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Shindagin Hollow
State Forest

Shindagin Hollow

Town of Caroline

Last Update: 28Nov99

Topography and Environs


1:40,000 Image
Click Here for 1:15,000 Detailed Map (836KBytes)

Shindagin Hollow is a large State Forest in the south of the Town of Caroline. The roads Braley Hill Road (Bush Rd. from Tioga county) and Shindagin Hollow Road (Prospect Valley Rd, again from south) transverse most of the length of the State Forest. Sometimes the area is called Prospect Valley in Tioga county.

View South towards Prospect Valley
The area consists of two river/creek valleys flowing south. The central hollow is a wide gorge-like valley with many interesting niches, but are difficult to access. The rest of the area is laced with 4-wheel, motor-cross, and trail bike paths, as well as abandoned roads and footpaths. A worthy project would be to trace all these.

Shindagin Hollow Road, going south, transverses down a steep cliff north of the creek and is an excellent spot for spring wildflowers. The central hollow has the sheltered, sun-facing walls that make many of the Finger Lakes gorges excellent spring wildflower sites. Halfway, the road crosses a diverse swamp. Braley Hill Road cuts across the west hill with many old roads, bike paths and paths. Click on above map "up top" to see how far i've gotten. East of South Rd/Honeypot Rd., which leads along the east rim, is large forests with logging roads (and much logging) stretching almost to Speedsville.

Stone and concrete foundations of District School #3
on Braley Hill Rd. - torn down 1948
The area was mostly acquired by New York in the 1930's. In June 1996, I found a detailed history in the FLT Trail Log by Braley Hill Road. Please check out Places of Yesteryear by H. the Woodsman for a detailed look. Of all the local state forests, this area shows the most of evidence of prior human habitation. The apple trees and lilacs, jonquil and day lillies mark the old homesteads.

The usage is definately populous and recreational, though the size of the area makes for rich wildlife and undisturb areas as well. Not alot of nature observation, though there's plently to observe.

A Caygua Trails Club Lean-To is located on the FLT about 1 mile east of Shindagin Hollow Road. Its in good shape and is located in a hemlock forest just above the waterfalls.

Places to check out Shindagin Hollow are:



Finger Lakes Trail

The Finger Lakes Trail cuts east-west through the middle of Shindagin Hollow. Starting at White Church Road by the Ridgeway Swamp , it crosses directly up to the top of Braley Hill (quite steep). A nice beech/hemlock forest at the top, criss-crossed with a couple trail-bike trails and joins some abandoned roads. It follows an old "truck road" from Braley Hill to the rim of Shindagin Hollow, then along the rim to Shidagin Hollow road. Great view of the rim/valley with many wildflowers.


Shindagin Lean-To
It crosses Shindagin Hollow Road below Gulf Creek Road and goes to a CTC Lean-To. The rambling waterfalls near the lean-to has waterslides. Eastward, it crosses Honeypot (South) Road at the hilltop and leads down to an otherwise indistinquishable crossing at Old 76 Road, about halfway between Caroline Center and Speedville. From there is goes over to Potato Hill State Forest

Wildilfe

Wildflowers Birds Mammals


Old Structures, Cementaries, and the like

Tompkin's County Outdoor Areas
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