Land trust announces new hiking trail at Spafford preserve
The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) today announced the completion of a new hiking trail connecting the organization’s Hinchcliff Family Preserve with the Central New York Land Trust’s (CNYLT) Ripley Hill Nature Preserve. Staff and volunteers from both groups collaborated on the design and construction of the trail which stretches ¾ of a mile through the Hinchcliff Preserve to the Ripley Hill Preserve in Spafford, Onondaga County.
Visitors to the Hinchcliff Family Preserve can now walk up Covey Rd., a short seasonal road next to the preserve, carefully cross State Rte. 41, and hike to the best view of Skaneateles Lake.
Beyond the vista point, the trail guides hikers through diverse forests and wetlands on the Ripley Hill Preserve. Here, the trail stretches for another ¼ of a mile through the preserve to Ripley Hill Rd. Protected through a partnership between the FLLT and CNYLT, the Ripley Hill Preserve contains the highest point in the Skaneateles Lake watershed and is the third highest point in Onondaga County at 1,968 feet.
The 206-acre Hinchcliff Family Preserve is a key part of a growing greenbelt of preserved land around the southern end of Skaneateles Lake. Land protection here and throughout the watershed is vitally important because the lake serves as the source of drinking water for the city of Syracuse and several other communities. More information and a trail map can be found at fllt.org/hinchcliff.
Visitors to the new trail should be aware that while hunting is prohibited next to the Ripley Hill Trail, hunting does take place on adjacent private land. Consequently, hikers are encouraged to wear brightly colored clothing during hunting season. In addition, the remainder of the Hinchcliff Family Preserve is only open for hiking on Sundays and Mondays during the gun hunting season, from Nov. 16 to Dec. 17, and closed to hiking on other days while deer hunting is taking place.
By working cooperatively with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has protected more than 23,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland.
The organization owns and manages a network of over 30 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 140 properties that remain in private ownership.
The Land Trust focuses on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife, conserving lands that are important for water quality, connecting existing conservation lands, and keeping prime farmland in agriculture. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and local residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.
Additional information about the Finger Lakes Land Trust may be found at fllt.org. Information on the region’s premiere destinations for outdoor recreation may be found at gofingerlakes.org, a resource created by the Land Trust to encourage people to get outdoors.
Originally established in 1972, the Central New York Land Trust is a membership-supported not-for-profit organization working in Onondaga and Oswego Counties. The CNYLT seeks to preserve and protect natural areas to provide our communities clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat, and a chance to connect with the land. Additional information can be found at www.cnylandtrust.org.
Submitted photo
FLLT Board Member Dave Birchenough, CNYLT President & CEO Albert Joerger, and FLLT Executive Director Andy Zepp at the connector trailhead off of Route 41.
