Fairchild Hill and Burlingame Trails

Date of Run: 12/4

Time: 1:15 pm

Route: Out and back course with a couple of small loops.  This was my first time on these trails so I did some exploring to figure out where the trails led.

Distance: 6.17 miles

Elevation Gain: 636 ft

Terrain:  Combination of grassy double track, with technical singletrack, crushed gravel path, and wet/muddy in spots. Some elevation but 

Weather: 41 F and overcast.

Gear:

Summary: I was looking at a map recently and noticed a smallish group of trails that I’d never seen before and certainly hadn’t run so I decided to go out and give them a shot to see what they were like.  I’ve run so much on the same trails I’m desperate to find some new places!

I parked at the end of Cazenovia Lake at the corner of Rt 20 and 92.  Once I played a little bit of frogger to cross over Rt 20 I was on my way.  The trailhead sits behind what looks to be an old abandoned warehouse of sorts and there are a couple of parking spots but I felt more comfortable leaving my car in plain view of the road.  Turns out, the building is an old railroad depot and the trail starts on a grassy rail trail (picture from above).  The trail system I started on is called Fairchild Hill and connects to the Burlingame trails, both are managed by the Cazenovia Preservation Foundation (CPF).  There are several historical markers along the way in the Fairchild Hill area so take your time and catch up on some local history!

I found the trails in the Fairchild Hill section to be very well marked, with signs and arrows pointing to the other named trails.  It made it easy for a first-timer to navigate!  Fairchild Hill was mostly grassy with a couple of shorter sections through the woods and brush that were dirt trails but all seemed to be double track and well maintained.  The bit that connects Fairchild Hill to Burlingame was single track and highly technical.  The wet weather didn’t help too much but I can imagine in dry weather it would be some fun running!  The connector was well marked with a combination of what I suspect are older painted blazes and medallions.  They all lead you through the same trail so the fact there are multiple markers is not a problem at all.

The Burlingame side of the trail system is mostly crushed gravel and leads to a large field and a couple of ponds. There was plenty of signage indicating private land and with the leaves down it’s pretty easy to see that those trails lead to private homes.  There is a trailhead on the Burlingame side if you prefer to avoid crossing over Rt. 20 or using the Fairchild Trailhead parking area.  To access the Burlingame side, take Rt. 13 out of Caz, past Meier’s Creek Brewing, and turn right on Burlingame Rd. You’ll find the trailhead parking area among the fields to the right about .75 miles up the road.

During my couple hours on the trails, I saw two people and no wildlife, which is perfectly ok with me.

Link:

https://www.cazpreservation.org