Camillus Unique Area - Camillus, NY

     Driving through the Camillus/Fairmount area just outside the city of Syracuse, you wouldn't think, at first glance, the area has a place where you can find tucked-away footpaths and wild patches of forest that feel relatively remote.  But there is such a place in the middle of suburbia: the Camillus Unique Area.  You won't find this place listed in many local hiking books, and that's a shame because there's beauty worth pausing for here.  Owned and operated by the New York State DEC and encompassing 350 acres (impressive when you consider its only eight miles west of Syracuse), this area is a patchwork of grassland and hardwood forest.  The uniqueness comes from three features here, in my opinion: the grasslands that were once farms, a stand of mature old growth forest cover that becomes a splendid green in the summer months, and great views to the southeast and north that I will describe in this blog.

    I recommend taking the 2.6 mile loop (which has no actual name other than following red and blue foot trail marker discs on the trees).  More than half of this short hike took me through open fields, some of which were blanketed in gorgeous grasses growing tall and wild.

    As can you see from the photos below, a stunning view to the southeast reveals the openness found in these hills and a distant view of the recently-built Township 5 shopping complex.  You may also notice the smaller rounded hills which are drumlins, a rare geographical feature in itself.  The path's loop, awarding the hiker with an overall elevation gain of 285 feet, can be completed in an hour to an hour and a half, depending on your speed and time spent stopping to let the nature around you sink in.  I found myself in no hurry when knee deep in the fields, imagining what this whole area must have looked like before the Erie Canal's presence and the urban sprawl over the past forty to fifty years.

    What I also found intriguing on the trail were groves of small trees that gave this spot an entirely different feel, especially near dusk.  The lighting from the sun's lower angle was almost enchanting.
    Camillus Unique Area is small enough to be walked when in a time pinch, such as an evening hike after work or just before sunset.



 

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