Hiking

White Brook Nature Area

~ randyaa ~ 4 Comments

Ohhhh man have I found a place for you.

I’ll admit it, I haven’t paid the White Brook Nature Area much attention before. Every time I’ve driven by there has always been a picnic/BBQ going on at the pavilion and I always assumed that’s all it really was. I stopped there for the first time today and whoa was I surprised to find a 2+ mile trail off through the woods.

It’s a great in and out trail (no loop available) too, well maintained and pretty scenic for such a suburban landscape. There’s a few bits of the trail that need some work however; A few planks on the boardwalk that are starting to pull up and a few places they could use some gravel fill. That said it’s mostly in good shape. The trail winds it’s way through cattails and groves of flowering bushes until you happen upon what the map calls a ‘large meadow’. They aren’t kidding. It took me close to 45 minutes and almost 40% of my (iPhone) GPS battery life to do the loop around it. From the entrance to the field I couldn’t even take a picture of it without stitching a few together.

The only place there’s a map on the property is on a small post once you get to the entrance to the meadow. I took a photo of the map so you could reprint it or distribute it however you want. I doubt the crescent trail association would have a problem with it.  Funny thing is I had no clue the White Brook Nature Area was part of the Crescent Trail.  So now I’ve come very close to hiking the whole thing, only a few miles left.

Or you can make use of my GPS map:
GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=14633227609411538872&width=400&height=350&type=roadmap
I’m also trying something new so the GPS map of the White Brook Nature Area is also available as a Google Map.

Local Guided Tours Available this Summer

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Some scheduled guided tours this summer that are open to the public:

  • Mt Hope Cemetary (Free general tours start at 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays.  The group also offers special tours that cost $4)
    • June 12th 10am : Famous Artists.
    • June 18th 7pm : Mischief, Murder & Mayhem
    • June 18th 11am : Horticulture & Landscape
    • July 17th 10am : Stories of the Famous & Forgotten
    • July 31st 12:30pm : The Civil War Tour
    • August 7th 12pm : The Revolutionary War Tour
    • August 13 6:30pm : Mischief Murder & Mayhem
  • Ganondagan (cost for most programs is $5, $15 for families)
    • May 8th 9:30am : Water Critters. Includes collection and identification of aquatic insects to determine how clean the Victor site’s Great Brook is.
    • May 8th 1pm :  The True Tale of the Beavers. Learn about the fur trade and the important role of the beaver during the walk to Beaver Dam.
    • June 6 9:30am : Medicine Plant Hike. Walk on the Earth is Our Mother Trail to discover herbs and plants.
    • June 13 2pm : Traditional Game Day. Features traditional sports and games played by the Haudenosaunee people.
    • July 10 1:30pm : Tales & Trails. Hike will include traditional tales about the animals.
    • Aug. 21 6:30pm : Longball and Storytelling. Fun, games and storytelling start with a picnic and chicken barbecue. A campfire will be lit and legends told.
  • Cumming Nature Center (The Rochester Museum & Science Center’s nature center in Naples has programs throughout the year. Admission is $3, $10 per family).
    • May 9 1pm : Aliens in the Backyard. This tour will feature non-native plants and insects found in New York state.
    • May 22 11am : Serendipity Walk. This will be a tour to areas of the property not usually accessible to the public in a three-hour hike. Bring a lunch.
    • May 12 11am : Senior Sojourn. Informative and easy hour-long walk to see the signs of spring. Bring a lunch, and stay for a nature film.
  • Genesee Valley Hiking Club
    • May 8 1pm : Spring Flowers. Easy and slow five-mile hike. Meet at first large parking lot on Zoo Road in Durand-Eastman Park.
    • May 9 10am : Lilacs and more. Easy/moderate five miles. Meet on Robinson Drive near South Avenue in Highland Park.
    • May 30 7am : Strenuous 14-mile Hike. Meet at the Park & Ride Lot off I-390 Exit 11 in Rush to travel to Letchworth State Park’s Westside Trail.
  • Letchworth State Park
    • May 5 10am : Brooks and Brambles. Meet at the Parade Grounds entrance. Bring a lunch.
    • May 6 1pm : Wildflower Walk. Meet at the museum.
    • May 8 1pm : Springtime Walk. Meet at the Trout Pond.

Crescent Trail Through Hike

~ randyaa ~ 3 Comments

I found a few other maps of the Crescent trail the other day.

It got me thinking…

My current Saturday in the Park project has an end date. I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s there… looming. There are only so many parks despite my desire for them to be endless.

My next big project might be to coordinate a through hike of the Crescent Trail. It’s not that long, only 35 miles but I’ve never managed to complete a through hike/paddle yet. This might be a good starter!  It’s not going to be an easy one though.  There’s no camping available along the trail that I’m aware of just yet.  My first challenge: finding camping sites.

Who knows, maybe this year: The Crescent Trail, next year: The Appalachian trail!

Beechwoods Park

~ randyaa ~ 2 Comments

First, a confession:  Unlike the others, this is not being written on location at all, I’m writing it at home after going earlier today which is why it’s getting posted so late.

Beechwoods park is a neat little park.  I only recently discovered it while we were house shopping.  Haven’t had the chance to stop by until today.  The park provides some hiking trails along a pretty little brook and winds itself  between a few nice neighborhoods. There are a few bridges over the brook which take you to big open green sections that are maintained by the town.

There are 2 main entrances to the park, and a little over a mile in trails that loop between them.  The North entrance to the park is on High Street Extension and the South entrance to the park is off of Squirrels Heath Rd.  However; one of the really neat things about the park is there are TONS of entrances all over.  Not just hidden trails either, full on signed entrances, just without parking lots.  It seems like they were put in to give access to the park from the neighborhoods it goes through which is really nice.

Although I started my little walk at the north entrance I would suggest you start at the south parking lot and do the loop.  The reason is the north end seems to be a bit wet and a bit swampy.  The trail is in good shape and a little raised, but I have a feeling that come fly season it might be a bit overrun.

Beechwoods park is not a great hiking destination, it’s a bit small, only about a mile of trails, and if you’re not moving fast during fly season it might be a bit uncomfortable.

Beechwoods is a fantastic trail running or mountain biking location (I’m not sure if the town allows bikers or not but I saw tracks so at least some people use it that way).  it’s not overly long but if you’re looking for a quick workout or a place you can do some laps in the great outdoors it’s fantastic!

It’s also a great place to see some flora or fauna.  While I was there today I saw:

It’s a nice little break from the monotony of urban sprawl.

And as always, I’ve created a map of my little hike through Beechwoods park and you can see the path I took (with relatively decent accuracy, I’ll work on that) below.

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=15070518653028619441&width=500&height=350&type=roadmap

Perinton Park Locations

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Found a nifty little map of all the Perinton Parks.  Note this doesn’t include non-public owned properties like the High Acres Trail Area and there are other publicly usable areas within the town.  But this gives you a good idea of the location of the official town parks.

  1. Beechwoods
  2. Boat Launch
  3. Normandie Park
  4. Egypt Park
  5. Fellows Road Park
  6. Garnsey Arboretum
  7. Horizon Hill Conservation Area
  8. Indian Hill Recreation Area
  9. Kreag Road Park
  10. New York State Erie Canal Heritage Trail
  11. Center Park
  12. Perinton Park
  13. Potter Park
  14. Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Trail
  15. Spring Lake Park
  16. Town Hall / Perinton Community Center
  17. Townwide Bike Route
  18. White Brook Nature Area

The Crescent Trail

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

The Crescent Trail is the longest trail in Perinton (with maybe an exception for the canal trail). It stretches for approximately 35 miles from one end of Perinton to the other. Chances are if you’re hiking in the Fairport / Perinton area you’re on a section of the Crescent trail or one of the connected loops.

You should never head out on the trail without a map. Perinton provides a great trailmap for the Crescent Trail which you can print yourself or just carry on your digital device. Here are the two sections available:

http://www.perinton.org/Departments/RandP/hikingctha/

Goose Ponds (High Acres Trail Area)

~ randyaa ~ 2 Comments

I bet you thought I forgot didn’t you?

This weeks post comes to you from Goose Ponds.  At least, that’s what I’m calling it.  Technically the property isn’t even publicly owned.  However; It’s part of the Waste Management High Acres Landfill area.  They list it as a ‘nature trails/wildlife habitat refuge.’  They allow access to the property by the public 365 days a year and even encourage the following activities:

  • Hiking
  • Nature walks
  • Jogging
  • School field trips
  • Fishing
  • Bird watching
  • Cross country skiing
  • Picnicking

Tonight is only the second time I’ve been here and it’s gone through a lot of changes since the last time.  There’s a new pond, nice new green areas and a new 100′ hill which creates a barrier between the road and the property.  The last time I was here it was sunrise (picture: left) and it was extremely quiet and peaceful.

This time around, just before dusk, the silence seems to be coming to a close.   All I can hear is frogs croaking, geese honking, ducks flapping, crickets chirping, birds swooping low over the water and the occasional howling of the wind.  It’s peaceful, and intense, all at the same time.  Like a tiny bit of wilderness right in the middle of Perinton (well, really on the side of Perinton).

Unfortunately it’s getting dark so I don’t have a lot of time to explore, but Waste Management claims there’s over 4 miles of trails to explore, and there’s certainly a lot of natural wildlife to observe.  As with any wildlife/nature area, Dusk & Dawn are the best times to be around.

The parking lot is on 31f just outside of the village heading east.  Or, you can find it by using my Instamapper track below:

GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=5482863491259441793&width=500&height=350&type=roadmap

Indian Hill Recreation Area

~ randyaa ~ 3 Comments

The whole point of this blog is to help you get outside in the Fairport NY and surrounding areas. But it’s not just to help you, it’s to help me get out there more frequently too. For that reason I’d like to introduce to you a new post series and personal project.

Welcome to Saturday in the Parks.

It’s no secret Perinton has a ton of parks. Everytime I drive down a road I’ve not previously been on I run into a new park (sometimes even more than one). For as long as I can keep finding new parks to visit (and when I’m not out of town) I’ll be featuring one here every Saturday.

But wait, there’s more!

Not only will I be featuring the park, I’ll be posting on location! Combining two things I love: technology and the great outdoors.

This weeks park is the Indian Hill Recreation Area. It’s not so much a park as it is a hiking paradise.

[insert 20min interruption by Jeff the nicest guy in the world and his dog Jayda]

When you’ve reached the picnic table you know you’re at the top.  The last time I came up here I thought it pretty much ended at the table.  However; after talking with Jeff and hiking along with him for a while I realize this section of the Crescent Trail is HUGE.  Several loops, lots of fields, a great place to hike with the kids or the dogs.  There are a few wet sections in the trail so if you decide to take the kids make sure they’re wearing their crappy sneakers.

The farthest I got to (thanks to Jeff) was a spot I could view the grass-roofed house from (which is pretty cool by the way).  I think the next trip to this place might be a little longer and I’ll be exploring the rest of the trails at least as far as the next road.

The locations of the recreation area, the parking lot and the trails can be seen in the Instamapper GPS Track I made below.
http://www.instamapper.com/trk?key=18173962671177867252&width=350&height=300&type=roadmap

Have fun out there! And if you get a chance, check out the grass roof house!