Montville Falls / Decker Creek Falls - Cayuga County
- hobkyl
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- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:55 am
- Camera Model: Pentax K30
- Location: Victor, NY
- hobkyl
- Moderator
- Posts: 2671
- Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:55 am
- Camera Model: Pentax K30
- Location: Victor, NY
I have permission to access these falls from the property owner; hope to make it this year.
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Let me know when you go, I'll join you, it's only about a 15-20 min drive from my place
- hobkyl
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- Location: Victor, NY
Will do. Probably looking at a June timeframe, unless my work schedule changes.
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- Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:29 pm
- Location: USA
I grew up as a nerdy tomboy in Moravia in the 60's and 70's and spent a lot of time playing and exploring in the woods and both of these creeks. I was in the hometown last weekend for a family funeral for the first time in over 15 years. I had no time or foot gear for hiking, but, was hoping for a chance to see a bit of my old haunts.
Used to be, we could walk or ride bikes on the gravel road, past the old bean mill, all the way back to where there was a wide pool. You would then bear left to follow upstream to where the two creeks came together. I was just hoping to go down that gravel road a bit.
I was sooo disappointed to see the No Trespassing sign. The house that is there now, I don't even remember. If a structure was originally there back then, it was old and gray, and has certainly been entirely rebuilt into a house, because where the lawn is now is exactly where the gravel road used to go.
I loved reading the descriptions of the above posters, even without the pictures I could envision all those spots. I also used to access Decker from the left hand side of the creek. That entailed a hike down the ravine from the edge of a cornfield. The ravine was threaded with many deer trails that lead me to some great spots.
I know property owners have rights, but I too question the owner "owning" the creek so much that you could not walk up the creek bed. (Not something you could do in early spring, but later spring and summer would be doable). I actually think the state owns public fishing rights along that stretch.
I don't know if I'll ever be back, but if I do come back, I would take a chance at parking along one of the quiet side streets and then accessing the creek by the bridge. I don't think I would try coming down from the cemetery. I remember looking up the ravine on that side of the creek, I never was tempted to explore that side.
Used to be, we could walk or ride bikes on the gravel road, past the old bean mill, all the way back to where there was a wide pool. You would then bear left to follow upstream to where the two creeks came together. I was just hoping to go down that gravel road a bit.
I was sooo disappointed to see the No Trespassing sign. The house that is there now, I don't even remember. If a structure was originally there back then, it was old and gray, and has certainly been entirely rebuilt into a house, because where the lawn is now is exactly where the gravel road used to go.
I loved reading the descriptions of the above posters, even without the pictures I could envision all those spots. I also used to access Decker from the left hand side of the creek. That entailed a hike down the ravine from the edge of a cornfield. The ravine was threaded with many deer trails that lead me to some great spots.
I know property owners have rights, but I too question the owner "owning" the creek so much that you could not walk up the creek bed. (Not something you could do in early spring, but later spring and summer would be doable). I actually think the state owns public fishing rights along that stretch.
I don't know if I'll ever be back, but if I do come back, I would take a chance at parking along one of the quiet side streets and then accessing the creek by the bridge. I don't think I would try coming down from the cemetery. I remember looking up the ravine on that side of the creek, I never was tempted to explore that side.
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Hi, I am back, having spent some time researching about my favorite creeks in my old home town.
Looks like Mr. Cranky at 65 East Cayuga St may have some basis for denying access to those of us who would like to walk up the creek bed past his home. The first 2 web sites explain public access laws in NY state.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/44869.html
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7746.html
This next website gives a map where the state has purchased easements along this watershed. They exist on Dresserville Creek above the junction with Decker. Below the junction, the stream is identified as Mill Creek, and no public access is shown near the area where Mill Creek goes under Rt. 38:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_ ... scrpfr.pdf
I have some more interesting factoids that I will post separately. Hope someone appreciates these!
Looks like Mr. Cranky at 65 East Cayuga St may have some basis for denying access to those of us who would like to walk up the creek bed past his home. The first 2 web sites explain public access laws in NY state.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/44869.html
http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7746.html
This next website gives a map where the state has purchased easements along this watershed. They exist on Dresserville Creek above the junction with Decker. Below the junction, the stream is identified as Mill Creek, and no public access is shown near the area where Mill Creek goes under Rt. 38:
http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/fish_marine_ ... scrpfr.pdf
I have some more interesting factoids that I will post separately. Hope someone appreciates these!
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- Rookie
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Ok, now I deal with, what happened to change the access from E. Cayuga Street? Like I said in my earlier post, what I remember from high school years is being able to ride my bike past the bean plant, along the creek, all the way back to where there was a big pool (depending on the time of the year) and where the stream took a crook to the left (north? North east?)
When I saw the dwelling whose lawn blocked the gravel path we had enjoyed walking or riding along, this was so totally different from my memory, it was an unpleasant and unsettling thing. Specially with that no trespassing sign so prominent. I had to find out what had changed, had my memory been playing tricks on me?
So I looked to find old pictures of the mill. This one is really old, before my time, but, it definitely portrays that the site was anything but residential for years and years:
http://www.nonesuchfolks.com/images/Mor ... l_191x.jpg
How much of those buildings were actually still there when I was enjoying the creeks, I can’t say. But, I can tell you that two of my four brothers were employed in that mill for summer jobs while I was growing up, so it was still a working mill at that time.
This website and others describe that the mill had become structurally unsound, so that most of the buildings were torn down in 2004.
Public records show that the property was last sold for $10,000 in 2008.
http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/ ... source=web
If you look at the aerial view on this site, there are remnants of the mill close to the street. Back further and closer to the creek is what is the residential structure. Based on what I saw in person, and what I can glean from various photos, the new owner reconstructed a remaining structure into a residential dwelling. Kudos to him. The property is not for sale currently, but here’s a website that is ascribing a healthy property value:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/65-E- ... 4664_zpid/
and so goes public access to a wonderful bit of wilderness…..
When I saw the dwelling whose lawn blocked the gravel path we had enjoyed walking or riding along, this was so totally different from my memory, it was an unpleasant and unsettling thing. Specially with that no trespassing sign so prominent. I had to find out what had changed, had my memory been playing tricks on me?
So I looked to find old pictures of the mill. This one is really old, before my time, but, it definitely portrays that the site was anything but residential for years and years:
http://www.nonesuchfolks.com/images/Mor ... l_191x.jpg
How much of those buildings were actually still there when I was enjoying the creeks, I can’t say. But, I can tell you that two of my four brothers were employed in that mill for summer jobs while I was growing up, so it was still a working mill at that time.
This website and others describe that the mill had become structurally unsound, so that most of the buildings were torn down in 2004.
Public records show that the property was last sold for $10,000 in 2008.
http://www.realtor.com/property-detail/ ... source=web
If you look at the aerial view on this site, there are remnants of the mill close to the street. Back further and closer to the creek is what is the residential structure. Based on what I saw in person, and what I can glean from various photos, the new owner reconstructed a remaining structure into a residential dwelling. Kudos to him. The property is not for sale currently, but here’s a website that is ascribing a healthy property value:
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/65-E- ... 4664_zpid/
and so goes public access to a wonderful bit of wilderness…..