Today was my last opportunity for a solo school day hike during the current hunting season, and I used it to complete the last of the roadwalks I'd orphaned while hiking nearby "real trail" sections of the Finger Lakes Trail (FLT) [which carries the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) south and west all the way to Pennsylvania]. I wasn't super excited about the route, and was a bit tired; I may have even dragged a bit setting out. I made hot tea for the long drive, and after dropping Frankie off at school and putting gas in the car and then finally setting out, I realized I'd forgotten it. I did a u-turn and went back home for the tea, but I didn't let myself get discouraged. Between holiday obligations and various appointments, I won't have many opportunities for hiking this month. I couldn't let this chance slip away. And it turned out to be one of the more pleasant roadwalks I've done.
I started this hike at the same roadside parking spot from which I set out this spring when exploring the adjacent section of NCT in Tuller Hill State Forest. I hiked south on West River Road for about 3.9 miles, then turned left onto State Route 392, following 0.2 miles over the Tioughnioga River to the NYSDEC fishing access parking area where I started my last hike in Hoxie Gorge State Forest. West River Road runs through the Tioughnioga River valley, paralleling the river, with railroad tracks in between. Slopes rise on the east side of the road, steep and cliff-like in places. This was least developed of the roadwalks I've completed this hunting season. West River Road is a dirt road, posted as a one-lane road for most of its length, and there are only three homes along the whole stretch. Traffic is also quite light. During my entire journey, both there and and back, I encountered just three vehicles. Definitely worth getting out!
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| starting cold |
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| approaching Route 392 and the bridge over the Tioughnioga River |
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| double blazes mark the turn onto Route 392 |
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| NYSDEC fishing access |
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| Tioughnioga River |
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| one of the few northbound blazes |
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| almost back |
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| trailhead into Tuller Hill State Forest |
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