Hike the Finger Lakes Trail

Finger Lakes Trail

OVERVIEW

Trail Name: Finger Lakes Trail

Forest: Delaware Wild Forest

Winter Access: None

Lean-to sites: None

Campsites : None

Trail Length miles: 1.70 miles (one-way) TH-to-TH

Trail Tread Type : 100% Single-track trail

Hiking Time : 1-2 hours (one-way)

Lowest Elevation : 1,203' (A)

Highest Elevation : 2,110' (A)

Views Locations : None

Trail Difficulty : Moderate

USGS Map: USGS Downsville Quad Maps

DEC Trail Map: DEC Delaware Wild Forest Map (free)

Digital Mapper: Topo Terrain Satellite

Maps to Finger Lakes Trail

Notes About Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail

TRAIL

If you are hiking an extended section of the complete Finger Lakes Trail, we would recommend that you start from the Cat Hollow Road (Rt 206) DEC Parking Area. It is much easier to hike DOWN the Finger Lakes Trail from Hog Hollow Trail to Downsville, NY then going UP the trail.

Click here, to learn about hiking the Campbell Mountain Trail.

Click here, to learn about hiking the Hog Hollow Trail.

The Finger Lakes Trail is difficult. There are logs across the path, and eroded paths to contend with. The trail is diverted in a couple areas, and hikers get lost there because of poorly marked trails. But, the most difficult problem is that at the end of the trail you are dumped into a residential neighborhood with no obvious way out. The trail marked on many maps through the neighborhood, now has a house built on top of the path. You basically have to trespass next to someone's house to get to the town road to Rt 30. Most hikers find this undesirable. Maybe the Finger Lakes Club can give you a better idea of how to exit past the Finger lakes Trailhead to a road.

OTHER INFORMATION

WATER: There is a stream at the bottom of the trail near the residential neighbor hood.

There is limited cell phone service in some parts of the region (as of 2023).

MILEAGE CHART - for the Finger Lakes Trail

Mileage Mile Point Altitude Notes
0.00 0.00 2,110' Top of the Finger Lakes Trail & Hog Hollow Trail

1.70 1.70 1,203' Bottom of the Finger Lakes Trail (by neighborhood)

Hiking the Finger Lakes Trail

On the left is the Hog Hollow Trail. Where you see two white rectangles painted on the tree in the middle of the screen is the top of the Finger Lakes Trail ("FLT").

This listing will be from the top of the FLT to the bottom of the FLT.

If you look 2/3 of the way across the image above you will see a single white rectangle painted on the tree. Hike down to that tree and take a left. Then hike down the side of the heavily eroded trail.

The Finger Lakes Trail runs down left of the tree. Expect to see logs and other object across the trail

This section of the Finger Lakes Trail is nicely maintained.

You will encounter many turns of the trail. Mainly where trees have fallen, and it has never been cleared.

This section of the trail is getting around fallen trees.

Another detour of the Finger Lakes Trail. Watch for the white trail markers with black arrows. Or, sometimes it is just a white rectangle(s) painted on the tree.

This section is a little more then 1/2 way down the Finger Lakes Trail. It enters a conifer forest with a fairly nice trail base.

When you get near the bottom, you will start to see houses on your right. You are almost at the end of the trail.

After you cross this small stream, you will be at the bottom trailhead of the Finger Lakes Trail. You then have to figure out how you are going to get to the road through the residential neighborhood. There are NO trail markers telling you who to get to the road.

Once on the road, you will be very close to Downsville, New York.

Links and References:

DEC Information on the Delaware Wild Forest

NY DEC map of the Delaware Wild Forest (free)

USGS Topo Map of the Downsville Quad

Delaware Valley Ridge Riders Snowmobile Club

Finger Lakes Trail Conference, Inc

S E C T I O N S

W E A T H E R

O T H E R