Rob’s Trail Preserve (Hemlock Lake) – Hemlock, NY

Rob’s Trail is a trail system that connects Hemlock Lake and Canadice Lake, the only two undeveloped Finger Lakes. On this trip, we hiked the Hemlock Lake Side of this trail system. This trail is fantastic. Between the beautiful woods, gorgeous waterfalls, and stunning Lakeview, this trail has it all. This portion of Rob’s Trail was completed in 2016 and is maintained by the Nature Conservancy.

The preserve is named in honor of the former board chair of the Nature Conservancy who passed away in 2006, Rob van der Stricht. He was an avid bird watcher, canoeist, fisherman, and outdoor lover. This a gloriously beautiful preserve and an amazing destination for hikers and nature lovers.

Trails

First things first, you absolutely MUST wear hiking boots on this hike or you will regret it. The first 1/4 mile was a mud pit with literally no way around it. It was hike through it or not at all. I assume that it dries out in the summer but with any sort of rain, it will be muddy again. I can’t stress it enough…hiking boots. Otherwise, once you get past the muddy area, the trails are well-maintained and clearly marked.

We hiked in early May, and if you watch the forest floor closely, you will see beautiful trillium flowers blooming all over. In fact, keep an eye out for all sorts of nature, both wildflowers, and wildlife. Black bears have been filmed swimming in this Lake. So keep your eyes peeled; you might just get lucky.

The trail heads downhill from the parking lot weaving through mature woods and along ravines. Watching the lake slowly appear through the trees is such an amazing sight. The hike to the lakeshore is 1.5 miles, and then the trail travels along the lakeshore for another 4.8 miles to the boat launch. Keep in mind when you begin your hike that you will have to go back up the hill to your vehicle.

One of the nice things about the trail layout is that it is laid out so that it is never really too steep. The trail zigzags through the hillside so that on the return trip back up the hill, It alternates to flat terrain every few turns. This way, you don’t feel like you are slowly dying from oxygen deprivation, gasping for air, as you are climbing uphill.

Waterfalls

As you hike down to Hemlock Lake, you will pass several creekbeds. What I found strange was that even though it had rained a lot over the proceeding weeks before our hike, the creeks, although not completely dry, we barely running at all. I had seen pictures of the waterfalls quite full, but on our visit, they were just trickling. I can’t even begin to imagine the state of the top of the trail (where it was muddy) if the creeks had truly been running. I’m picturing knee-deep mud.

There are two decent-sized waterfalls on this leg of Rob’s Trail, and even though the waterfalls weren’t flowing in their full glory, they were still beautiful and well worth exploring. We were easily able to climb down to them and get a closer look. Obviously, we aren’t recommending you leave the trail, but if you are an experienced hiker and feel the desire, you can easily reach the falls.

Hemlock Lake

As you head down the trail, the lake will start to peekaboo through the trees. Once you make it down the hill, the path veers to the right and runs along the lake. There are numerous jogs off the main trail leading down to the lakeshore, where there are rocky beaches, driftwood logs, and coves to relax and take in the lake’s spectacular scenery and surrounding hillsides.

Getting There

Rob’s Trail (at least the Hemlock Lake branch) is pretty hard to miss. It is approximately 3 miles South of the town of Hemlock on Route 15A. The parking area will appear on your right-hand side. We arrived very early in the day, and the parking lot was empty. We didn’t really see another human being until we headed back up the hill to our vehicle. By then, the parking lot had filled in quite a bit. The great part about this preserve is that there is plenty of room for people to spread out, so the trail never seems crowded.