Rails to Trails,
Ralph C. Sheldon Nature Trail
Visited March 20, 2021
Titus Road Chautauqua Rails to Trails, Sherman, NY 14781
50 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, no real breeze
No toilets available.
Dogs must be leashed.
The trail is flat for nice easy going since it is an old rail road bed.
No cost for parking.
Limited parking in a dirt lot but more parking available on the side of the road for the rare days such as today when there are more hikers than usual. There is a pic below of the parking of the side of the road.
I saw more people on this trail today than I have ever seen on all of my Rails to Trails hikes combined (14+1 dog!) Every one of them had smiles and said hi. Some even said hi to Wesley and told him he was handsome.
The trail is hard to miss once you have found the parking area with the identifying signage. We saw Canada geese, mallard ducks, black birds, and robins. Over 175 species of bird have been identified in this wetland area according to a brochure I picked up on the trails years ago. The trail still had snow in some spots. It varied from fairly dry, to muddy, to snowy, to the usual gravel bed that the old railroad bed trails are known for. We saw a muskrat in the first pond to our right not far from the bird blind. Further on, we saw evidence of beaver. The maple and cherry trees along this trail are beautiful; this trail must be gorgeous when the leaves turn in the fall. There will be milkweed and sumac to add color and texture to the beautiful flora of the trail. This trail is 5.5 miles from Titus Road to Summerdale Road but you could travel it for miles to Mayville and even farther north, if you wanted. It is very well marked. One aspect that I enjoy about the Rails to Trails is that since they are as wide as the railroad bed, a group can walk side by side and easily visit and chat along the walk.
There are some recommended trail rules to make the experience enjoyable for everyone.
Trails open dawn to dusk.
Stay on the trail. The trail travels through private property.
No ATVs or motorcycles.
Pets should be kept on a leash.
Carry in, carry out. Leave no trash. And may I add, that means cleaning up after your dogs.
For more information about the Rails to Trails: https://chaurtt.org/.
NEARBY ITEMS OF INTEREST:
On the way we took to get there, we pass Grace and Abe's in Westfield. This delightful eatery features the 7 Sins Brewery's offerings and Abe's Ales Craft brews. They have a wood-fired pizza oven and seating upstairs and downstairs. In warmer weather, there is an outdoor picnic area and the manager said that dogs are welcome when I asked her last night. There is a great statue of Abe meeting Grace at the town's main intersection right next door to the restaurant; it memorializes a neat moment in history. Their reuben and fries meal is very tasty. The pretzels and cheese dip is served with the pretzels cut into small pieces, perfect for sharing. https://graceandabes.com/
Only fourteen minutes away is Pine Junction. Luckily, there is strong enough signal to check their online menu and order while parked at the trail. We ordered and when it was ready, they called our phone when our order was ready for us to come in and pick it up. This is such a cute place and the food was so great, that we really hope to return for their outdoor seating, their craft beers, and maybe one of their concerts sometime during the warmer weather. We tried their reuben balls and moose balls which were very enjoyable. Their BBQ chicken wings, the Little Miss Piggy, and piggy back burgers were also yummy. The parking was generous and bathrooms were right off the entranceway, accessible even if you are only stopping by for take out. https://www.pinejunctiontavern.com/
Link to You Tube Video of the trail:
Parking overflow today
People on horseback passed us when we arrived.
My walking crew
Bird Blind
Pine Junction, Sherman
Grace and Abe's, Westfield