Saturday, March 12, 2005

Cayuga Trail: Forest Home to Varna

On Sunday, March 6, I parked my Jeep off Forest Home Drive, near the suspension bridge, and hiked until the trail's end in Varna. I hiked about 8 miles in all, including the walk on Rt. 366 back to my apartment. After the trail crosses Freese road, there are some spectacular views of Fall Creek to the south and to the east. Other parts of the trail bordered large fields. Of course it was completely snow covered at the time, but I wonder if these meadows will be covered with wildflowers in the spring. I'll probably check on that! The views near Freese road would be easily accessible by parking on the side of the road or in a parking lot across the street. From there, it's only a few minutes walk to the overlooks and its worth it.


A lonely tree in the middle of a vast snow-covered meadow. Posted by Hello


Overlooking Fall Creek near Freese Rd. Posted by Hello

Interestingly, the only way to cross Fall Creek is to use the bridge on Route 13. Due to the plows, the side of the bridge was blocked by a barrier of snow. I had to remove my snowshoes and run across the bridge before cars approached. From there I reattached my snowshoes and went back onto the real trail. It was an interested break from the rest of the atmosphere.


Frozen Creek on Cayuga Trail Posted by Hello


Crossing Fall Creek by the Bridge on Rt. 13, Cayuga Trail (Ithaca, NY) Posted by Hello

Later in the trail, according to the map, you walk along an abandoned railroad track. It's pretty clear where it's located, but the snow hid any trace of the track. I wonder what it looks like without snow...

Below is a satellite photo of the area from Keyhole. The purple track is an overlay of my track, generated by my GPS.


The Cayuga Trail: From Forest Home Drive (left) to Varna (right). Posted by Hello

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