Saturday in the Park

Potter Park

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

I’ve been slacking. Life and the great weather this past weekend has gotten in the way of something I love. I’ll do better next weekend, promise.

Potter Park is one of the few public parks within the village of Fairport. You might pass it every day and not even realize it. One of the main features of the park is the Potter Memorial that faces West Church St (route 31f). 5 pillars, artillery guns and a memorial plaque saluting the American Flag. It’s really quite beautiful especially at night.

The park is more than a memorial though. There are baseball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, a playground, a large green grass field that can be used for whatever you want and it’s even home to a Lions Club facility as well as a Historical House.

It’s not a Hiker’s paradise and you won’t find anyone mountain biking or rock climbing but it’s just about the best type of park you could ever hope for in a village containing an endless supply of kids that need to burn off energy. If you’ve got kids and or you’re looking for a place to play some sports with some friends, Potter Park might be just about perfect for you.

Below is something new I’m trying. It’s a PhotoSynth of the Potter Memorial. A PhotoSynth is like a 3D world built using multiple photos in much the same way a panorama is made. I’m not 100% satisfied with the result since there seems to be a bunch of disconnected photo ‘groups’ but not as bad as I thought it would.

http://photosynth.net/embed.aspx?cid=20efc09d-d0b9-4604-b8d1-1fae369b09b5&delayLoad=true&slideShowPlaying=false

If you can’t see the PhotoSynth above, please visit the original post.

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.

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

Spring Lake Park

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

If you’re looking for a place to let your dogs (or your kids) burn off some energy, Spring Lake Park is the place to be.

If you walk to the back of the park it’s a safe zone, there’s nowhere the dogs can go. There’s a big open field (the old ‘Spring Lake’ I’m told) with a small baseball diamond in the middle, a 5ft chain link fence on one side and Irondiquoit creek on the other. There’s a nice embankment where the creek bends around a corner and people (and dogs) like to congregate there. Don’t say I didn’t warn you if your pet comes home soaking wet.

Spring Lake is one of our favorite spots in Perinton because we have 2 Huskies and if you know anything about huskies, they need to burn a lot of energy. In the summer we spend hours at a time there and in the winter we’re always the first ones there.

Despite what the signs say, pretty much everyone treats it as a dog park. The only other reason to go is the fishing. I’ve never done it but apparently there’s some god fishing in the Creek. Pretty much everyone that goes does the same routine. Walk to the back of the park, do a lap around the field, let them play in the creek for a few minutes and then head back out. We’re no different. I even mapped it out for ya:


GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

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Spring lake park would sit virtually unused without the dogs. I’m very thankful we have a place like this in the town of Perinton

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!