History: Genesee County Park is the oldest county forest in New York State. It has 431 acres of forested rolling hills, five ponds, and a 4-acre wetland, located in Black Creek Watershed. The park has 10 miles of trails for hiking, exploring and mountain biking.  

All hikers will start out in a single group from the Interpretive Nature Center to explore the center section of the park, including stands of hardwood and softwood trees and wetlands. When we reach the park perimeter, Climbers will follow the Boundary Trail around the park for a total hike of about 5 miles. Tourists and Naturalists will complete a shorter hike back to the start. Maps of entire park will be available at start of hike. 

 The Interpretive Nature Center is open Sunday 12-4 pm. Those wanting to visit the Center will need to arrive prior to 4 pm.

All hikers should meet at 3:45 in the large parking area in front of Interpretive Center, to get organized for a 4 pm. start.

Social – We will reconvene at the Interpretive Center at 5:45 for an optional social gathering on the grounds. Bring a lawn chair and your own beverage and meal or snacks, or bring a dish to share. Dessert will be provided. 

Directions:

From the Thruway – Take exit 47 off Thruway (LeRoy/Route 19). Take Route 19 south through LeRoy to Route 20, make a right and go west for 5.6 miles. Turn right onto Old Telephone Road and then left onto Bethany Center Road (County  Road 15). Turn left into the Park entrance onto Memory Lane and continue 1/4 mile to the Interpretive Center.

From the East: Go north to Route 20. Take Rt. 20 West past Avon, Route 19 and Route 63. Turn right onto Old Telephone Road and then left onto Bethany Center Road (County  Road 15). Turn left into the Park entrance onto Memory Lane and continue 1/4 mile to the Interpretive Center.

From Springwater and points south – Get yourself to Geneseo area to pick up Rt. 63 North, either where it intersects with Rt. 36 North in village of Greigsville or in Geneseo. Follow 63 North to Route 20, go west 3.5 miles to Old Telephone Road/Bethany Center Road. Turn left into the Park entrance onto Memory Lane and continue 1/4 mile to the Interpretive Center.

Please join us for kayaking on Sugar Creek and Keuka Lake or a hike through the marsh preserve to the lake.  Our starting point will be the Finger Lakes Museum site, accessible from Guyanoga Road or from Route 54, both close to the flashing light at the center of Branchport.  The Finger Lakes Museum is a former elementary school which is being gradually converted to a regional museum.  They have an active boat launch site at the rear bordering Sugar Creek, the main tributary into the west branch of Keuka Lake.

Checking the weather, expect a very warm day with scattered showers.

Kayakers should arrive by 3:40 to unload your boat and launch from their floating dock. Hikers, who will follow the trail along the river, and kayakers will leave at 4:00.

After launching, kayakers will head upstream in Sugar Creek through a woodland waterway. Based on time and conditions we then will turn around and head back past the dock to the lake.  Once on the lake we will start heading west and enter the adjacent marshland owned by the Isaak Walton League. Cattails, water lilies and waterfowl are abundant in the marsh waterways.  Back on the lake we will continue west to the marinas of Branchport. Another U-turn will take us toward Keuka Lake State Park. Finally, we will return to the river and up to the takeout at the Museum’s dock.

Hikers will hike to Keuka Lake along the museum paths, stopping at an observation platform overlooking the marsh and at the Museum’s lakefront pavilion.: After enjoying the lake views, we will return to the museum and explore the museum grounds.

Social:  Bring your own snack or a dish to pass at the Museum’s pavilion. Or contribute $5 to the social fund and snack from the dishes available.

Directions:

From Springwater and Wayland – Take Route 15 south and then Route 21 north to Naples. Coming into Naples, go right on Route 53 toward Prattsburgh. In 1.2 miles make a left on Italy Valley Road. You will remain on Italy Valley  Road for about 8.7 miles, although the county road number changes from 21 to 18 to 34 en route. At the end of Italy Valley Road, go left for .3 miles on Italy Hill Road (CR 35), then follow Itlaly Hill Road as it curves to the right and becomes CR32. In another 4.7 miles you will be at the flashing light in the center of Branchport.  Go straight on Route 54A toward Penn Yan for .2 miles, and turn left into the Finger Lakes Museum across from the Library, and before the Fire Station. Look for the driveway toward the new barn on your right.

From Canandaigua and 5&20:  Take East Lake Road south to County Road 1, or Route 247 from Reed’s Corners into Rushville. Continue South through Rushville toward Penn Yan. Route 247 will become Route 364 shortly before Potter. Continue for 4.5 miles past Potter and make a right on Guyanoga Road (CR 29). Go another 6.5 miles to Branchport. Turn left into the Finger Lakes Museum at 3369 Guyanoga Road, or if you miss it, go left at the flashing light and then left into the FLM drive. If you come in from Guyanoga Road, go to the right around the building and parking lot, and follow the signs to the Creekside Center (a new barn). Park on the grass near the boat rack. If you take the side entrance in from Route 54A heading east toward Penn Yan, turn in to the left, across from the library, and then right into the Creekside Center.

Sorry all, but the weather really isn’t cooperating. We are going to cancel today. Please come down to the Community days if it is drier after noon and stay out of the lightning. 

This coming Sunday is Springwater Community Day at Canute Park off School St in Springwater NY. Festivities start early with an egg and pancake breakfast. Events will include an antique Car Show, and the Tractor Pull. You are all invited to stop by the park and enjoy the festivities.  Be sure to stop by the Floyd Ingraham’s Springwater book launch between 9 and 3 and meet the author Julie Manwarren. She will be able to tell you the history of the photos by Springwater resident Floyd Ingraham taken in the first decades of the 20th century, and how the original negatives were processed to create some of the best pictures you will find of rural life at that time.  She may even personally sign a book for you.

One other event on that day is a rummage sale at the Springwater/Webster Crossing Historical Society Museum, 8130 Route 15, Springwater, NY 14560. The museum will be open and all proceeds from the rummage sale will benefit the Historical Society.

Following the Community Day festivities, Springwater Trails will lead a hike on the Wheaton Hill trails.  All hikers will start on the Pine Trail where we will walk through woods to one of the typical gullies of the Finger Lakes. After this loop we will cross the road to the Spruce Trail through a spruce plantation likely planted 50 or more years ago. The Climbers will break off to check out the Redbud Trail for additional exercise.

Following the hike, if the weather holds, hang around for our post hike social. You can share your copy of Julie’s book and enjoy the outdoors. Bring a chair so you can relax. Also, if you haven’t eaten too much at the Community Day festivities, bring a sandwich and beverage and maybe a small snack to share with the group.

This Sunday we will be kayaking and hiking  Canadice lake. Kayakers and hikers will meet at the south kayak launch . Kayakers should plan on arriving 15-20 minutes early for a timely launch at 4:00pm. hikers can walk from here to the south trail entrance  and enter the west lake hiking trail. The west lake hiking trail starts at the south end of the lake and continues along the lake for four miles arriving at the north gate. Hikers can hike as long as they wish before turning back enjoying the wild flowers and lake views along the way. Kayakers will head in a direction favorable to wind direction determined at the time of launch.

We will meet back at the south kayak launch for a “after hike” social. Bring a sandwich or dish to pass and something to drink.

Directions:

From Rochester: Take Rt 15A ((East Henrietta Rd) south toward Hemlock. Continue through Hemlock on 15 A south four about 4 miles and turn left on to  Parselle  Road. Drive for a mile and turn right on Canadice Road. Drive south on Canadice Road for about 3 miles. Don’t stop at the first boat launch. Continue down the lake to the kayak launch. There is a Kiosk on the right hand side. Park along the road and walk down the trail (100ft) to the lake.  Unload your kayak at the kiosk and find a place to park along the road.

From Naples, Wayland and points south, Head to Wayland and turn on to Rt 15 north. Continue  straight  through Springwater on Rt 15A for 1.5 miles and turn right on Wheaton hill Rd. Continue up the hill for 1 mile and turn left on to Canadice Rd. Continue on Canadice Rd. for about 2-3 miles. you should see Canadice lake on your left. the Kiosk will be on your left along the Rd. unload your kayak at the kiosk and find a place to park along the side of the road.

Join us on Sunday at the Finger Lakes Boat Museum. In 1996 a small group of dedicated antique boating enthusiasts, motivated in part by a common concern over the rapidly dwindling population of locally-built wooden boats, committed to establishing a museum that would preserve the boating heritage of the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. The museum founders, all active in the “antique boat world,” felt that a museum focusing on the impact that recreational and commercial boating had on the development of the lakes and tourism in the Finger Lakes Region would increase appreciation and awareness as well as help preserve these vintage craft.

The Museum Collection has now grown to more than 200 boats built by many of the 40+ commercial builders identified to date as having built boats throughout the Finger Lakes Region during the last century.

The museum currently has three floors of the historic former Taylor Wine Company’s main building to explore with several exhibit spaces and a new wing renovated in 2015.  Visitors can see canoes, rowboats, row outboards, outboard runabouts, inboards, hydroplanes, and sailboats. Many related artifacts and ephemera are also on display, including a 130′ x 10′ lake and nature mural and replica lake cottage. A 60′ x 10′ lake mural was also recently completed in the Inboard Motor Boat exhibit room. Our main building also contains an active boat shop where visitors are able to see restoration projects underway.

We all plan to meet at the museum at 3:00 for an hour or so to check out the boats. You should feel free to come earlier if you expect to spend more time. If the museum is not of interest, join us for a hike to start promply at 4:30.

After exploring the Boat Museum, head south on Pleasant Valley Road (County Road 88) about .8 miles to the Urbana Town Hall at 8014 Pleasant Valley Road (  42.389558, -77.260007 ). We will gather between 4:15 and 4:30 for a 4:30 start. The trail will take us through a vineyard, over a bridge, along a former rail line, and up along the south rim of Mitchellsville Creek, a very pleasant climb through a hemlock and pine forest with frequent views to the deep gully below. Mushrooms and tiny toads abound. The full hike (Climbers) is 4.8 miles (total out and back) and about 2 hours; Tourists and Naturalists can head back to the start whenever so inclined. The path is well marked and cleared, though on the steep side in a few places.

After the hike, please join us for the social at the Pleasant Valley Inn, just a few hundred feet south from the Town Hall parking lot. Bear right at the intersection onto Fish Hatchery Road and then enter the first driveway on the left, between two white posts – this is the back way into the Inn, which is pink and white. The main entrance is at 7979 Route 54. Please let us know ASAP if you plan to join us at the Pub, so we can let the Inn know we are coming.

CANCELED – Due to thunderstorms predicted for 3:00 today, our hike is canceled.

This Sunday we will return to Keuka Lake for a hike through the State Park and a bike ride across the top of the land between the Y and back along the West Bluff Rd. Following the bike/hike we will all meet in the park picnic area to relax and socialize.  Bring your own beverage and sandwich and perhaps a snack to pass.

The park has a $7 day use fee so we will all meet at the parking lot at the Finger Lakes Museum and then car pool into the park. See the directions below.

The bike ride is about two and a half hours long, so we will meet an hour early at 3:00 to allow for the extra time. Bicyclists may want to carpool back to their cars prior to the social – we don’t think there is a fee after 5:00.

Click map for a printable version.

Hikers: The White Trail starts across the main road from the Picnic Parking area. All hikers will head up the white trail past an historic cemetery. This trail starts steep but it seems that all hikers will be able to regroup at the cemetery.  From there, the trail continues up through woods to Campground Rd. Turn right onto the road, the left at the Tee and continue up to the end of the road (about a quarter mile). The Green Trail continues straight from the end of the road. At the first trail intersection, turn left to head back down toward the campground. There is a second intersection, but hikers will continue straight. The Green Trail comes out into the Twin Fawns campsite circle at site 76. Turn left on the road and head down to campsite 66 to join the purple trail under the large willow tree. Please be respectful of campers if the sites are in use.

Click on map for a full size image.

Just a few feet down the purple trail, turn right onto the yellow trail. This trail follows a gully down to the lower parking area. At our prehike, the day after the big rain, the stream at the bottom of the gully was beautiful.  The original parking is about half a mile up the road, or hikers can follow the shoreline back to the picnic area. This hike is slightly less than 4 miles.

Bikers: Our bikers will head uphill, out of the park to Pepper Rd. Turning right on Pepper Rd will take us along the edge of the park. We will continue past W Bluff Rd to the tee at Skyline Dr. Again, turn right and continue the climb to the open fields at the top with some nice views of the lake. Our total climb is 700 ft over 6 miles. Skyline Dr will turn left as we pass the Seasonal Road sign and head down hill. We will stop at the Garrett Memorial Chapel. Continuing down Skyline Dr, we will turn right on W Bluff Dr. By the time we reach the cottages on the lake, we will have descended 700 ft in 1.2 miles (check your brakes before you start!). The final 5.5 miles along the shore line is a relaxing drive by many nice cottages. At the north end we will stay to the left, go around the gate and continue back to the cars in the park.

Directions: The following directions are to the meeting spot up by the brick museum building on the west side of the grounds.

From Springwater, (Wayland and Naples):  take NY 15 south to Wayland. Turn left on NY 21 N through N. Cohocton to Naples. Turn right on NY 53 south. Turn Left on Italy Valley Rd (CR 21). Turn right onto Italy Hill Turnpike (CR 34). At the top, turn left onto Italy Hill Rd (CR 32) and follow that road to Branchport.  Continue straight onto NY 54A and take the first left onto School St. Stay to the left up the hill, in front of the old school building and around to the left to the first parking lot.

From Canandaigua: There are many equally good ways to get to Branchport from Canandaigua.  Here are the simplest directions I could find. Head east on 5&20. Turn right onto NY 247S. In 6 miles, at the intersection with NY 245, bear left toward NY 245N, but then turn right to cross 245 onto Blodgett Rd. In 5.2 miles, turn left onto NY 364. In 4.5 miles, turn riht onto Guyonoga Rd (CR 29). Continue into Branchport. Turn left onto NY 54A and take the first left onto School St. Stay to the left up the hill, in front of the old school building and around to the left to the first parking lot.

Directions from the Museum to the Park: Follow School St back out to 54A. Turn left and follow 54A past Esperanza Mansion on the left to Pepper Rd. Turn right on Pepper Rd, then the next right into the park. The day-use fee is paid at the entrance. Then turn right toward the lake and beaches. We will park at the second parking lot near the picnic area.

 CHANGE OF PLAN – The proposed bike ride has been postponed because of questionable weather and hazardous road conditions, as several roads on the intended route have had oil and stone applied this week.   Please join us for the Wheaton Hill hike, which will proceed as planned.  NOTE THE START TIME OF 3 PM FOR THE HIKE.

 Hikers will meet at 3 PM at the Wheaton Hill Road trailhead, on the northwest side of the road and will divide into groups for a Climber hike and a Tourist/Naturalist hike.    As usual, bring water, good footwear and poles if you use them. The trails are rugged in places. Long pants are advised.

Social:   After completing the hike around 4:30 to 5:00 please join us for a dish-to-pass social at the  United Methodist Church in Webster Crossing church  (see directions below). Bring your own beverage and favorite goodies. Dishes, utensils, condiments etc will be provided. Or just bring a beverage and a $5 donation and help yourself to snacks. A bathroom, kitchen, fridge and dining room are available for our use.

DIRECTIONS TO HIKE START:   Trailheads for Wheaton Hill trails are a half mile up from the west end of Wheaton Hill Road where it meets Route 15A in Springwater, just past the south end of Hemlock Lake.

From the north, go to Hemlock, then proceed south on Route 15A. About a mile and a half past the South Hemlock Boat Launch, turn left on Wheaton Hill Road. Proceed a half mile up the hill and park on the road shoulder near the curve.

From the south, go north on Route 15 to Springwater, continuing straight at the light.  Make a right on Wheaton Hill Road in about .9 miles. Proceed a half mile up the hill and park on the road shoulder near the curve.

DIRECTIONS TO THE SOCIAL:  From the end of the hike go west on Wheaton Hill Road and then south on Route 15A into Springwater. At the light, make a right onto Route 15 North. Go up the long hill to Webster Crossing, about 4.6 miles. The United Methodist Church will be on your left at #7230, opposite the beginning of May Road. Park at the rear of the building.