The Stid Hill Multiple Use Area is a 847 acre tract of land situated in the townships of Bristol and South Bristol in Ontario County. It is bounded by Route 64 on the west and Dugway Road on the north. Ganargua Creek, better known as Mud Creek, flows along Route 64. At one time, Stid Hill was productive sheep and cattle grazing land. Today the grazing has been eliminated. The mixture of steep hills, ravines, gullies, gorges, woods, and open areas create scenic vistas and also provide varied wildlife habitats.

The hike on Sunday 10th April 2016 will begin at the Dugway Road trail head. The initial quarter mile is a good path, but steep and uneven. This ends at a prominent “Stop” sign and a gate. This is a little misleading; a public trail continues past the Stop sign for a hundred yards or so and then swings to the right – follow the yellow Foot Trail buttons nailed to the trees and not the yellow paint dabs; the dabs lead away from public lands and will drop you on Stid Hill Road where it is still a dirt road.

An alternative trail from the Stop sign goes  to the right past a length of crash barrier across the path, and follows a broad trail up the hill (properly marked with paint dabs this time) deeper into the Stid Hill MUA. Both trails come together about a mile from the trail head.

Though the trails were well marked at one time, there hasn’t been much trail maintenance recently. The trail markers are difficult to follow and sometimes deceptive, and they disappear completely over the crown of the hill. The going will be very wet in places over the crown.

Tourists and Naturalists

For the tourists and Naturalists, there are loop trails starting at the Stop sign. The left and the right trails from the Stop sign are joined by linking trails through the woods. The paths are dry and in good shape here and marked with yellow or pink paint dabs.

Climbers

The climbers will hike all the way over Stid Hill and come down the steep escarpment to the more northerly Route 64 Stid Hill parking area. We’ll shuttle back to the Dugway Road trail head to collect the cars. The paint dabs start off yellow, but there a blue trail that parallels the yellow one and is easier to find. Here’s the route:

Once past the initial steep climb the trail is reasonably level until we come over the crown of the hill and start down the escarpment to Route 64. The trail markers run out pretty soon at the beginning of the walk, but the path is well trodden and easy to follow. It is however VERY WET! Wear good boots or get wet feet. It’s also very muddy in places. The section down the escarpment switchbacks a lot; it is steep, dry, and nicely wooded. The trail markers start up again as we start to come downhill again, but they get confusing and it’s easy to miss a sharp right turn to follow the borders of state land.

The Meeting Place

We will meet at the Dugway Road trail head at 1:45pm for a head count, and we’ll arrange to have some cars down at the Route 64 parking area for a ride back up the hill.

Getting There

Route 64 runs north-south, so there are only two direction of approach.

From the north, (Honeoye and Bloomfield) starting at Route 5 & 20 in Bloomfield, come down Route 64. 3.0 miles south of Rt 20A and 1.4 miles past Bristol Center (and CR 32), turn left on Dugway Road. If you come to a Stid Hill MUA parking area, you’ve come too far south – turn around and try again.

From the south, starting at Bristol Springs for 6.4 miles, come up Route 64 past both Stid Hill parking areas, then turn right on Dugway Road. If you come to Bristol Center you’ve come too far north.

From Springwater, Google Maps recommends heading north to 20A through Honeoye, then south on 64.

From Wayland, the recommendation is to take Rt 21 through Naples to the east end of Dugway Rd (4.5 miles north of the intersection with NY 64). The trail head is 1.2 miles west on Dugway, (Dugway is paved to the Bristol/Canandaigua town line).

Dugway Road is a good dirt road. The trail head is exactly 2.0 miles from the Route 64 junction. It’s easy to miss – it’s just a widening of the road after a sharp left turn. The trail head is on the right of the road and marked with a discreet sign a little too far from the road. Please park carefully. There isn’t much parking space to be had.

The Social

We’ll go to Lock Stock and Barrel on Route 64 just north of Bristol Mountain for the social after the hike. The climbers are likely to be about half an hour late so earlier arrivals should feel free to set up beers for them for when they finally get there.