Tioga County High Point Trip Report

Spot elevation 1.5 mi SE of Harford Mills (1,994 ft)

Date: July 14, 2000
Author: Dan Case

From NY 38, take unsigned Matson Road to the W at the Cortland-Tioga line. Yes, the road that looks like the house's driveway but isn't. It should be called You Have Got To Be Joking Road, so narrow, rocky, winding and steep it is for a public road in its lower sections. I stayed in lower gear for pretty much the whole climb, easing and praying that I wouldn't hit some blockage where I would have to back up and find a turnaround. I didn't, and on top of the bluff it levels out and becomes a nicer, wider road that in short order hits a three-way intersection with (again unsigned) Robinson Hollow Road. Turn right, and very shortly uphill you reach a four-way intersection with (trust me on this) Lacey Road. About 0.25 miles down on the left a small dirt road runs off and goes up to the highpoint, very obvious around here as this land is mostly meadow.

I parked at the side of the road and chose to walk it, unsure about the ownership situation as there were no posted signs on the trees, but it looks like you could drive it without a problem. The highest ground is a wide area with a fire ring and much juvenile-delinquent debris -- flattened beer cans, burnt Roman candles etc. However, it boasts wide-ranging views over the area, better than those from Virgil due to the absence of wood cover. Robinson Hollow Road will, after a right turn, take you down a generally better road to NY 79, so that would be the approach if you're coming from Ithaca. I did notice on the way down an awful lot of state-forest parcels -- perhaps the DEC is slowly acquiring the summit grounds.