White Brook Nature Area

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

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!

This Week in Links

Victor Hiking Trails
Local Victor Hiking Organization
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NY-NJ Trail Conference Catskill Trails map
2010 Catskill maps now available!
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Great Eastern Trail
Great little writeup of someones hike along the Great Eastern Trail (11.4 miles starting near South Bradford NY)
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Bears are out in the Finger Lakes region
Tips from the Finger Lakes DEC on how to minimize problems with Bears as they leave their dens this time of year.
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The Top 10 Hiking Trails Around the World
List of the top 10 hiking trails to shoot for in your training
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Suggested Hikes For Mud Season
Great hikes in the Adirondack region for the spring muddy season.
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The Crescent Trail

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: