County: Cortland

Acreage: 139 acres

Trail Distance: 1.1 miles

Directions:
From Rt. 41 south of Skaneateles, turn onto Vincent Hill Road West, just north of the Cortland/Onondaga County line. After about 1/3 mile, the road bends to the southwest and there is a small parking area on the right-hand side. The preserve is on both the east (left) and west (right) sides of the road. On the east side, there is a large field in the bend of the road that is not part of the preserve.

Trail Map

High Vista Preserve

We invite you to find peace and solitude in this diverse hillside forest, high above the shores of Skaneateles Lake. One hundred years ago, this 139-acre property may have been devoid of trees, but time has changed the landscape. Bare fields have been replaced--long ago and more recently--by lovely forest, full of songs of birds and carpeted by wildflowers.

History

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) owned this preserve for a spell, then gave it to the non-profit High Vista, Inc. When that organization folded, it returned the land to TNC, which, in 1993, gave it to the Finger Lakes Land Trust.

Natural History

As you amble down the dirt road from your car, you will pass under the overhanging branches of hardwoods--older ones on your right, younger on the left. Small streams cross the road, along with a larger one that has cut an exquisite hemlock-shaded ravine.

The eastern portion of the preserve has numerous seeps and springs. Some of the streams originate on the preserve at these springs.

The greatest diversity is found in the older portions of the forest, with many spring wildflowers and ferns and a diverse array of tree species. A small wetland, full of Joe-pye weed, cattails, and boneset, is hidden away in the middle of the forest.