Exploring The Fairy Trail

In yesterday’s blog I told you about sitting in the Devil’s Chair during our visit to the cemetery at the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp. The small community was established in 1875, and visitors still come today to talk to the many mediums and spiritualists who inhabit the camp.

During our visit we stumbled upon a delightful little wonderland called Horseshoe Park, where we spent quite a bit of time exploring the Fairy Trail, a series of paths that meander through a hardwood forest decorated with beautiful fairy wings, fairy houses, gnomes, mobiles, and windchimes made from everything from old silverware to seashells, along with trees streamed with gauzy netting and colorful leis, and anything and everything you can or cannot imagine.

The path is easy to walk, though there are a few exposed roots you have to look out for so you don’t stumble, and that can be a problem because there is so much to see that who has time to look at the ground?

But you will be missing out if you don’t look at the ground and everywhere around you, up, down, and sideways, because there are so many things to see that you will never take it all in in one visit. In fact, a friend who lives in the area and goes regularly says that she has been to the park at least 30 times and still finds something new on every visit.

Some of it is whimsical, like decorated trees and this sign forest.

Other parts of it are sure to make you smile, like this small RV Park in a flower pot.

Who doesn’t like a smiling elephant?

And if elephants are not your thing, how about turtles?

And some of what you will see along the trail is downright bizarre.

Who is this, and what is his head doing in Horseshoe Park?

Is he friends with this guy?

What, you never saw a doll hanging out in a tree before? Maybe she’s just taking a break from one of the many dollhouses scattered along the trail.

They say that fairies come to the park at night to decorate it, but here’s a picture of my favorite fairy in the whole world.

It seemed like a lot of things in the park are bits of folk art that people just add as they visit. We saw more strings of Mardi Gras beads than I could ever count, tributes to loved ones who have passed on, a rock painted with the names of a couple, and the words “together forever, 1971.” I couldn’t help but wonder if those lovers are still together. I would like to hope so.

There are benches scattered throughout the park where you can sit and rest and enjoy all of the beauty that surrounds you.

The trail was created in 2012 and has become a popular spot for locals and visitors alike, though even in this time of pandemic, there were not that many people around, and it was no problem for us to socially distance.

The park’s neighbors all seemed friendly, too.

Words and photos cannot come close to describing this enchanted world of fairies and fairy dust, you really do have to see it for yourself. And trust me, once you see it, I think you will want to go back again. I know that we definitely do!

Located at Seneca and Chauncey Street, Horseshoe Park and the Fairy Trail are open daily from sunup to sundown. But please don’t come at night, because that’s when the locals say the fairies are at work, adding even more magic. There is a small parking area for passenger cars, but the roads around the park are not adequate for RVs or other large vehicles.

Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Pirate Trials: Dastardly Deeds & Last Words, the first book in my friend Ken Rossignol’s Pirate Trials series. To enter, click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing, please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening. Note: Due to the high shipping cost of printed books and Amazon restrictions on e-books to foreign countries, only entries with US addresses and e-mail addresses are allowed.

Thought For The Day – Taking time to do nothing sometimes brings everything into perspective.