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Visited August 12, 2021
Visited August 12, 2021
County Route 85, Forestville, NY
Finding this place was challenging even with the detailed instructions on page 71 of The Roger Tory Peterson Institute's Natural History Atlas to the Chautauqua-Allegheny Region.
[Park on the side of the road between 9965 Route 85/Center Road and 10019 Route 85/Center Road, Forestville, NY. The wooden sign shown in a photo below is across the road from 10019 and a small footbridge is across the road from 9965.]
No parking lot. I parked on the side of the road near the BUMP sign because there was no real ditch there to worry about so I could get off the pavement.
84 degrees Fahrenheit, 4:00-4:30 PM
84 degrees Fahrenheit, 4:00-4:30 PM
No toilets available
Dogs are not usually welcome at nature preserves but I did not see any signs discouraging them.
Long pants recommended
I did not see poison ivy during my short visit.
No cost to access the premises
I visited this property of the Western New York Land Conservancy after seeing it in the the atlas I mentioned above. I could not find anything about it on line via the Land Conservancy website and typing it into Google Maps turned up nothing so I drove down Straight Road and then drove up and down Route 85 like a stalker until I saw distinctive orange signs as shown in the photo below. The large wooden sign is set back from the road and mostly obscured by foliage.
I explored for only .6 of a mile by entering from the road toward the wooden sign where there was a hint of a break in the vegetation at the road side. I exited via the wooden footbridge which appeared to still be on the preserve's property but I had to scurry down a slope to access the footbridge. It was too hot and humid to enjoy a ramble in the woods for very long. This area reminds me of the back hill where I grew up. My brother and I have many happy memories of rambling and exploring there. If you never had woods to ramble, this place may be the answer to that. Be sure to stop and inhale deeply while you are there. It smelled so nice. I did not see anything resembling a formal trail. If you find one, please send me a note at wnywanderings@gmail.com. What I did find are two waterfalls (dry as a bone) that I would love to return to when the spring snow melt is in full spate because I bet they are beautiful! There are steep inclines to navigate as you would expect to see at a location where there is a waterfall.
There was no recent trash present.
I had the place to myself.
Wear long pants and waterproof boots. Everything was dry today but after a good season of rain or snow melt, the terrain appears to be the sort that would be muddy. Wear bug spray.
There were no paved trails. There were no marked trails that I could see. There was an area within site of the road that appeared more travelled but I suspect deer did that.
No trail so no single file to worry about.
Some of the trees were gigantic. I saw fungi, Queen Anne's lace, trillium, grape vine, Virginia creeper, fern, moss, mayapple, goldenrod, milk weed, vetch, hemlock, staghorn sumac, maple trees, and cherry trees. I saw a paper wasp nest.
For more information about the site listed on the wooden sign at Hillside Acres:
https://www.wnylc.org/ [The site is under construction, so Hillside Acres is not yet listed.]
Nearby:
Sullivan's, 3590 East Main Road (Route 20), Fredonia, NY 14063
I love the milkshakes here. Worth the wait if there is a line.
I parked near the BUMP sign. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
I saw this sign before I saw the wooden sign.
Near 10019 Route 85/Center Road @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
The wooden sign. Near 10019 Route 85/Center Road. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
How the wooden sign looks when viewed from the road. See how easy it is to miss? @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
Vetch @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
Milkweed @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
@Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
I bet this is pretty when it has water running in it. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
The waterfall area...dry today. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
This insulator for a livestock fence must have been placed a very long time ago. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
Old tree with the insulator in it. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
There are a few giants here. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
In the atlas I referenced, the signs were described as yellow. These orange signs posted over the yellow signs must be new. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
Not sure if this is an old electric line or not. I was not going to touch it to find out. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
There is a waterfall, dry today, that can be seen from the road behind where I parked. This is the view from above in the woods within view of the road. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
This is a giant tree with nothing in the photo to give you a sense of scale. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
View from the road of the footbridge that I believe is on the property and may be used to access the preserve. It is right across from 9965 Route 85/Center Road. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
@Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
Not the best photo. Taken from the road of where you will see a waterfall [to the left of the tree in the middle of the pic] when there is more rain or snowmelt. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
Waterfall will be to the left of the tree when there is water. There is a neat view of the layers of rock in the left of the photo for those of you who remember the cool geology you learned. @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
@Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
The book that led me to this place. [A gift from Henry Hube, a past coworker.] @Hillside Acres, Western New York Land Conservancy, Forestville, NY
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