Rob's Trail Preserve

Visit Rob's Trail Preserve

• Hours of Visitation

  Rob’s Trail Preserve is open year-round from dawn to dusk.

  NOTE: Rob’s Trail remains open to hikers during the hunting season.  It is currently early bowhunting season (no rifles).  Rob’s Trail is located on both TNC and NYSDEC lands – both landowners permit hunting on their lands and keep trails open to all trail users throughout the year.  We recommend visitors wear blaze orange while enjoying trail system during hunting season.  TNC requires written permission to hunt in addition to a NYS hunting license.  Keeping trails open to all users (hunting and non-hunting outdoor recreation enthusiasts) throughout the year is the standard for the millions of acres of publicly accessible NYSDEC lands.  The data on hunting safety on those millions of acres overwhelmingly supports this management decision to share the trails.

• What to See

  Animals: Bald eagles nest at the south end of Hemlock Lake and may be seen kettling overhead. In the successional woodland keep an eye out for migrating warblers, turkeys and ruffed grouse. Deer and weasels can also be spotted on occasion. Bees and butterflies harvest nectar from the abundant asters and goldenrods in the fall.

  Plants: Rob’s Trail passes through several types of habitats, from old-field herbaceous plants to mature hardwood forest, a journey that mirrors the changes that will happen here over the next 100 years. Mature trees include white oak, sugar maple, and shagbark hickory. Clones of green ash form uniform stands. Goldenrod, buckthorn, native gray dogwood, turtlehead and closed gentian can also be found here.

• Hunting Information

  Rob’s Trail Preserve is open during hunting season (Oct 1 – Dec 21, Dec 26 – Jan 1). Written permission is required to hunt on TNC lands. To learn more about our hunting program or to obtain permission to hunt, please visit our New York hunting information page.

  NOTE: Rob’s Trail remains open to hikers during the hunting season.  It is currently early bowhunting season (no rifles).  Rob’s Trail is located on both TNC and NYSDEC lands – both landowners permit hunting on their lands and keep trails open to all trail users throughout the year.  We recommend visitors wear blaze orange while enjoying trail system during hunting season.  TNC requires written permission to hunt in addition to a NYS hunting license.  Keeping trails open to all users (hunting and non-hunting outdoor recreation enthusiasts) throughout the year is the standard for the millions of acres of publicly accessible NYSDEC lands.  The data on hunting safety on those millions of acres overwhelmingly supports this management decision to share the trails.

• Preserve Trails

  The preserve features the following trails: Loop Trail (1.75 miles), Canadice Lake Trail (.75 miles), Hemlock Trail (4.8 miles; to shoreline is 1.5 miles, to boat launch is 4.8 miles), Connector Trail (.28 miles).

  Be careful on the trails as they may be wet or uneven. Please be advised the spur trail to Canadice Lake is a challenging trail that is steep and minimally maintained.

• Guidelines

  Take a moment to review the trailhead kiosks, which describe the trails, the property’s import role in protecting drinking water and the geological forces that created the Finger Lakes. See our full preserve visitation guidelines for more information.