Highland Forest is the oldest and largest of the Onondaga County Parks. Although the park has seen a lot of improvements over the years, including construction of the large Skyline Lodge, I still find the trail system a little odd. The website has a ski conditions page that is updated daily, and from checking this site in advance, I knew to expect a detour on the Main Trail. This was somewhat of a disappointment for me, as I have been looking forward to this hike for some time, but I decided to go anyway. I asked about the detour when I stopped in the Lodge to sign the register and pay my $3 use fee, but oddly enough, the friendly staff seemed to know little about it. They assured me it was well marked and wouldn't add much distance to the hike, but couldn't show me anything specific on the map.
It was a lovely mild day, cool but not cold, sunny to start with rain forecast for the afternoon. Such a treat to see blue sky, at least for a while. It did sprinkle on me briefly somewhere around mile 5, but never outright rained. At the north end of the park by the Lodge and trailhead, the snow was virtually all gone, except under the deepest conifers, where sheet ice prevailed. I carried spikes in my pack, but never bothered putting them on because there was always muddy trail ahead beyond the ice. At the south end of the park, much more snow lingers, but it was hard packed and easily supported my weight.
Starting from the trailhead, the Main Trail carries the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT), so is jointly marked with the park's square green M markers and the NCT's blue blazes. The NCT splits off and rejoins the Main Trail several times; over the course of the 8.3-mile loop (with the detour), approximately 2.1 miles are shared with the NCT in its
traverse across the park.
As park staff noted, the detour is very clearly marked. I encountered it sooner that expected, based on the vague gesticulating toward the map, but there was no mistaking the trail closure. The detour followed a different hiking trail briefly, then a horse trail, then a ski trail. It also variously followed woods roads and what appeared to be a completely new section of foot path.
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| the ski trails were terribly muddy |
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| foundation of the Craw family homestead |
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| a terrible wind storm blew through this area last year, toppling thousands of trees |
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| partial view down into Limestone Valley |
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| emerging from the trail on the east side of Skyline Lodge |
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| view to the north from the terrace of the Lodge |
The trail map lists the Main Trail at 8.8 miles, but with the detour, MapMyRide measured it at 8.3 miles, with 876 feet elevation gain. I like that this is a loop trail with easy parking, and intend to return to hike the Main Trail again once the closed portion of the trail re-opens. I'd also like to find the USGS benchmark on Arab Hill. I detoured briefly to look for it today, but there was too much snow in that area to make any serious attempt to locate it.
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