“Choice. Chance. Change. You must make the choice, to take a chance if you want anything in life to change.” -Author Unknown
It was such a beautiful day we decided to do a few hikes at some new places. I’ve heard wonderful things about Stony Brook State Park, so we headed west to Dansville to check it out. While we were in the area we also did a little hiking at The Gully Preserve. Both places were beautiful and almost empty…just the way we like it.
Our first stop was at Stony Brook. They were doing a little maintenance at the park so we had to enter the Gorge Trail from the south entrance. This park was a summer resort in the late 19th century, following the construction of a railroad in 1883. By the late 1920s the resort fell into decline and the state of New York acquired the land. The park was established in 1928 and with the help of the CCC in the 1930s it added trails and bridges making it what we see today. Like the other gorges in the Finger Lakes this beautiful area was created by receding glaciers.
From the parking lot at the southern end we had to come down these stairs…so on the way back we had to go up.
The upper falls are known as Shawmut Falls. We had to do a little scrambling down the side of the brook to get to this one. On the way back to the main trail we walked in the brook.
The trail along Stony Brook.
The top of the middle falls.
This is the middle falls are known as Pittsburg Falls.
This is the lower falls known as Northern Falls.
This bridge was as far as we could hike today. From here we had to return on the same trail.
Looking down stream from the bridge. Maybe next time we can hike the whole gorge.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the state park and then we made our way over to the Gully Preserve. I had read the trails here might be hard to find, but we found that to be the opposite. They were quite easy to follow and took us to some amazing sights in a fairly short distance.
On the south side of the road is a large wide falls that some call Pokey-Moonshine Falls. The falls cascade over the cliff into a deep and shadowy gorge. We decided to view the falls from the top since the hillside was wet and slippery. But on a hot day the pool below would be a great place to swim.
The top of Pokey-Moonshine Falls.
Looking down the cliff at the falls and gorge.
We climbed down this far so we could get a better look at the falls.
The falls from part way down the cliff.
To get to the falls on the north side we followed the creek just off the road. It led up to a chute-like falls with water running through a large straight crack in the bedrock and down multiple tiers. This whole area is hidden from the upper trail.
The trail along the creek.
A look at the chute along the creek.
The falls at the of the public trail.
On the way back to Ithaca we stopped at this cute little shop in a town called North Cohocton.
