Brief Hike Details

This is a six mile out-and-back hike rated strenuous due to steep uphill pitches. If you struggle on steep ups, you might want to join us another time.

We will hike the west section of Shindagin Hollow Forest and adjoining private land.

Wear sturdy waterproof hiking boots, bring water and insect repellent if you use it. 

This is tick season. Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeve shirt, wear gaiters or tuck you pant legs into your socks. Check for ticks after the hike.

Using gps, set your destination for 371 Braley Hill Road, Brooktondale. For those unsure of navigation to the trail-head, email the hike leader at the email address above.

Check this space the day of the hike for any changes or a cancellation.

Detailed Hike Description

This is an out-and-back hike rated strenuous that includes a steep uphill climb with elevation gain of over 800 feet. This is a difficult hike for some hikers; if you do not do well on steep pitches, you might want to join us on another Tuesday.

The hike route demonstrates the rich variety of terrain in our area. We start at Braley Hill Rd. near the western edge of Shindagin Hollow State Forest and one of its many red pine plantations. Then down a glacially steepened slope through mixed hardwoods and conifers to the floor of the Wilseyville Creek valley. We will hike in forested groves and through hay fields that are intentionally being allowed to revert to brush and, in the future, successional forest. The plan is that the 60 acres on the flat will eventually be sold by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference to the state, and will become a part of Shindagin Hollow State Forest.

We then hike along an abandoned railroad bed that bisects the Wilseyville Creek wetland. We will see the other side of the valley – Eastman Hill – and get a sense of the power of the glacier that formed this terrain, then turn back and retrace our steps up the steep valley wall.

The Wilseyville Creek valley is an example of a through valley carved by glaciers. The sides are steep ends of hills that originally projected into a winding valley but were cut off by ice currents. The main native American trail between Cayuga Lake and the Susquehanna River, sometimes called the Warriors Trail, followed the east side of Wilseyville Creek valley in the past.