Houghton College Forest Trails
Houghton College1 Willard Avenue
Houghton, NY 14744
Nestled within the Genesee River Valley
and surrounded by the rolling hills of
Western New York, the Houghton College
forest provides one of the best places for
hiking in northern Allegany County. The
forest features 4+ miles of trails that are
open year-round to students, community
members, and the general public. Not only
is this living laboratory widely used by
Houghton College professors for teaching
students about the local ecology, but it
also provides a wide array of recreational
activities including hiking, trail running,
skiing, snowshoeing, and geocaching.
White pine, ash, hemlock, hickory, red and
sugar maples may be found throughout the
forest, though the most impressive trees are
undoubtedly the towering red and white oaks.
In addition to the ubiquitous squirrels, the
forest plays home to such creatures as deer,
chipmunks, fox, skunks, and numerous species
of salamanders. Monarch butterflies occasionally
breed in the meadow along the back side of the
Overlook Trail near the wild apple orchard.
Bird watchers should keep an eye out for
hawks (especially broad-winged and redtailed),
woodpeckers, crows, ravens, blue
jays, cardinals, and various other songbirds.
One particularly noteworthy resident of the
Houghton forest is the enormous pileated
woodpecker (hint: listen for the jungle-like
cackle and look for the distinctive red crest).
View the Houghton trail map online at
https://www.houghton.edu/admission/visiting/campus-map/houghton-trail-map/.
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