trail

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

This Week in Links

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

Allegheny 100 Challenge
100 mile hiking challenge on June 18th
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Turkey Run-in on Finger Lakes Trail
Hiker tells of his run-in with a turkey on Finger Lakes Trail last weekend
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Hiker Alert
Advice to help you not get your vehicle towed or ticketed!
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Hiking Trails in Niagara Falls
List of some trails available in the Niagara Falls, NY area
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6th Great Adirondack Trail Run
The 11.5 & 3.5 mile charity runs will take place June 19th in the Adirondack High Peak area
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Cornwall Bridge to US Rte 7
Appalachian Trail Section Hike description by the Section Hiker
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Northern Forest Canoe Trail by Jeffrey Liebel
Overview of a talk given by Jeffrey Liebel about the Northern Forest Canoe Trail
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This Week in Links

~ randyaa ~ 1 Comment

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

~ 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/

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!