History & Culture · Western New York
Bully Hill Shows the CCC Side of Almond and Birdsall
Bully Hill State Forest ties Almond and Birdsall to CCC road work, pine-and-spruce plantations, Finger Lakes Trail blazes, and working state-forest management.
Published June 24, 2026 · Last verified June 27, 2026
On a road map, Bully Hill can look like a blank green block between Almond and Birdsall. DEC makes it more legible: the state forest covers 3,513 acres in those two Allegany County towns and is managed for hiking, snowmobiling, camping, hunting, bird watching, wildlife habitat, and timber.
That mix matters because the forest is not a manicured park. It is working public land, with roads, seasonal limits, trail upkeep, and habitat management built into the experience.
The older layer gives the place more texture. DEC connects part of Bully Hill’s shape to Civilian Conservation Corps work in the 1930s, including road construction and the planting of thousands of pine and spruce trees on open ground. The Finger Lakes Trail Conference also maintains a marked hiking trail through the forest with white paint blazes.
Bully Hill is a strong local cue for Almond and Birdsall. Public forest, former open ground, Depression-era labor, timber management, wildlife habitat, and present-day recreation all share the same ridgelines. The forest turns what could look like empty space into a readable part of Allegany County’s upland story.