2023-08-13: Tassel Hill

Tassel Hill, elevation 1949'. Oneida County highpoint, NY county highpoints 20/62. Solo ascent via Hardscrabble Road. 0.81 mi, 144' gain, 12m RT.

I was on a drive with the family on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the start of my last week home before heading back to Florida for college. I had already hijacked part of the trip to hike Northeast Willse Hill, the Montgomery County highpoint, and was quite content with that claim for the day.

In the course of our wanderings, however, I realized that we were within a few miles of Tassel Hill, the highest point in nearby Oneida County. I ran another county highpoint detour by the family and they approved it, enjoying the visits to odd and remote areas that most people never see. I loaded up the map to redirect our path and we were on our way to a vague destination.

I had nearly zero beta on Tassel Hill. Oneida County wasn't even on my radar for this summer but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to grab what seemed like such an easy highpoint. Tassel Hill Road is listed as a thru road on most maps but really it's an incredibly rough dirt road that dead-ends just below Tassel Hill's summit, splitting off into a number of trails (also listed as roads on the maps) that most trucks would be hard pressed to traverse. Our sedan didn't have a chance so we parked near the end of the navigable road and I hopped out to find the highpoint.

Rolling hills along one of many dirt backroads in Oneida County.

Access isn't an issue for Tassel Hill since it's located in a state forest so I felt pretty secure wandering the area at will. I followed what the maps call "Hardscrabble Road" although a more accurate name would the Hardtravel Road since it's barely a 4x4 trail. This trail cuts through some spruce trees and past a campsite before branching off yet again. Here I followed the south branch which heads towards the summit.

Hardscrabble "Road" heading through spruce trees towards the summit.

Rocks piles up at a makeshift campsite in an abandoned spruce plantation.

This tertiary (quaternary?) road is even less clear of a trail consisting mostly of tall weeds and goldenrod vaguely pressed down, probably by four wheelers and maybe some deer. This leads to a loop in a clearing at the apparent summit which again is listed as a road on some maps and maybe it was a road several decades ago but it definitely hasn't been in my lifetime. Peakbagger coordinates put the highpoint at the center of this clearing and while the tall weeds made it very difficult to tell true elevation, it seemed like a spot in the woods to the south was slightly higher. I had to relieve myself anyway so I stepped off into the woods and claimed my highpoint.

The clearing with the loop road, covered in goldenrod just before bloom.

Forest to the south of the clearing with possibly higher ground.

Tassel Hill, elevation 1949'. This seemed like a better summit than the weeds anyway.

I stomped around the whole overgrown area just to be sure I got the highpoint, then headed back towards the car. There is a slight northeast-facing overlook towards the north end of the clearing, nothing major but more than most insignificant highpoints like this usually have. I stopped for a picture here and ran all the way back, not wanting to keep my family waiting for too long.

Looking northeast towards Utica and Herkimer County.

Back at the car we resumed our trip and gradually headed home, making stops at interesting or tasty diversions and enjoying the last free day of the summer.