Cuyler Hill State Forest - Wiltsey Glen, Rose Hollow, Randall Hill

In the fall of 2020 I blogged about a hike in Cuyler Hill State Forest, a lovely piece of protected land tucked in the southeastern corner of Cortland County.  Although I covered a decent amount of miles on foot that day, I, unfortunately, never made it as far as I intended, so I had planned in the back of my mind to someday return.  Well, “someday” arrived in the past week - just in time for spring and the trees to show their leaves again.  A beautiful, quiet, and more remote segment of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) winds right through Cuyler Hill, running in an atypical north-south direction (since the trail is actually west to east), passing through upland deciduous hardwoods, impressive stands of conifers, and trekking along wooded ridges.  The hike here is pleasant, and with only a few brief uphill stretches.

I began my hike at the junction where the FLT crosses jeep trail Potter Hill Cemetery Road. This was after a rather extensive, anxiety-causing drive a couple of miles through some rough dirt roads (my car bottomed out a couple of times.)  Yet it was the only way to reach the trail head, being quite remote.  It was mid-morning when I first stepped onto the trail, the sun already warming the air under a full blue-sky high pressure dome.  The first part of this excursion took me through an area that appears it had once been logged, but was pretty, nonetheless, and afforded views to the east and southeast.  It’s also worth mentioning that this part of the forest I covered during my last visit here, so it was good to retrace some familiar territory.  

Heading downhill through some more open terrain, I could see some distant hills. 

Beyond this the FLT leveled out somewhat and entered into a more mixed forest of hardwoods and evergreens. 

The under story here was fresh and new, contrasting with the trees above, some of which have only just begun to bud. 

Further along, I found a wildflower I had been hoping to see: Trillium.  Always a welcome sight on the forest floor in May!

At this point in the hike, I was still revisiting areas I had come to a year and a half prior, including this section of trail edging along a steep ridge of Randall Hill.

More foothills to the west could be seen beyond the trees before the path pitched sharply downward toward the hollow where I ended my hike last time: an attractive camping area known as Wiltsey Glen. 

Wiltsey Glen presents a stream cutting through hillsides which made a perfect stopping point to quench thirst.  The trail banked to the left and followed the stream for a bit before crossing; these types of area are always enticing to me, but later on in the hike I would find two more of them even more beautiful . . .

The FLT soon crossed another jeep/snowmobile trail: Randall Hill Road, of course named after its topographical namesake.

I quickly discovered the next segment of this trail, just over 2 miles in length, to be more delightful than the first part.  It was also a bonus that this was now all new territory I was hiking into.  After the jeep trail junction, the trail ascended gradually into more tall, deep stands of evergreens, some of which looked like they would be at home in the Pacific Northwest forests.  The sun streaming and filtering through the treetops was sublime. 

I next came upon an orange-blazed trail that ventured to the left (westward) and went straight downhill into an almost hidden forested valley that, on maps, is named Rose Hollow.  Once I made it through a swampy, weedy section of trail that seemed to need more care, I reached the scenic Rose Hollow where a wider stream cut out a deeper embankment over time.  A camping and sitting area made of slate greeted me here under many hemlock groves.  

A somewhat steeper ascent further east on the FLT came after I returned back on the unnamed orange trail (I elect to name it the “Rose Hollow Path” if anyone out there is listening!).  I started sweating a little by this point between the more frequent climbs and the warming late morning air.  Soon there were more views to the east of other hills and ridges.  

A nice, handsomely cut stream crossing:

Lycopodium, an ancient ground cover older than many of these trees:

The miraculous beauty of the forest:

More wildflowers to enjoy.  There were large spreads of them on the ground which made the air very fragrant. 

I particularly enjoyed the next section as it provided excellent distant views of hills and valleys to the north just before the trail went back downhill on switchbacks.  I attempted to capture these views as best I could on camera.  

A more open area was bordered by a large, wonderful hemlock grove that made a perfect sunny resting spot. 

Yet another stream passed under the shade of mostly mature hemlocks.  Deeper into this grove I came upon this well-constructed bench.  It was a little too buggy here to stick around long, though.  

The final stretch of the FLT before I decided to turn back (as this was now two and a half hours from my starting point) was where the path widened into what appeared more an old logging road before reaching dirt Stoney Brook Road.  

To eliminate repeating all of the same scenery on my return trip, I chose to return for part of the return loop on dirt Stoney Brook and Randall Hill Roads.  There were budding larch trees along the wider jeep trails (always a great find in the woods).

And, yes, a garter snake made an appearance:

It was satisfying to be able to see the rest of the FLT’s portion through Cuyler Hill Forest.  Between the out-and-back, this hike took me roughly four and a half hours with an elevation change of 360 feet.