Beaver Lake Nature Center - Lysander, NY
Not far outside the village of Baldwinsville, NY - a suburb of Syracuse - lies a natural gem known very well to the locals here: Beaver Lake Nature Center. 661 acres in size, this beautiful piece of preserved wild is home to Mud Lake - which, fortunately, does not at all look like the name would imply. See for yourself below:
There are a total of 8 main trails to take in this place, each distinct and traveling through varying scenery. The trails are also different lengths to suit the needs of the individual hiker (and runner or cross-country skier, as well!) Beaver Lake, because of its size and proximity to Syracuse metro area residents, is a spot visited often by families with children and those seeking solitude. There is a handsome nature center building near the parking area which, depending on what time of year it is, holds nature-centered programs and workshops (such as learning to use GPS to scavenger hunt or learning to canoe on the lake). In summary, it's a great asset to the community.
I have walked the paths of Beaver Lake quite a few times over the past four years. Out of all my hiking locales, this one I may have frequented the most. It also helps that I only live a short fifteen minutes or so away. In spite of this, every time I go I still feel like it's a new place, and visiting at different seasons gives it a different feel.
The trails are well-maintained, labeled, and easy to walk on. Out of all the trails, my favorites have the following names: Bog Trail, Hemlock Hollow Trail, and Lake Loop. And these are the ones I intend to describe in this blog.
As soon as you enter the park, I recommend starting down the Hemlock Hollow Trail which brings you immediately under the dark shade of hemlock stands. From there, I reached the Bog Trail which I enjoyed since it took me on a boardwalk through an actual bog on the edges of Mud Lake. The meandering boardwalk and its surroundings allow you time to reflect on the unique wetland environment you're seeing. It's not every day one gets to hike through bogs! Views of the lake are found here, although the last time I came here in early July 2018 the observation deck was having work done and was, therefore, closed. Hopefully by the time of this writing it is reopened. The Bog Trail is also short, only six tenths of a mile in length, perfect for a quick jaunt.
From there on I continued along the rest of the Hemlock Hollow Trail loop which is four tenths of a mile. These first two trails equal a mile if done together. From the get-go, the scenery of this place will not disappoint.
The 3-mile long Lake Loop is my favorite of the trails, and I think others feel this way because I always pass many while hiking this path around Mud Lake. The Lake Loop took me mainly around the fringes of the freshwater lake shore, and there were more than a few spots to take photos of the water's expanse. This past summer, on my umpteenth time visiting Beaver Lake Nature Center, it was a rather hot, muggy day with temps hitting the 80 degree mark by 11 am. And there, in the heat, I found a turtle sunning itself for all to see. Why he or she chose this spot was a little serendipitous, I suppose, as I got to take this photo.
Midway along the Lake Loop I crossed another boardwalk, this one much longer than the one at the bog. In fact, this stretch is prone to flooding after heavy rains, I learned, hence the presence of the boardwalk. After reaching dirt path again, I hiked through thick hardwoods and was surprised to find a lean-to where I could take a rest. Normally lean-tos are found in long-distance trails that run for hundreds of miles. Further down about ten or more minutes of walking, the wetlands continued, and there was another view of the lake from its south end.
The Lake Loop took me about a little over an hour to complete which is great for a morning hike before the day became too hot for my liking. And this is a trail I would come back to again and again and always enjoy the lake views through the trees (especially in winter).
To be sure, there are other trails worth exploring here. On my first visit I took the Three Meadows Trail which spent 1.5 miles passing through interesting succesional growth (meaning it was once field or farm and is now reverting back to young forest.) Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of this path but when I do take some I will add them.
Beaver Lake is a great place to get out and enjoy nature, simply put. There are no true difficult trails, although I think the Lake Loop could be too long for some young children. It all depends. The place has a sort of remote feel, at times, and yet you are never far from civilization. Go check it out and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did!
I have walked the paths of Beaver Lake quite a few times over the past four years. Out of all my hiking locales, this one I may have frequented the most. It also helps that I only live a short fifteen minutes or so away. In spite of this, every time I go I still feel like it's a new place, and visiting at different seasons gives it a different feel.
The trails are well-maintained, labeled, and easy to walk on. Out of all the trails, my favorites have the following names: Bog Trail, Hemlock Hollow Trail, and Lake Loop. And these are the ones I intend to describe in this blog.
As soon as you enter the park, I recommend starting down the Hemlock Hollow Trail which brings you immediately under the dark shade of hemlock stands. From there, I reached the Bog Trail which I enjoyed since it took me on a boardwalk through an actual bog on the edges of Mud Lake. The meandering boardwalk and its surroundings allow you time to reflect on the unique wetland environment you're seeing. It's not every day one gets to hike through bogs! Views of the lake are found here, although the last time I came here in early July 2018 the observation deck was having work done and was, therefore, closed. Hopefully by the time of this writing it is reopened. The Bog Trail is also short, only six tenths of a mile in length, perfect for a quick jaunt.
The 3-mile long Lake Loop is my favorite of the trails, and I think others feel this way because I always pass many while hiking this path around Mud Lake. The Lake Loop took me mainly around the fringes of the freshwater lake shore, and there were more than a few spots to take photos of the water's expanse. This past summer, on my umpteenth time visiting Beaver Lake Nature Center, it was a rather hot, muggy day with temps hitting the 80 degree mark by 11 am. And there, in the heat, I found a turtle sunning itself for all to see. Why he or she chose this spot was a little serendipitous, I suppose, as I got to take this photo.
Midway along the Lake Loop I crossed another boardwalk, this one much longer than the one at the bog. In fact, this stretch is prone to flooding after heavy rains, I learned, hence the presence of the boardwalk. After reaching dirt path again, I hiked through thick hardwoods and was surprised to find a lean-to where I could take a rest. Normally lean-tos are found in long-distance trails that run for hundreds of miles. Further down about ten or more minutes of walking, the wetlands continued, and there was another view of the lake from its south end.
The Lake Loop took me about a little over an hour to complete which is great for a morning hike before the day became too hot for my liking. And this is a trail I would come back to again and again and always enjoy the lake views through the trees (especially in winter).
Beaver Lake is a great place to get out and enjoy nature, simply put. There are no true difficult trails, although I think the Lake Loop could be too long for some young children. It all depends. The place has a sort of remote feel, at times, and yet you are never far from civilization. Go check it out and I think you will enjoy it as much as I did!
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