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The Finger Lakes Trail consists of a network of trails in New York. The trail system is administered by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference (FLTC), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization composed primarily of volunteers.
The FLT is primarily designated as a footpath only trail. The main trail (FLT) is 584 miles (940 km) long and extends from the New York-Pennsylvania border from Allegany State Park in southwestern New York to the Catskill Forest Preserve in eastern New York. There is an additional 400+ miles (643+ km) of branch and loop segments that branch off the main FLT—six branch trails and several loop and side trails. The FLT is part of the 4,800 mile North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST) and affiliates with the North Country Trail Association as a partner organization. The NCNST uses approximately 424 miles of the FLT as it crosses New York from Allegany State Park and into Madison County.
The Trail System passes over a mixture of public and private land, and also public roads where there is no public or private land available. The main FLT crosses through many New York state parks, state forests and wildlife management areas. The FLT also crosses through the only national forest in New York State and over an additional 400 private landowners property.
It is maintained by volunteers from 15 organizations and approximately 60 individual and family trail sponsors, except for personnel of the NYSDEC Operations Crew who maintain the trail in the Catskills. The US Forest Service maintains the Interloken Trail in the Finger Lakes National Forest.
The highest elevation on the entire FLT is ~4,200 feet, at the summit of Slide Mountain (Ulster County, New York) in the Catskills. The lowest elevation is 430' where the FLT crosses the Cayuga Inlet near Ithaca, NY. There are also five fire towers located along or near the trail. The first is the abandoned Mt. Tuscarora Fire Tower in Allegany State Park. The second is the Sugar Hill Fire Tower outside Watkins Glen State Park. The Berry Hill Fire Tower is located outside Bowman Lake State Park. The fourth is the Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Tower and the fifth is the Rock Rift Fire Tower.
As of January 1, 2022 the Finger Lakes Trail main trail has been completed 535 times (including continuous and section hikes). Joe Dabes ("Java Joe") has hiked the entire trail ten times. Frank Bianco's second of four hikes was completed in a continuous 24 days on June 26, 1997, when the trail was shorter than its current length. The six branch trails have all been completed 134 times as of Jan 1, 2022. On August 3, 2015, Heather Housekeeper ("Botanical Hiker") completed the first continuous hike of the main trail and all branch trails, in 62 days.
When using the trail, it is important to know whether the portion you are using is on private or public land and the rules applicable to that particular portion.
Those portions of the trail that pass over private lands are subject to rules established by the Finger Lakes Trail Conference ("FLTC") as negotiated with the private land owners. The portions of the trail that pass over public lands are subject to the laws and rules of the political entity that owns the public land.
For example, the portions of the trail that are in Allegany State Park are subject to the rules of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation ("NYS OPRHP"). The portions of the trail that pass through New York State forests and New York State reforestation areas are subject to the rules of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ("NYS DEC"). The portions of the trail that pass over county owned lands are subject to the rules of the particular county.
This multi-jurisdiction can create a good deal of confusion. For example, there are some designated camping spots ("bivouac" areas and lean-tos) on both private and public lands. On private lands camping is allowed only in specifically designated locations. In some state parks camping is allowed anywhere on or near the trail that is not visible from a road. In other state parks, camping is allowed only in designated camping areas along the trail. On the portions of the trail that pass over New York State forests and New York State reforestation areas camping is anywhere that is at least 150 feet from any trail, road, and water source.
Likewise, mountain biking is generally prohibited by the FLTC. In state parks, mountain biking is allowed only if specifically designated by the NYS OPRHP. In state forest and reforestation areas, mountain biking is allowed unless the NYS DEC has specifically posted otherwise. Similar disparate rules apply to possession of firearms, both long guns and licensed handguns.
Portions of the trail that pass over private lands are closed during various hunting season (fall turkey season, fall big game season, and spring turkey season.) The portions of the trail that pass over public lands are generally open all year long including public lands on which hunting is allowed.
The FLTC sells detailed maps that specify the portions of the trail on public and private lands, and the portions of the trail that are closed during various hunting seasons.
The following trails branch from the main trail: [1]
Richford is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,043 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Ezekial Rich, an early settler and benefactor of the town.
The North Country Trail is a long-distance hiking trail in the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. The trail extends roughly 4,800 miles (7,700 km) from Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota to the Appalachian Trail in Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, passing through eight states along its route. As of 2023, most of the trail is in place, though about one-third of the distance consists of road walking; those segments are frequently evaluated for transfer to off-road segments on nearby public or private lands.
Allegany State Park is a state park in western New York State, located in Cattaraugus County just north of the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. The park is divided into two sections: The Red House Area and the Quaker Run Area. It lies within the Allegheny Highlands forests ecoregion.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department charged with the operation of state parks and historic sites within the U.S. state of New York. As of 2014, the NYS OPRHP manages nearly 335,000 acres of public lands and facilities, including 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, that are visited by over 78 million visitors each year.
Taughannock Falls State Park is a 750-acre (3.0 km2) state park located in the town of Ulysses in Tompkins County, New York in the United States. The park is northwest of Ithaca near Trumansburg.
The Long Path is a 357-mile (575 km) long-distance hiking trail beginning in New York City, at the West 175th Street subway station near the George Washington Bridge and ending at Altamont, New York, in the Albany area. While not yet a continuous trail, relying on road walks in some areas, it nevertheless takes in many of the popular hiking attractions west of the Hudson River, such as the New Jersey Palisades, Harriman State Park, the Shawangunk Ridge and the Catskill Mountains. It offers hikers a diversity of environments to pass through, from suburbia and sea-level salt marshes along the Hudson to wilderness and boreal forest on Catskill summits 4,000 feet (1,220 m) in elevation.
Slide Mountain is the highest peak in the Catskill Mountains of the U.S. state of New York. It is located in the town of Shandaken in Ulster County. While the 4,180-foot (1,270 m) contour line on topographic maps is generally accepted as its height, the exact elevation of the summit has never been officially determined by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey or its predecessors, and many informal surveys suggest the mountain may actually top 4,200 feet (1,280 m) above sea level.
Wonder Lake State Park is a 1,145-acre (4.6 km2) Putnam County state park located in Patterson, New York.
The High Peaks Wilderness Area is the largest wilderness area of the Forest Preserve in the U.S. state of New York. It is located in three counties and six towns in the Adirondack Park: Harrietstown in Franklin County, North Elba, Keene, North Hudson and Newcomb in Essex County and Long Lake in Hamilton County.
The Saranac Lakes Wild Forest is a discontinuous 79,000-acre (320 km2) tract designated as Wild Forest by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Franklin and Essex Counties near Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, and Lake Placid. The area covers large portions of Harrietstown, Santa Clara, and North Elba; smaller portions are in Altamont, St. Armand, Brighton, and Franklin. The area is served by State Routes NY-3, NY-30, NY-86, and NY-73.
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Balsam Lake Mountain is one of the Catskill Mountains, located in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It is the westernmost of the range's 35 High Peaks. Its exact height has not been determined, but the highest contour line on topographic maps, 3,720 feet (1,130 m), is usually given as its elevation.
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The Taylor Pond Wild Forest is a discontinuous 53,280-acre area consisting of tracts of state land and easement land spread over a 567 square mile area designated as Wild Forest by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in the northeastern Adirondack Park. The area comprises
New York State Forests are public lands administered by the Division of Lands and Forests of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). New York State Forests are designated as reforestation, multiple use, and unique areas; and state nature and historic preserves, with approximately 600,000 acres (2,400 km2) classified as reforestation areas and approximately 9,000 acres (36 km2) classified as multiple use lands. Land within the Adirondack Park or the Catskill Park is not included as part of the State Forest system.
The Balsam Lake Mountain Fire Observation Station is located at the summit of the mountain of that name in the Town of Hardenburgh, New York, United States. It comprises a steel frame fire lookout tower, the observer's cabin and privy and the jeep road to the complex.
Kane Mountain is a mountain in the Adirondack Mountains region of New York. It is located north of the Hamlet of Canada Lake. The Kane Mountain Fire Observation Station is located on top of the mountain. Sheeley Mountain is located south-southwest, Canada Lake is located south, Camelhump is located east and Pine Lake is located north of Kane Mountain.
The North Country National Scenic Trail spans eight U.S. states over its roughly 4,800 miles (7,700 km), traveling through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont. The western end is at Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota, and the eastern end is at a junction with the Appalachian Trail in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest. As of 2023, most of the trail is in place, though about one-third of the distance consists of road walking; those segments are frequently evaluated by the North Country Trail Association for transfer to off-road segments on nearby public or private lands.
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