Dabes Diversion Loop
Photo: javajoe6, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- 2.5 mi
- one way
- 492 ft
- climb
- 1,967 ft
- high point
- Point to point
- route
- Aug–Sep
- best months
Dabes Diversion Loop is a 2.5-mile hike in New York's James Kennedy State Forest, managed by the State Department of Conservation. The route is a point-to-point trail, and it carries a moderate rating with a total elevation gain of 492 feet. The trail climbs from about 1,760 feet to a high of 1,967 feet, then descends to roughly 1,580 feet at the end. The steepest stretch comes at about 1.9 miles into the hike, where the grade reaches 36 percent. That makes the middle third of the route the most demanding part of the climb, which is why the overall gain is listed as a total for the one-way trip rather than a round-trip figure. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Ithaca, about 4 miles away, show July highs near 79°F with lows around 56°F. The station sits roughly 740 feet below the trail, so temperatures on the loop run cooler. The hike is about 1 hour long, and several other routes lie close by. Kuzia Cut-Off is 0.3 miles away, the Lithuanian Loop Trail is 0.5 miles off, and the Irish Loop Trail is 0.6 miles away. Virgil Mt. Loop is about a mile from the trail.
Best time to go · Aug–Sep
Best time to visit Dabes Diversion Loop
Best months: August–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
30° / 13°
19 wet
Feb
32° / 14°
17 wet
Mar
41° / 22°
17 wet
Apr
54° / 33°
15 wet
May
67° / 43°
14 wet
Jun
75° / 52°
13 wet
Jul
79° / 56°
13 wet
Aug
77° / 54°
12 wet
Sep
70° / 48°
12 wet
Oct
58° / 38°
15 wet
Nov
46° / 29°
15 wet
Dec
35° / 21°
19 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Ithaca 13 E, NY, 4.2 mi away at 1,228 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
