Sugar Hill State Forest

Sugar Hill State Forest is located about 7 miles west of Watkins Glen, near the hamlets of Tyrone and Bradford, in the Allegheny Plateau. It covers approximately 9,085 acres in the towns of Orange, Tyrone, and Reading in Schuyler County.

Among its many attractions is the Six Nations Trail System, approximately 35 miles long. A portion of the trail system is located on Goundry Hill State Forest. It is open for horse use in the summer months, and snowmobile use when there is sufficient snow cover. Foot travel is encouraged all year round.

The main trail head for the system is the Sugar Hill Fire Tower and Recreation Area located near the north end of the Sugar Hill State Forest, off of Tower Hill Rd. At that location you will find parking, water, flush toilets, the fire tower, rangers cabin, picnic area and pavilion, 16 horse stalls, rec building, kiosks with sign-in sheets, an accessible horse mounting ramp, two radio towers, a couple of archery targets and field area for camping.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/37446.html

Weather Update – July 30, 2021

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Today’s plan calls for heading over to Sugar Hill State Forest and hiking the Finger Lakes Trail through it. 🚶🏻 I used to camp ⛺ a fair amount at Sugar Hill but since I’ve discovered the National Forest it’s where I stay most of the time nowadays. If I remember right, part of the Finger Lakes Trail follows gorge creek and while it’s not as impressive as the Watkins Glen below there are some nice scenes. Plus lots of nice old dirt roads, probably muddy horse trails 🐴 and the fire tower. There is a lot I haven’t seen up there.

I thought about heading all up to Penn Yann but that’s a pretty good trip, although I have to say I did enjoy hiking the Kueka Outlet Trail last year but I’m seeing out new experiences this year, trying not to visit the same places over and over again to generate new memories. 🧠 Been trying to think of other places nearby to explore too that I haven’t been to before. Likewise, the Cayuta Valley Rail Trail is great but I dun it last year..

I might in the evening stop in at one of the local real redneck looking bars for a drink 🍻, just to see if I can meet some interesting people. Although the National Forest will certainly be hoping tomorrow if I want to walk around and meet some people. That said, my campsite is fairly isolated so I don’t expect to be bothering anyone with music 🎶.

Tomorrow I am leaning towards Taugahock State Park, 🏞 doing some kayaking 🛶 and swimming at the beach 🏖 in Cayuga Lake plus the essential hiking to the falls. I wonder if the rail trail up that way through Ithaca and Trumansburg is open – they were working on it a few years back I believe and thst would be really interesting.

I just wish I could figure out which trails I haven’t done locally, as it’s going to be nice weather for hiking the next few days and I’m looking for some unexpected beauty, looking down at farms and woods, and the lakes. 🖼 Placed that are new. I guess there is gorge trails in Ithaca but I’m not really interested about fighting Ithaca traffic and hiking in the city. Ithaca folk just ain’t my type. 👨‍🔬

Weather Summary
Today.
Feels like …
September 26th.
 		Slight Chance of Showers then Partly Sunny and 70 degrees , 8:29 sunset.
Tonight.
Feels like …
October 1st.
 		Partly Cloudy and 46 degrees , 5:59 sunrise.
Saturday.
Feels like …
September 17th.
 		Mostly Sunny and 74 degrees , 49 max dew point, 8:28 sunset.
Saturday Night.
Feels like …
September 9th.
 		Mostly Cloudy and 55 degrees , 6:00 sunrise.
Sunday.
Feels like …
September 19th.
 		Chance of Showers then Showers and 73 degrees , 53 max dew point, 8:27 sunset.
Sunday Night.
Feels like …
September 9th.
 		Showers then Chance of Showers and 55 degrees , 6:01 sunrise.
Monday.
Feels like …
September 26th.
 		Mostly Sunny and 70 degrees , 59 max dew point, 8:26 sunset.
Monday Night.
Feels like …
September 12th.
 		Partly Cloudy and 54 degrees , 6:02 sunrise.
Tuesday.
Feels like …
September 19th.
 		Mostly Sunny and 73 degrees , 55 max dew point, 8:25 sunset.
Tuesday Night.
Feels like …
September 6th.
 		Partly Cloudy and 56 degrees , 6:03 sunrise.
Wednesday.
Feels like …
September 8th.
 		Sunny then Chance of T-storms and 77 degrees , 58 max dew point, 8:23 sunset.
Wednesday Night.
Feels like …
September 3rd.
 		Chance of T-storms then Partly Cloudy and 57 degrees , 6:04 sunrise.
Thursday.
Feels like …
September 8th.
 		Mostly Sunny then Chance of Showers and 77 degrees , 59 max dew point, 8:22 sunset.

Good Morning – July 30, 2021

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Good morning! Well I think I found the Finger Lakes Trail after parking in the wrong place. 🧭

Part of the issue is that I forgot where the trailhead is 🚶🏻 – been fifteen years since I’ve been in this part of Sugar Hill – and part is Open Street Map 🗺 doesn’t have the latest trail reroute. Once I found the current alignment of the Finger Lakes Trail, started hiking the wrong direction but quickly figured out my mistake.

Partly cloudy and 66 degrees at the Sugar Hill State Forest. 🌥 Clearing fast. There is a north-northwest breeze at 13 mph. 🍃. White caps on Seneca Lake. 🌊 Kayakers launching their boats this morning I saw but not me. 🛶 The dew point is 59 degrees. Not much humidity. Good hiking weather. Wish though I had put deodorant on, I stink of sweat. 👃🏻

I got so soaked yesterday putting that kayak on my truck yesterday. 🛶 While it’s pretty dry and clean I plan to let it sit and check it over again hydrilla before I put it out in the water tomorrow, probably Cayuga Lake from Tannaughock State Park 🏞. Figure swim 🏊🏻‍♂️ in Cayuga Lake and spend the day hiking there.

Later on after the library I went to Watkins Glen State Park and swam in the pool for a while, 🏊🏻‍♂️ and soaked up some sun, ☀ then hiked the gorge trail. 🍧I got ice cream at the Glen Dairy Bar, and then went over to Clute Park on Seneca Lake where I watched the rain come through on the lake, ⛲ capturing what looks to be some really nice pictures. Got some food 🍲 at Wally World and then ice, and went back to camp. No fire last night, I was kind of tired 😴 and didn’t get any wood ready in advance.

There was a lot of big burly guys at Wally World yesterday. 🌃 I guess this is redneck country. I’d love to some day live in such a beautiful place as the Finger Lakes but not in New York. It’s hard to live a true redneck life if you can’t burn things like your trash 🔥 and own whatever guns you want without the governments permission and you spend most of your income on taxes. Totally wearing my Molon Labe t-shirt 👕 with the AR-15 on it today, gotta celebrate my freedom before it’s back to the office downtown 4 or 5 days a week and pretend to be a real adult 👴🏼 and not a good ol’ boy. 🤠