Author: Robert

Holiday Valley Opens in 2024

Posted on by Robert

The Erie lake effect machine fired her guns hard and heavy the last week. Usually I would turn my eyes towards the Tug Hill, but lake effect can be a fickle thing. At Dry Hill they needed snorkels, but Snow Ridge could only launch a soft opening.

Tannenbaum Express

Cold Canadian air was pushing south and in the early season Lake Erie often reigns supreme. Holiday Valley was in the epicenter getting over three feet of snow.

I called my boys Alex and Evan, and on Friday we headed to the Aspen of the East, Ellicottville for Holiday Valley Opening Day 2024.

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Tagged: Holiday Valley, Lake Effect, Powder, Western NY6 Comments

Trenton Falls Scenic Trail

Posted on by Robert

Autumn is a great time to view scenic waterfalls in upstate. Places like Watkins Glen and Kaaterskill come alive in blaze of yellow and red. Just north of Utica there’s a set of falls that rival some of these gorge’s but with an exclusive twist. It is only visible twice a year.

Trenton Falls Scenic Trails
Trenton Falls Scenic Trails

Trenton Falls is only open to the public one weekend in the spring and one weekend in the fall. As luck would have it, my Dad saw a news piece on Trenton the week of the fall opening and called me to tell me my parents wanted to walk it. The path is a family-friendly gravel trail with some dirt and mulch cut offs to scenic overlooks. We made plans for Saturday when the weather looked best.

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Tagged: Central NY, Hiking5 Comments

Oswego River Kayak from Three Rivers Point

Posted on by Robert

200 years ago Three Rivers Point was one of the most happening spots in Central NY. Here the Oneida and Seneca Rivers form the Oswego river and flow north to Lake Ontario.

Three Rivers Point map

It was a prominent meeting spot for Native Americans and when the colonists arrived they made camp at the same location. An inn was soon erected and trade on the rivers expanded with salt mining operations on Cayuga and Seneca. The peak of Three Rivers Point rose and fell with the Erie Canal, and these days it’s a quaint park in the town of Clay.

The shores of Three River Point Park were lined with fisherman on a warm summer Saturday in mid-August.

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Tagged: Central NY, Paddling2 Comments