Detailed Hike Description

Join Peter Houck to explore a section of trail and a new nature preserve along an abandoned rail line right-of-way and the Eberhard Preserve. We start with flat, easy hiking with no turns along the rail line, then it’s a challenging little pitch uphill in the preserve. Just when you think you’ve got the height of land, you turn a corner and there’s more. It’s all good. After hiking up a total of 770 feet of elevation over a mile or so, we reach our destination of Eastman Hill at 1690 feet. At that point we’ll have a break and then it’s back downhill to the cars.

The work of clearing and rerouting trail on and near the preserve was completed just last year. It took an army of volunteers, the staff and resources of the Finger Lakes Land Trust, and an all-day National Trails Day project led by Cayuga Trails Club Trails Chair David Priester, but we got ‘er done.

Now you get to enjoy the result: a beautiful forest of hemlock and oak along the glacially eroded side of the valley that transitions to oak, hickory and hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana – Wikipedia, known as hardhack, ironwood or leverwood) as you gain elevation and reach height of land. It’s preserved indefinitely and open to the public for nature appreciation, birdwatching, or just a light hike with friends. Join us!