Join the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association at Ontario County Park to learn more about the gypsy moth infestation.  You will learn to identify and remove gypsy moth egg masses. This is one of three events scheduled for Saturday, April 17; Friday, April 24; and Saturday, May 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You are encouraged to register early to allow the organizers to gauge interest and ensure proper supplies are available.

In the spirit of Earth Day, which was started in 1970 and is now observed in 193 counties across the globe to demonstrate support for environmental protection, on Sunday we will pick up roadside litter along a stretch of Route NY15 in the Town of Springwater.  Now in our sixth year of the NYSDOT highway adoption program, we will be working along that section of road between the Springwater Fire Hall and the Steuben County Line.  Meet at the Springwater Fire Hall parking lot at 2PM for a safety briefing.  Safety vests, hard hats and collection bags will be provided.  You will want to bring gloves and work boots.  Bags will be left on the side of the road for pick up by NYSDOT.  Participants will need to follow COVID safety guidelines.

Directions: The Springwater Fire Hall is on the east side of Route NY15, 0.6 miles south of the flashing light in Springwater,

Join the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association at Stid Hill to learn more about the gypsy moth infestation.  You will learn to identify and remove gypsy moth egg masses. This is one of three events scheduled for Saturday, April 17; Friday, April 24; and Saturday, May 1, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. You are encouraged to register early to allow the organizers to gauge interest and ensure proper supplies are available.

Please note the early start time for this hike – we’re starting at 1:00pm because there are 7 fallen trees to deal with.

We need as much help as we can get on this maintenance hike! In addition to the fallen trees we would like to re-route a short section of the trail, and also improve the blazes at several points. We need as much help as possible to share the burden of all the tree cutting and painting gear

The walk this Sunday  will be a maintenance hike of our section of the Bristol Hills Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail in Naples. Springwater Trails has signed up with the FLT to maintain this part of the trail.  This segment passes through the West Hill Preserve off Seman Rd and then across private land to Mt Pleasant Street in Naples. The Twisted Branch Trail Run comes over this section later in the year; a couple of hundred runners will be pounding the hill and we want to be sure the trail is safe and fun to run.

Mark and Linda pre-hiked it, and there is little to do before the sign-in box at the end of Nature Conservancy land. We will walk this stretch of the BHB and cut away any brush and weeds that have overgrown the path. The most useful tools for this are lopers and a small saw. Be sure to wear good work or gardening gloves. It’s a fairly long hike and steeply downhill at the Naples end of the walk.

We will meet at the entrance to the West Hill Preserve on Seman Road (42.66166, -77.396288). We will shuttle some cars down to the hike end in Naples (42.625950, -77.397304) before we start. The climbers will follow the trail down to the old Pioneer cemetery in Naples.  Naturalists follow the trail to the sign in box and then return to the cars on Seman Road.

Please note: Dogs are not allowed to hike on the Nature Conservancy property.

The Social 

With the prevalence of vaccination, we are re-starting our après-hike socials! The venue this Sunday will be at the Neapolitan Pizzeria.at 120 North Main Street in Naples. Please observe the usual COVID precautions – wear a mask whenever it make sense, wash or sanitize hands as often as you can, and maintain a sensible distance with other people – it has been working so let’s keep doing it!

Directions to the Hike Meeting Point: 

From Springwater: Head south on NY 15 (for 5.2mi). At the light in Wayland turn left on NY 21N (for 6.7mi). In N Cohocton, turn left to stay on NY 21N (for 4.5mi). In Naples, turn left again to stay on NY 21N (for 1.8mi). On the north side of Naples, turn left on CR12 and head up the hill for 1.9 miles.  Take the first left, Rhine St., to the 4 way  intersection.  Go left onto Seman Rd.  Trailhead is about 1/2 mile, by a big sign on the left. Park along the road.

From Honeoye and Naples: Head south on CR 36 on the west side of Honeoye Lake (it’s 13.6 miles from NY 20A, and 1 mile from French Hill Road). Turn left onto Gulick Rd (for 2 mi), then right on Davis Rd (for 0.7mi). At the end of Davis, turn left on W Hollow Rd (CR 33) for 0.5mi, then right on Seman Rd. The Trailhead is about 1 mile, by a big sign on the right. Park along the road.

Mother’s Day is traditionally the peak time for the Virginia Bluebells along Mertensia Creek. Bring your mother, or any mother, or just come on your own to the park for a short walk along the creek enjoying the bluebells, followed by a walk or bike ride on the Auburn Trail, which passes through the park. This will be a self-guided event; you can head east through a new section of the Auburn Trail ending at Route 332, or west toward Victor, as far as you’d like and back. Weather permitting, bring a sandwich or snacks to enjoy afterwards beside the creek at the park.

Walkers: All walks are level and on well maintained trails. The distance going east to Route 332 and back is 4.3 miles, including the bluebell circuit.  Going west, if you go the full distance to Route 444 in Victor your hike will be about 5 miles including the bluebell circuit.

Cyclists: For those on bikes, heading west to Fishers and back on the Auburn Trail will be 13 miles and will take you to the c. 1841 cobblestone pump house, built to service the steam engines on one of the area’s earliest railroads.

Social: Weather permitting, bring a sandwich or snacks to enjoy afterwards beside the creek at the park.  Bring your own lawn chair, as there is only one picnic table.

Over the last two years Springwater Trails has held 10 hikes on the Finger Lakes Trail moving west from the Bristol Hills Branch.. We have two more sections, this Sunday and next month, which will bring us to the Genesee River and the Letchworth Branch. Click on the map for a larger view. This Sunday we will hike the section of trail between Dalton NY and Short Tract Rd.

Our best parking seems to be on the shoulder of Short Tract Rd just south of the trail. From Short Tract Rd, we will head east toward Dalton.  The hike will be an in-and-out hike avoiding carpooling for what I hope is the last time. (This is a nudge to get your vaccine!).

The hike starts from Short Tract Rd along the left side of a farmed field.  As of Thursday, there were no crops in this field, but we will be avoid any crops we may come to, staying at the edge of the fields. Throughout the hike, some blazes are old or missing, but there are enough to ensure we will follow the trail. Stay alert!  In a half mile, the trail leaves the field heading left into the woods with nice view of a spring forest. The trail will come out onto Smith Road and turn right onto Smith Hill Road.  Both are dirt roads with little traffic and nice views. The trail turns left onto a private driveway and then another left into the wood. Depending on time, I expect the Naturalists and Tourists to turn around at the next cross road to return to the cars. Climbers may have time to continue across the road, but continuing all the way to Hunt Hollow Rd would mean a 5.5 mile hike, probably more than our 2 hour hike.

As of our pre hike on Thursday, the trail was mostly dry, but with all the rain, your boots will occasionally  get muddy.  Be prepare and you may want  hiking polls to assist your footing crossing the mud.

Social: Bring your own sandwich or salad and beverage and we will meet either at the Nunda Kiwanis Park or at the Oakland Locks Parking area. Please bring a chair if you would like to sit.

Directions:  Please meet on Short Tract Rd about 300 feet uphill from the trail, where the shoulder is plenty wide in front of flat area in front of a small gravel hill.

From Springwater, Naples, Wayland and Dansville: From Springwater head south on NY 15 to Wayland. From Naples head south west on NY 21 to Wayland.  From Wayland, head west on NY 63. In Dansville, at the second light, turn left on Ossian St (NY 36 N). In a half mile, stay straight onto NY 436. Continue for 16.5 miles, through Nunda. The Short Tract intersection is a bit complicated as Short Tract and NY 436 become the same road for 1500 feet.  You will pass Short Tract Rd entering on the right. and then pass Crapsey Rd and CR 70 on the left before your left turn onto Short Tract Rd (CR 20). The trail crosses the road in 2.3 miles. Park on the right hand side, heading south a bit uphill past the trail.

From Mt Morris (and Geneseo and Rochester): Head south on NY 408. In 7.6 miles south of Main St in Mt Morris, turn right onto Short Tract Rd. (If you miss Short Tract, turn right on NY 436 at the light in Nunda). In 5.2 miles, turn right onto NY 436, and in 0.3 miles turn left back onto Short Tract Rd. The trail crosses the road in 2.3 miles. Park on the right hand side, heading south a bit uphill past the trail.

This Sunday we will be doing a hike at the Wesley Hill Nature Preserve on Gulick Road in the town of South Bristol (Naples mailing address).  We will meet at the parking area on Gulick Road.  Plans for a social gathering following the hike will be announced just prior to the hike, weather permitting and following social distancing guidelines. Please bring lawn chairs if you have them.  Check out a history of the Wesley Hill property visit on the Finger Lakes Land Trust website.

The Climber hike will travel south from the parking lot along the red trail for about 8/10 mile until you arrive at the green trail.  You will then turn left (west) on the green trail and climb down to Briggs Gully.  This is a challenging downhill hike and poles are recommended.  We will rest for about 15 minutes at the gully before climbing back up the green trail back to the Gulick Road parking lot.  The entire distance for this hike is about 2 miles with a significant climb on the way back to the parking lot.

The Naturalist/Tourist hike will head west from the parking lot on the red/green trail, then turn onto the red trail where the trails separate and head toward the pond.  Follow the red trail past the pond, turn left, then right to pick up the orange trail until you arrive at the yellow trail’s split (about 1.39 miles at this point).  Turn left at the split and follow the yellow trail to the red trail and turn left onto the red.  Follow the red trail back to the pond and the parking lot.  This hike is about 2.3 miles in total.  There are gentle climbs, some small stream crossings, and great overlooks of the gully. There may be some slippery, muddy spots so poles are recommended.

Directions: 

From Honeoye: take route 20A east through Honeoye to East Lake Road. Turn right onto East Lake Road. (If coming from Bristol or points east, it’s a left onto East Lake Road).  Take the first left, on CR 33, then the first right onto Pinewood Hill which becomes Gulick Road. Travel about 5 miles to Wesley Hill Parking Area on the right side. Parking lot can fit about 10 vehicles; the rest of us can park on the side of the road (it’s paved).

From Springwater: Head north on Rte. 15A toward Hemlock.  Just before Hemlock, turn right on Rte. 20A.  Follow Rt 20A to Honeoye and then follow the directions above.

From Naples: From the southern end of Naples, head west on Co Rd 36. Follow Co Rd 36 for 1.2 miles to the first right turn on Gulick Rd.  Follow Gulick for about 7 miles.  The parking area is on the left.

The Mill Creek Bridge

This Sunday’s hike will be on a newly acquired piece of property by the ” Genesee Valley Conservancy”. Mill Creek Nature Preserve attributes its name based on two streams that come together to form Mill Creek. The creek is located in the upper reaches of  naturalized brown and native brook trout habitat. The preserve is comprised 47 acres of wooded area with ongoing work to re-establish the natural beauty through conservation effort including controlling invasive species and replacing ash trees being lost to the emerald ash borer.

The hiking trails are a “work in progress” but are fairly cleaned up and are marked. Please stay out of the creek. The trails are normally dry,  but if it has rained recently, expect parts of the uphill trail to be a  little slick. Long pants and bug spray may be desirable. The lower sections of the trail are  relatively flat with some uphill climbs toward the back trail.

After the hike, come warm up at Laf a Lot on Loon Lake.

There is a small parking area in the woods big enough for about 6 cars.

Directions: Mill Creek Preserve is 1.7 miles south of I-390 on NY 21. You will see a short guard rail protecting a culvert, and the driveway to the preserve is immediately after the guard rail on the right side of the road. Park up the driveway or on the shoulder of NY 21.

FROM NAPLES– Head south on Route 21 toward Wayland. Turn left at the first red light. Continue on 21 South about 3.6 miles. Mile Creek Preserve will be on your right.

FROM SPRINGWATER– Head south on Route 15 toward Wayland. In Wayland, go straight through red light and drive another 3.6 miles on Route 21. Mill Creek Preserve will be on your right.

FROM ROCHESTER–    Get on 390 south and drive to the Wayland exit . Turn right on Route 21 south for 1.6 miles. Mill Creek Preserve is on your right.