The Road Less Travelled-Exploring South Hill NY State Forest
Volume 33-Yet Another State Forest in Chenango County, New York
Welcome back to the road less traveled. As I continue to enjoy mountain bike rides as Summer comes to a close, it is always fun to discover new places. It really does feed my desire for exploration. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy returning to my favorite places such as Bowman Lake State Park or Hunts Pond State Forest.
On my latest ride of only 3.5 miles on September 3rd, I got a chance to explore South Hill NY State Forest near Guilford, NY. Why only 3.5 miles? Well, that's another story.
And the Company Came a Calling
Not long after I got started on my ride, I got a text from my wife. Turns out, her best friend from elementary/high school was in town from Texas. So I cut my ride short to get home and shower before she arrived. It was good to see her, she was the Matron of Honor at our wedding in 1983. Yeah, a long time ago. We did see her last summer as well along with her husband. This year, she was traveling alone as her husband was elsewhere on business.
End of Story Extra-Volume 2
This is a new feature in my articles. I will post an added bonus at the end of each article, separate from my usual 3 story links. It could be a photo, an extra paragraph, or something else. Stay tuned and keep reading.
Much to Discover Here in Chenango County, NY
I already know there is a lot of NY State land in my home county. Just how much I was not aware of. According to Google, there are 63,700 plus acres that make up 32 lands. Also, I wasn't aware that Chenango County has the most public land in NY State outside of the Adirondack Park. I have been in quite a few of these areas but not nearly all of them.
Since I had not been to the South Hill forest before, it took me a while to orient myself and check out the roads, etc. This is a pretty hilly area so I searched for the road I thought would be the best for riding. One of the gravel roads in particular had gravel with larger stones which I didn’t think would be bike tire-friendly. The other road in the forest was smoother (also gravel) and had more level areas.
So off I went. It was a beautiful day for a ride and a good first look at the area. I didn’t have time to explore all of it so I will return; hopefully in late September or early October to check out the fall foliage.
Until next time.
End of Story Extra-Volume 2
Just outside of South Hill State Forest, I found South Hill Cemetary, one of the older cemeteries in Chenango County. It is unusual since it only appears to have graves around the outside of the cemetery. According to findagrave.com, it has 14 graves that are documented. It’s nice to see that it is being mowed and kept cleaned up.
