Finger Lakes National Forest / Women’s Rights NHS
Driving From Loyalsock State Forest, PA to Oswego, NY | Hiking at Connecticut Hill, NY | Hiking & Camping in Finger Lakes National Forest | Visiting Women’s Rights National Historic Site | August 2024
After we visited our last county in Pennsylvania, we began the last leg of our drive to New York. Our plan for the day was to drive up to Finger Lakes National Forest, do a little hiking, and hopefully find a place to camp. This was the one night that we hadn’t reserved a campsite for — but we were hopeful that it wouldn’t be an issue since it was Labor day and not a particularly popular area. After crossing into New York, we drove North from Elmira and drove to Connecticut Hill for a little walk. We had been loving the cooler weather this weekend after leaving coastal North Carolina, but today was the first day that really felt like fall. We had to dig out sweatshirts before beginning our short hike on the Bob Cameron Loop Trail. We didn’t make it far in completing the loop, but we still enjoyed walking through the woods and attempting a letterbox, plus the hill counted towards Curtis’ hiking challenge.
After that, we continued heading Northwest to Finger Lakes National Forest near Burdette. There are some free dispersed campsites here, but they were all either taken or far too muddy for us to want to risk parking there. We ended up finding a spot in Blueberry campground, which was cheap and very well maintained. We chose a spot, set up for the night, and had a little picnic lunch. There was a trail that started right from the campground — the Interloken Trail — so we went for another hike, following the trail through the woods and all the way out to a meadow. This trail was also supposedly a loop trail, but when we arrived in the meadow, we found the trail flooded and overgrown. At least we were able to enjoy some limited views before turning around and returning the way we came.
That evening, it got chilly enough for us to use our heater for the first time this fall. It made for a very cozy night for our last night in the van for a few weeks!
The next morning, we had less than 3 hours to drive to reach Oswego. We took our time waking up and getting ready, then drove basically straight North up to Seneca Falls to visit a national historic park we had never been to. As we arrived in the town, we noticed a theme in some of the names of landmarks and businesses, and realized that this is the town that It’s a Wonderful Life was supposedly set in (it isn’t called Seneca Falls in the movie, nor was it filmed here — it’s just widely considered to be the most similar to the fictional town they created, so the town has clearly embraced that).
When we arrived in town, we navigated to our main reason for visiting — Women’s Rights National Historic Park. Before visiting, I just assumed that it would be about the Suffrage movement and women eventually gaining the right to vote. But when visiting, we learned that it was created here in Seneca Falls specifically because it was the location of the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848, when people came together to fight for equal rights and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments. Reading through the document, you can see that some of what they fought for came to fruition, but there is still progress to be made. Curtis and I each took turns touring the museum, then we sat and listened to a ranger talk outside. Overall a very informative visit, and we’re glad we had time to fully experience it!
Finally, we got back in the van and finished the rest of our drive to Oswego, where we would be for the next 2 weeks!
