Five-Star Trails: Finger Lakes and Central New York: Your Guide to the Area's Most Beautiful Hikes

by Timothy Starmer

Lace Up, Grab Your Pack, and Hit the Trails in Central New York! The Finger Lakes and Central New York are not known for rugged mountains and panoramic vistas, commonly sought in the Adirondacks to the north. They hardly could be―the area was scoured clean by glaciers millennia ago. But don’t let that fool you―the region is full of natural wonders of its own. Instead of mountains and ridges, the region is known for rolling drumlins, an abundance of scenic gorges, quiet woodlands, beautiful waterfalls, and picturesque lakes. Trails included in Five-Star Finger Lakes and Central New York, by Tim Starmer, feature a broad mixture of these landscapes and were carefully selected to give the most varied but also rewarding experience when picking a trail.

Each trail has been thoroughly researched, recently hiked, and includes a detailed description, trail profile, and map. At-a-glance ratings in important categories such as scenery, trail condition, difficulty, solitude, and appropriateness for children let you quickly select a trail that fits your tastes and ability. Other useful information such as fees, restrictions for dogs on the trail, and advice on when to visit offers you the best information so you can plan your trip with ease.

Genres: Travel

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2013

Reviews

[Hapzydeco]

The title says it all. Get this book and start hiking.

[Sean]

Excellent resource. Although, I really like the All Trails website for real-time trail data. Still great to have this hard-copy at home.

[Daniel Middleton]

The first thing I have to note about this book is that the author lives what he writes, and this is an extremely important fact concerning this particular reference genre. Timothy Starmer has personally hiked these trails and gives firsthand accounts of his varied experiences. This results in extremely detailed breakdowns of what you yourself can expect from these hikes, be it with regard to terrain, location, difficulty, accessibility, important landmarks, on-site facilities, surrounding scenery; heck, he even goes into a bit of history, elucidating on the effects the last glacial period of the ice age had on certain areas. Put another way, the writing is so informative and precise that if you opted to read it as literature, without the intent of hiking, you'd come away so thoroughly informed you'd feel as though you'd hiked each and every trail.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a must-read for beginner hikers and experts alike. Grayscale photos and trail maps are present, as well as GPS coordinates and URL links to colorful online PDF maps from the New York State Parks Office.