Shindagin Hollow State Forest Tall Tree Canopy Sky View Royalty-Free Stock Photography

Shindagin Hollow State Forest covers 5,318 acres. The Shindagin Hollow State Forest is located on the Allegheny Plateau, which is made of sedimentary bedrock that formed approximately 350 million years ago when the region was covered by an ancient saltwater sea. Geologists believe that the plateau was created during a collision of the North American and African continents about 250 to 330 million years ago. The collision lifted the bedrock, which has since been shaped by continual weathering and the advance and retreat of continental ice sheets glaciers. The glaciers created the `U` shaped valleys of the region and the Finger Lakes. The last glacier left New York State about 10,000 years ago. Early settlers and Revolutionary War Veterans referred to the area as `Dark Forest` because the forest was so dense that only small traces of light penetrated through the canopy.