Rock City and McCarty Hill State Forests

Discover

Little Rock City gives a woodland walk a striking change in scale: large rock blocks turn the forest into a sequence of passages, surfaces, and framed views. The formation belongs to Rock City State Forest, which shares a boundary and connecting trails with McCarty Hill State Forest. DEC presents the two as a combined 6,229-acre landscape in Cattaraugus County. That connected identity is useful for planning, but a first visit can remain focused on the rock area rather than attempting the entire forest network.

The Little Rock City Nature Trail begins from the turnaround at the end of Little Rock City Forest Road. It loops through the rocks and meets the North Country Scenic Trail, which also forms part of the Finger Lakes Trail here. Use the current map to understand the return before entering the network. An intersection with a long-distance trail can make a short outing more interesting, but it can also take you far beyond the circuit you intended if you follow it without checking direction.

For a photographic theme, think about the space between the rocks as much as the blocks themselves. A narrow passage can frame trees, while a broader view can show the relationship between stone and woodland. Keep your feet on a suitable established route and resist climbing onto a feature simply to create scale. A close study of a visible rock surface can complement a wider composition without requiring a person to pose on an exposed edge. The formations provide their own sense of proportion.

Trail permissions differ within the combined forest. The Little Rock City Nature Trail area is closed to bicycles and horses, and the North Country/Finger Lakes route is designated for hiking. Elsewhere, a mountain-bike and multiuse network offers a very different outing. DEC cautions that many of those riding trails require substantial skill, with steep terrain in places. A forest-wide cycling reputation should therefore not be translated into permission to ride through the rock nature trail or a claim that all routes suit beginners.

McCarty Hill also borders the Holiday Valley and HoliMont ski areas. Those neighbors help place the forest geographically, but adjacency does not establish access to resort services, lifts, or every trail connection. Match your intended starting point to the correct operator and route. For an alternative woodland focus, DEC identifies a Camp Seneca loop connecting with the long-distance trail. Choose one main area for the day, and treat the rest of the network as possibilities for a separate visit rather than additions that must all fit into one itinerary.

Camping is another distinct planning task. DEC lists designated sites at the Little Rock City and Camp Seneca day-use areas and notes that there is no water supply. A day visitor should bring drinking water too, rather than assuming a recreation area will provide it. The strongest introduction to these forests is simple: reach the appropriate trailhead, follow a well-understood route through the rocks, and allow time for details. Little Rock City can anchor the visit, while the connected McCarty Hill landscape explains why the surrounding trail choices extend far beyond the formations themselves.

Fun facts

1. The two state forests share a boundary and connecting trails.
2. Little Rock City Nature Trail connects with the North Country/Finger Lakes Trail.
3. The rock nature-trail area is closed to bikes and horses.

Read the official sources →

Capture

1. Use a rock passage to frame trees from the established route.
2. Pair a wider stone-and-forest view with a surface detail; avoid climbing for a photograph.

Social

1/8 Rock City and McCarty Hill State Forests: Walking Among the Rocks of Little Rock City.

2/8 The two state forests share a boundary and connecting trails.

3/8 Little Rock City Nature Trail connects with the North Country/Finger Lakes Trail.

4/8 The rock nature-trail area is closed to bikes and horses.

5/8 Choose one main trail area for a first visit.

6/8 Match cycling plans to routes that permit them and your skill level.

7/8 Bring drinking water; day-use camping areas have no supply.

8/8 Save Rock City and McCarty Hill State Forests for a future New York outing. #Cre8Travel

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1. #Cre8Travel
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Sources & visitor information

• Visitor information — dec.ny.gov
• OpenStreetMap — destination identity