopped taking breaks along the trial. They have warnings posted at the beginning of the trail, to be careful, and to wear proper footwear. However, if you are in shape and used to hiking, I do not think there is much that is different about this trail. I do think the trail could be a bit dangerous in spots if it is very muddy, which the warning says.

There were a lot of people on the trail, do not expect being alone near the waterfalls. There are too many people walking around with tripods with their cameras that insist on walking as close to the falls to get their pictures. However, it is definitely worth going out of your way to visit.

Ricketts Glen State Park, PA

• Park website: http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/rickettsglen.aspx


• Approximate Trail:


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Salt Springs State Park, PA

On Friday morning, I went to Salt Springs State Park in Pennsylvania. While it is not a huge park, it is pretty close to 81 and worth a stop while passing through at the least. I was only there for a little bit of time because it was on my way to my second hike for the day at Ricketts Glen.

The falls trail (Fall Brook Trail) is a great hike. The trail follows the river, and you actually climb up the sides of the fall. The trail can be hard to follow, and in spots there are narrow ledges that you walk along. While there are not huge changes in altitude on the trail, the trail does require climbing and careful footing.

The second trail that I walked while there was the Hemlock trail. This trail is through a wooded area, that is on the ridge directly above the Fall Brook Trail. Part of the trail is on a wood walkway. The walk is up one main hill, and is not very difficult.

I plan on exploring some more of the trails at the park at a later date. However, the falls are definitely worthwhile to go back to.

Salt Springs State Park, PA

• Park website:


• Approximate trail:


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Green Lakes State Park

Today, I went for a brief walk at Green Lakes State Park. It is a pretty busy trail, where a lot of people will also go for a swim as there is a beach for swimming too. It its a really easy drive from Syracuse, in the Fayetteville area.

The walk around the lake is an easy one. The trail is gravel around the big lake, and mulch around the smaller one. It is a place worthwhile going to when you do not have lots of time for a hike, and still want to get outdoors and have some amazing views.

Green Lakes State Park, NY

• Park website: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/172/details.aspx


• Approximate Trail:


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Fairhaven Beach State Park

May 22, 2010

Today, I went to Fair Haven Beach State Park. It is a little over an hour away from Syracuse. The park does not have lots of hiking trails. However, it does have a pier that was interesting to walk out on. On the pier you can get a view of the cliffs that you can hike later on.

The Lakeshore Trail and Woodland Trail are a rather easy hike. I am guessing walking the service road and the loop with the two trails out and back is about 2.75 miles based on Google Maps.

From Fairhaven State Park

• Park Website: http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/12/details.aspx


• Approximate Trail:


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