Ripley Hill Preserve

Ripley Hill Preserve is a mixed wetland and woodland preserve located in Spafford, NY.

PRESERVE MAP

Click on the map icon for an aerial view, then click on the address for directions from your location.

trail info

The trail is rated as easy. Click the trail icon above to see a map of the preserve boundary. The trailhead is easily seen from the parking lot on Ripley Hill Road.

PRESERVE SIZE

Ripley Hill Preserve is 109 acres. Ripley Hill Road is a seasonal road and is not plowed in the winter, and for this reason the preserve is closed during the winter.

PARKING

There is off street parking on Ripley Hill Road directly across the street from the trailhead.

Getting Here

Ripley Hill Preserve is located off of Ripley Hill Road in the Town of Spafford. The seasonal road is not open in the winter. To get to the preserve: Take Rt 41 Spafford North to Cold Brook Rd, turn right and go for .8 miles and turn right on Ripley Hill Rd (currently no sign-gravel road), go 1.1 miles to trail head.

The First Crossing (20' on Ripley Hill).jpg

Preserve History

Ripley Hill Preserve was donated to The CNY Land Trust in 2011 by Janice Hinman.

Site Features

At 1,968 feet, this preserve contains the highest point in the Skaneateles Lake watershed and the third highest point in Onondaga County. The preserve is formed by two parcels bisected by the unpaved Ripley Hill Rd.

Ripley Hill is a mixed preserve with uplands, woodlands, agricultural land, and a unique hilltop hemlock swamp.

There is a connector trail to the Finger Lakes Land Trust Hinchcliff Family Preserve, which descends in elevation down to the lake. Please note that the Hinchcliffe trail is steep in sections and rated as moderate.