County: Yates

Acreage: 226 acres

Trail Distance: 1.6 miles

Directions:
From Rte. 5 & 20, east of Canandaigua Lake, turn left on Rte. 364 South. Continue on Rte. 364 to Middlesex. At the town center, turn right on Rte. 245 South. Continue 4.8 miles and turn right on Sunnyside Rd. Go over the West River for 0.4 miles and bear left at fork in the road. Go 0.4 miles to the next fork and bear right onto South Hill Rd. Go 0.7 miles up the hill to the entrance to the Great Hill Preserve, on left side of road.

NOTICE – the Great Hill Preserve will be closed to the public during the NY State regular firearms and late muzzleloading deer hunting seasons. Please check the NYSDEC web site or call the land trust to obtain these specific dates each year. The land trust uses a limited, permit-based deer hunting program to reduce negative impacts that deer can have on native plants and tree regeneration.

Trail Map

Great Hill Nature Preserve

Want a vigorous hike with panoramic views of one of the Finger Lakes? Come follow the trails along the forested slopes of this lofty preserve high above Canandaigua Lake and next to Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area. Today, most people know it as South Hill, but this majestic hill overlooking Canandaigua Lake has collected many names and stories over time: Nundawao, The Great Hill, Whaleback and Sunnyside. One hill, many names.

History

Nundawao (Great Hill, in English), as the Senecas call South Hill, is revered by the Senecas as the birthplace of the Seneca people. Native American settlements and relics have been found in the valley to the south of Great Hill.
Although logged over the past couple of hundred years, this preserve is too steep to have ever been farmed. Thomas and Sandra Hansen of Middlesex, NY, donated 221 acres to the Land Trust in December 2000, followed soon thereafter by a gift of a 5-acre inholding from James Fralick of Canandaigua. The Hansens and Fralick wanted to protect this unique woodland from future development. Their action will help protect the water quality of the lake as well as views of this mile-plus length of hillside from many vantage points.

Natural History

During the last ice age, glaciers thousands of feet thick covered much of northern North America. The ice scoured the land, sculpting the beautiful topography of the Finger Lakes Region. As the tongue of ice retreated, it left behind Canandaigua Lake and the glacially steepened Great Hill. Streams rushing down the slope to the lake cut several gorges into the hillside, a process that continues even today. The glaciers also left behind erratics, boulders transported over vast distances and left on the hillside. Pathways on the Great Hill preserve wind their way through these marvels of nature.
Much of the Nundawao Preserve is covered by stands of oak and hickory, which thrive on the sunny, dry, well-drained slopes, but many other trees and shrubs do well here as well, shadbush and witch hazel being two favorites.
On a spring day listen for the ethereal song of the Hermit Thrush and the short twitters of the Yellow-rumped Warbler. In the winter, snowshoe through the preserve and find the tracks of wild turkey, fox and deer. Pick a piece of the wonderfully fragrant mint, Pennyroyal, and breathe in a reminder of summer. Perhaps best of all, climb to the top of the preserve. The Great Hill Preserve reaches an elevation of nearly 1900' above sea level and offers spectacular views of the Naples valley as well as Canandaigua Lake and the Bristol hills.