High Tor

Websites

NY State DEC Description on DEC.NY.gov

Upstate NY Waterfalls Map on NYFalls.com

Ontario County Falls on NYFalls.com

Yates County Falls on NYFalls.com

Lower Clarks Gully Falls on NYFalls.com

High Tor (sometimes spelled 'Hi Tor') is a 6,100 acre Fish and Wildlife Management Area located northeast of Naples, NY which is about 48 miles from Rochester. High Tor is managed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and is located in both in Ontario County and Yates Counties.

You may wish to take a visit for the scenery, to hike, fish, or do some bird watching.

"numerous ecological habitats ... many steep wooded hills, gullies, eroded cliffs andmarshlands in the West River Valley. ... well named by the word TOR ... craggy hill or peak.


... 3,400 acres just east of the Village of Naples, is primarily scenic steep wooded terrain, intersected by administrative truck trails usable as foot access to the more remote sections of the area.

Immediately north ... is about 1,700 acres of marsh which lies between State Routes 21 and 245 ... south end of Canandaigua Lake. ... drained by the famous Naples Creek, ... rainbow trout spawning runs, ... slow picturesque West River, ... excellent bass and crappie fishing. Numerous wood duck boxes ... offer ... nesting sites for the beautiful wood duck. ... the mallard, black duck, bluewing and greenwing teal, plus the hooded merganser ....


East of the southern end of Canandaigua Lake ... area known as South Hill. ... primarily of 1,000 acres of overgrown fields with steep wooded hillsides. ... Indian legend, South hill is known as the "Birthplace of the Senecas". ... on the top of South Hill offer excellent scenic views of the Naples and West River Valleys.


The diversified environments, allow for hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, hiking, cross-country skiing, bird watching, nature study, and picnicking. Camping is allowed for organized groups by permit only.


The area offers a variety of wildlife, with the more important game species being whitetailed deer, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, cottontail rabbit, grey squirrel, waterfowl, muskrat, raccoon, mink and beaver. Game fish common to the area are rainbow trout, bass, black crappie, chain pickerel, bullhead and sunfish.


Numerous songbirds and marshland birds .... Turkey vultures ... near the wetland area and adjacent to South Hill. ... beautiful Bluebird... nesting in hollow snags adjacent to West River,... artificial nest boxes ... on the upland portions ....


All State lands identified by public hunting signs, and the Finger Lakes Hiking Trail spur which runs through the area has signs at its entrance on the area.


Rules and regulations for the use of the area are posted adjacent to most of the parking areas."

Previous User Input

It is a great place to go for a hike or extreme mountain biking, or even to kill some animals, if you're into that.


I usually park here, on Rt 245, there's a little parking area next to a DOT building::Google Map


You can also park on Parish Hill Rd (a dirt road a bit further along 245), which is close to Conklin Gully, a breathtaking gorge with waterfalls.


The trails are fairly well marked, but it's not too hard to get lost. If you do get lost, there's a good chance you'll run into someone before you perish. Some of the trails are part of the Finger Lakes trail system, for which there are good quality maps available (can't remember where I got mine).


The trails can be quite muddy, so I only go after a dry spell. Bugs can be pretty nasty too. But it's a great, vigorous uphill hike, and very pretty. Also, I try to avoid going during hunting season.¹

Comments:

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2007-03-29 11:56:19   Steve, thanks for the info! —BadFish

2007-05-16 15:25:35   if your not there for either clarks or conklin gully, than you havent seen what this park is all about. —StevenArmendinger

2008-07-21 12:22:01   Hiked here years ago, loved it... but forgot about it til I drove past Naples on 390 the other day. Itching to go back now. —JayUnnikrishnan

2009-04-19 18:55:41   Can anyone tell me the best way to get to the campsites at High Tor? —MattSaroka

2009-04-19 19:04:17   Can anyone tell me the best way to get to the campsites at High Tor? —MattSaroka

2010-10-02 21:02:36   A few years ago I made a hiking map of Hi Tor. The rangers point people to this map when asked for a map. Anyone can download it for free at: http://home.roadrunner.com/~dowser01/hitormap.htm It says "Do Not Copy" but it's OK to copy. —Dowser01