Wilson-Tuscarora State Park (Blog Hike #430)

Trail: Interpretive and Hiking Trails

Hike Location: Wilson-Tuscarora State Park

Geographic Location: west of Wilson, NY (43.31221, -78.84494)

Length: 1 mile

Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: July 2013

Overview: A short lollipop loop beside a marsh.

Park Information: https://parks.ny.gov/parks/69

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=725566
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Wilson-Tuscarora State Park is located on SR 18 2 miles west of the town of Wilson or 7.3 miles east of the north end of Robert Moses Parkway.  Enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and drive the main park road past the bathhouse to the boat launch area.  Park in the gravel lot beside the paved boat-trailer parking lot.

The hike: Established in 1965, Wilson-Tuscarora State Park protects 476.5 acres of reverting farmland on the south shore of Lake Ontario in extreme northern Niagara County.  The park’s name comes from its location near the town of Wilson and on Tuscarora Bay, an inlet of Lake Ontario located directly across the park road from this trailhead.  In addition to the boat launch by the trailhead parking area, the park features a beach on Lake Ontario and several picnic areas.

            For hikers, Wilson-Tuscarora State Park contains three short interconnecting nature trails: the red-blazed Interpretive Trail, the green-blazed Hiking Trail, and some blue-blazed connector trails.  I visited this park on a 95-degree summer day in a year when the bugs were horrible, so I wanted to keep my hike short and sweet.  Thus, I chose the 1 mile route described here that uses parts of all three trails and gives a good sample of Wilson-Tuscarora’s hiking offerings.

Trailhead

            Start at a white information sign and wire mesh gate that are located behind a willow tree near the parking area.  Almost immediately the trail forks with the Interpretive Trail heading left and the Hiking Trail heading right.  This fork marks the start of the loop portion of this hike, and this description will turn left to follow the Interpretive Trail’s red-diamond blazes.

            The mowed-grass Interpretive Trail heads southeast through young mixed deciduous forest, and the marshy area around Twelve-Mile Creek comes into view on the left.  Many cattails can be seen growing in the marsh.  I would have stopped to look for wildlife, but swarms of mosquitoes kept me moving. 

Cattail marsh

            Near 0.5 miles, a pair of blue-blazed connector trails exit right.  The Interpretive Trail going straight continues along the marsh for another 0.5 miles, but it does not form a loop.  Thus, even if you choose to extend your hike by hiking the entire Interpretive Trail, you will need to use one of these connector trails to continue the loop eventually.  This hike will take the second of these connector trails to head over to the Hiking Trail.

            While the Interpretive Trail traverses mostly young lowland forest, the Hiking Trail features old farm fields that are still meadows.  Thus, the connector trail transitions from forest to meadow until, 0.65 miles into the hike, you reach the green-blazed Hiking Trail.  The shortest route back to the trailhead is to turn right here, and that is the direction this hike will take.  To extend this hike, you could turn left here and hike the Hiking Trail’s loop through the heart of the meadow.

Hiking the Hiking Trail

            Staying near the boundary between meadow on the left and forest on the right, the other blue connector trail enters from the right, and the other end of the Hiking Trail enters from the left.  Very soon the Interpretive Trail enters from the right to close the loop, and you arrive back at the trailhead to complete the hike.  Before you leave, make sure to get a good view of Lake Ontario either by walking across the park road to Tuscarora Bay or stopping at the bath house/beach area on your way out.

Tuscarora Bay