Wyoming County High Point Trip Report

spot elevation 1 mile east of Cadwell Corners (2,116 ft)

Date: September 2, 2001
Author: Dan Case

There are a multitude of ways to get to this area. The best way to distill them all into one is to use the nearest large settlement, Arcade, as a jumping off point. From there, head east on NY 39 across the town of Arcade into Eagle to Cadwell Road on the right, with an old gas station. Take it. Soon after you turn, there is Robinson Road to the left. Take it, and it starts off paved then becomes dirt and gravel. Then it joins Wing Street. Keep going as that road turns to the left and begins to traverse the ridge and go up and down. Keep an eye on the mailboxes on the left side of the road. Jim and Sheila Vassar's tree farm (they are the landowners) is at #3098 Wing Street, a little over a mile from where the road straightens out. You will not see the number. If you look closely at the mailbox from the east, you'll see the name "Vassar" in faint handwriting. On the other side of the road, you can see the garage but not the rustic house itself, which is blocked from view by a grove of tall pine trees. If you miss it, the numbers (they ascend as you go east) will tell you you've gone too far. Do not assume the high spot in the road ahead is where you want to be. It may be the highest road in the county, but it is not as high as the highpoint.

I parked, picked up my copy of Gary Fallesen's and Andy Martin's books, and walked up to the front door of the house, which was wide open (literally). Sheila Vassar and her three loud but small dogs answered. I asked if I could go up to the HP. She said she didn't see why not, and told me how to get there (she wondered if I was Gary, whom she had only spoken to on the phone, apparently. As far as I can tell we were the first visitors since the book was published). She indicated the path to take up and off we went.

This is a field road, with obvious signs of use by her husband's ATV. It leads uphill and starts trending leftward (southeast) along a row of trees on the left (west) and the fields in which they grow spruce, fir and pine trees. Higher ground will be evident in the unused field beyond the tree line, to your right. At about 0.35 mile from the house, an opening in the trees is your best place to cut through into the field. Then, you have about 0.2 mile more or so across the uneven, overgrown ground to the high area, which seems to trend toward the west side of the 2,100' contour.

I did the usual Lobdellizing and seem to have hit the highest spots I could find. The view is gorgeous on a beautiful day like this one. You could see almost all the rest of Wyoming County and into Erie County as well (no long glances to the Buffalo skyline, though; some bump blocks that). It's quite competitive with the view from the Genesee HP.

If coming from the north or east (via NY 19 or NY 362 to NY 39), take Centerville Road, which leaves 39 to the south a little bit west of NY 362 and Bliss. Wing Street would be the next right and it's about a mile or so down to the Vassars.