Fall in Upstate New York is a magical time of year. The rolling hills throughout Cortland County are dotted with farms, produce stands, beautiful old homes, and the best drives for enjoying fall foliage. We’ve made a list of a few drives throughout the county to enjoy the fall season and hopefully take you to places you’ve never been before!
Little York to East Homer to Truxton
This scenic drive will take you from Anderson’s Farm Market to Reake’s Country Goods. It is a delightful drive to pick up fresh produce, homemade baked goods, or crafts. Begin your journey at Anderson’s Farm Market. Then take the Little York Crossing Road and take a left onto Route 11 North. You’ll pass Little York Lake on your left and eventually Cobblestone Valley Farm. Turn right onto East Homer- Baltimore Road, (Rt. 108). As you climb the hill get ready to admire the valley below when you take the turn. You’ll stay on Route 108 all the way to Route 13. Take a left to drive past Trinity Farms (stop in for fresh milk, bread, and more!). Continue to drive on Route 13 into Truxton. The best views will be on your right hand side with vast farmland, a hidden wooden bridge, and the hills in the distance. Keep going through Truxton and end at Reake’s Country Goods at the corner of Main Street (Route 13) and Morgan Hill Road.
Total time: About 20 minutes
Blodgett Mills to Greek Peak Mountain Resort
We started this drive ironically outside of the car. We stopped to admire the Tioughnioga River at the Hiawatha Landing. It is just over the Blodgett Mills Main Street bridge off of Route 11 South. It is a public access point to the Tioughnioga for kayaks, canoes, and more. Back in the car go west on Main Street in Blodgett Mills (or if you don’t stop, once you turn off of Route 11 South continue straight over the bridge). Take the left hand turn onto Clute Road. Here the road narrows a bit, but it’s been repaved in recent years. You’ll stay on this road all the way to Hope Lake. The winding turns, dips and climbs makes this an exciting drive. Pay attention as you drive up the hills to see the amazing views of the valley below. Soon Clute Road takes you through the Tuller Hill State Forest. There are a couple of opportunities to pull over. You can turn left onto Pipeline Road to drive further into the state forest. It is just past the signage for Skyline Raceway. To continue to Greek Peak, stay on Clute Road. Soon the trees give way to the Greek Peak Mountain view. Continue all the way down past the Lodge. Clute Road ends at Route 392. If you turn left, you’ll get to Greek Peak Mountain Resort. If you turn right, you will drive into Virgil where we recommend a stop at Hollenbeck’s Cider Mill.
Total Time: About 10 minutes
Taylor Valley Road (Taylor Valley State Forest) to Solon and McGraw
We’ll admit that this was our favorite scenic drive. We liked it so much because this drive took us on an unexpected adventure. The entire time we asked, “are we still in Cortland County?” Followed by kicking ourselves for not discovering what others have known for a long time, the beautiful scenic drive on Taylor Valley Road through the Taylor Valley State Forest. For this drive, start at Poole’s Drive-In in East Homer. Grab some lunch and turn onto Town Line Road, which is directly across from Poole’s Drive-In on Route 13. Take the next right onto Route 114 and follow it (be sure to take the slight left to stay on Route 114, East River Road). You’ll take this until you need to go either right or left (Chenigo Road). Take a right and continue on this road. Eventually the road becomes the Taylor Valley Road. If you want to explore the Taylor Valley State Forest outside of your car, there is a parking area that will be on your left hand side. You will see a public pavilion. It’s opposite Mt. Roderick Road. The pine trees are overwhelmingly tall. There were a couple of other places to pull over to just stop and admire the forest. With the pine trees framing the road, it felt like we were out in Colorado or Vermont. Happy to say we were in Cortland County. Just outside the forest take a right onto Hawley Woods Road and make a right onto Telephone Road. This will lead you back to Solon and past the historic Hathaway House, and into McGraw where its Main Street District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Places like these are hidden gems in the county that we are guilty of not visiting enough.
Total Time: About 30 minutes
Places to stop along the way
Anderson’s Farm Market
5887 Rt. 281, Homer, NY
Open Mondays to Saturdays 8am – 7pm
Reake’s Country Goods
4107 Rt. 13, Truxton, NY
Open Mondays to Saturdays 10am – 6pm Sundays 11:30am – 4pm
Poole’s Drive-In
3033 Rt. 13, Cortland, NY
Open Mondays to Sundays 6:30am – 8pm
Trinity Valley Farms
2847 Rt. 13, Cortland, NY
Open Tuesdays to Saturdays 8am – 6pm
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