Welcome CNY Hikers!

     In my opinion, hiking in the Central New York region is truly a unique experience.  The land here is remarkably varied in virtually every direction you travel.  Bordered on the north by vast Lake Ontario, to the west by the glacially-carved Finger Lakes, and to the south by the rolling, forest-covered hills that make up the northern stretches of the Appalachian Plateau, you are sure to find ecological and topographic variety to delight your senses when you take a hike here, whether it is a short walk or an all-day trek.  This region also having four distinct seasons typical of the Northeastern U.S., different times of year will award you a different hiking experience.  Winter lovers can cross-country ski through frigid forests of towering hemlocks and Douglas fir while a trail visitor in October is likely to be awash in autumn color.  In the summer, verdant green deep forests offer cool on the hottest afternoons while the region's many lakes, ponds, and streams provide water or even a chance to take a swim.

     I have spent nearly a decade exploring some of the parks, preserves, and forests found here, and now I think it's time to share what I've found so others can go out and enjoy what's literally in their backyard.  Some of the places I've been are well-known to locals, others not so much.  And this blog is a work in progress, meaning I intend to visit spots I've never been and then describe what I've found.  Living in the Syracuse area, many of these spots are close by, but if you're coming from Ithaca, Binghamton, Utica, or Elmira, you're also not too far from many of these trails.