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Cinnamon Lake

Coordinates: 42.2°N 77.0116°W

Elevation: 1829 feet/557.5 meters

Cinnamon Lake in Cinnamon Lake State Forest in the Finger Lakes, New York, USA.

Location

Cinnamon Lake is located in the 1,786-acre Cinnamon Lake State Forest. Both the lake and the forest straddle two towns and counties--the Town of Orange in Schuyler County and the Town of Hornby in Steuben County. There are numerous access points into the forest, however, the closest access point to the lake is a turn-around space on Hornby Road in the Town of Orange, .4 mi./.6 km. west of the intersection of County Road 41 in Schuyler County or County Road 42 in Steuben County. (It's the same road.) The parking area doesn't have an address, of course, but if you Mapquest 1500 Hornby Rd., Beaver Dams, NY, you should get there. Despite what maps show, Vilie Road doesn't go through. A number of the roads in the area are not marked with names. There are very few houses in this area and no services of any kind.

The Cinnamon Lake State Forest sign.

Physical Features

Cinnamon Lake is a small lake of about 50 acres. It is surrounded by woods, most of which is private land and not open to the public. The part of the lake that is in Cinnamon Lake State Forest begins from Hornby Road as farmland that has been planted with hemlocks. These trees are close together and have no ground vegetation. The closer you get to the lake, the more the trees change and thin out and ground vegetation begins to appear. Near the lake's water line is a thick mat of wet sphagnum moss. It is in this area that the vegetation becomes typical of a bog. But this area doesn't go far out into the lake. Instead, the water begins to deepen and has the appearance of a typical lake.

Boating

The path from the parking area on Hornby Road to the lake is only about 500 ft./152.4 m., but it is just a path through a stand of closely planted hemlocks. It isn't well worn, so there is no way of getting a motorboat or any boat of any size to the lake. Light kayaks are probably do-able though.

There is an open space on the lake directly south of the parking area from which a boat could be launched, but it is, at that point, wet sphagnum moss. The water is open and accessible from that point.

Note: There is very little use of this lake and the water has remained "pure" in the sense that it has no non-native aquatic vegetation. It also doesn't seem to have the troubles of many small lakes that warm up and get algae blooms. When you visit, please try to maintain the "purity" of the lake and the forest.

Swimming

The multiple-use trail through Cinnamon Lake State Forest. There is no beach, and because of the bogginess of the shore, I wouldn't recommend swimming except possibly near the two houses on the lake.

Biking

All the roads in the area are rural roads with no shoulders. Many are not even paved. They are somewhat hilly and would be good for hybrid or mountain bikes. (Dust on the unpaved roads can be a real problem in dry weather.)

Hiking

There is a multiple-use trail in the forest as well as one in the nearby Beaver Dams State Forest, but there is no trail around the lake. These trails can also be used for cross-county skiing and snowshoeing.

Wildlife

Steuben County has all wildlife typical of the Finger Lakes, including black bears. There are high-bush bluebe High-bush blueberries in Cinnamon Lake State Forest. rries growing near the lake, which bears like to eat. Remember: Never come between a mother bear and her cubs.

Note: Watch out for biting flies in both Cinnamon and Beaver Dam state forests during the hot weather of the summer. These are a type of fly with brown patches on their wings commonly called deer flies. They are not small things like black flies or midges but larger like houseflies. When they bite, you know it.