Category Archives: Hikes

Hikes planned by the Springwater Trails

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Rochester Folk Art Guild – Hike and Open House/Apple Festival

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Sunday October 9 we will visit East Hill Farm, home of the Rochester Folk Art Guild, for a hike across their 350-acre hilltop farm and woodlot and a tour of their craft workshops. The Guild is a community of craftspeople, some resident and some visiting, and the weekend of October 8-9 is their annual Fall Open House and Apple Festival, a celebration of the season with a fresh pressed cider, early pears for sale, and demonstrations at the pottery, wood, weaving and graphic arts studios. Admission is free, and the event runs until 5 PM. See https://www.folkartguild.org/events/6650/  for  more details on the festival; come early to enjoy the tours and demonstrations before the hike, and stay afterwards for shopping at the Gallery and our social. If you come early, lunch food will be available from the Guild as long as it lasts – homemade bread, salad, squash soup and desserts.  This is a no-dogs event. 

Follow parking directions at the site – 1445 Upper Hill Road, Middlesex (directions below). We will convene at 1:45 at the side of the East Hill Gallery, the first building on the left as you come in the driveway.

 

Climbers will make a circuit of about 4 miles through the Guild’s fields and woods, passing a mix of farm buildings and Guild-designed and built structures, a pond and sauna, a spruce grove, and  the “Golden Valley”, named for its spectacular fall color and views to the east.

Tourists/Naturalists will make a shorter loop through the same terrain. Trails are gently sloped and well cleared, but grass is ankle-deep in many areas, so bring good hiking footwear and tick protection. 

Social – Bring  your own snack or supper to enjoy on the grounds of East Hill Farm, where benches will be provided at the cider press site. Cider and pears will be in abundance; bring along whatever else you’d like. This is not a formal dish-to-pass social – more of a  bring-your-own picnic, to minimize the complexity in the context of a larger event.

Directions: from Springwater/Naples: Take Route   15 south to Wayland and Route 21 east/north to Naples. Turn right on Route 245 opposite Bob’s and Ruth’s Restaurant, at the north end of the village. Follow Route 245 north to Middlesex, about 8.75 miles.  Turn right on Route 364 and go up the hill, one mile. Turn right on Upper Hill Road and go 1.5 miles.  East Hill Farm will be on your left, at #1445.  Park on the road shoulder and walk in the driveway to the Gallery building, the white house on your left. 

From Rochester and points north: Head to Routes 5 and 20 via Bloomfield or Canandaigua. At the east edge of the City of Canandaigua (first light after Wegmans/Post Office), turn south on Route NYS Route 364 (a.k.a. East Lake Road).  Follow Route 364 south 12.5 miles to Middlesex, where 364 turns to the east and you will make a left onto Route 245 and then an immediate right to continue on 364.  Go up the hill, one mile. Turn right on Upper Hill Road and go 1.5 miles.  East Hill Farm will be on your left, at #1445.  Park on the road shoulder and walk in the driveway to the Gallery building, the white house on your left. 

 

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Bath National Cemetery

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On Sunday we will walk a loop through the historic Bath National Cemetery which will have been decorated the day before as part of the Wreaths Across America campaign.  The cemetery dates back to 1877 when it was started as a burial ground for veterans who died while residing at the Grand Army of the Republic Soldiers and Sailors Home (now the VA Medical Center) in Bath.

Following the walking tour of the cemetery (about one and a half miles round trip) those who want can hike an extra loop to downtown Bath and through the Liberty Street National Historic District and Pulteney Square Village Green (about four miles round trip).  Everyone should be prepared for some hills and possible slippery footing; people doing the downtown walk should bring flashlights.

Directions and Meeting Place:  

Take I-390S (Genesee Expy) towards Corning then continue on I-86 (Southern Tier Expy) to the Bath – Hammondsport exit (Exit 38).  Turn right onto W Washinton Street, go a short distance and cross the bridge over the Cohocton River then turn left into the first VA parking lot. Approximately 29 miles from Springwater.

Social:  

The social will be at the Mountain View Inn, 34 Main Street, Atlanta, NY

More Information:

National Park Service – Bath National Cemetery:  https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/national_cemeteries/new_york/Bath_National_Cemetery.html

Wreaths Across America:  https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/

National Park Service – New York State Soldiers & Sailors Home:  https://www.nps.gov/places/bath-branch-bath-new-york.htm

Liberty Street National Historic District:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Street_Historic_District_(Bath,_New_York)

Other: 

Those wanting to carpool can meet in Wayland behind the Fire Station – plan to be ready to leave at 1:15, to get us to the parking lot at 1:45.

There are no public bathrooms at the VA Hospital or National Cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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High Falls Riverwalk

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This Thanksgiving Weekend hike we will explore the historic High Falls neighborhood, starting and ending at the Genesee Brew House overlooking the Upper Falls of the Genesee.  Meet at the Brew House parking lot at 25 Cataract Street, off St. Paul Street and just south of the Genesee Brewery plant. Be prepared for wet weather.
Everyone will hike across the Pont Du Rennes Bridge to the High Falls district, Rochester’s first industrial park, powered by the waters of the Genesee. Tourists and Naturalists will make a circuit of the High Falls neighborhood and return to the Brew House across the bridge. Climbers will venture farther south along the Riverwalk through the Four Corners area and Corn Hill, crossing back on the Ford Street Bridge and returning along the river on the east side. Walking is fairly level, on sidewalks. Time is 60-90 minutes. Historical commentary by Barry, Saralinda, and anyone else who pipes up.
Reconvene at the Brew House to dry out and warm up after the hike.
Directions: 
From south and east: Go to Rochester by your usual route. Approaching downtown Rochester via Route 490, take the Clinton Avenue exit and head north through the central business district. After crossing Main Street, get in the left lane. At Andrews Street, take a left and then an immediate right on Bittner Street. After one block you will join St. Paul Street gong north and crossing the Inner Loop, then going under the railroad bridge. After emerging from the bridge, Cataract Street will be your first left, with the Brew House parking lot on your left.
From West: Take Route 490 toward downtown Rochester. Follow signs for Downtown-Inner Loop exit. You will cross the Genesee River, then take the first exit to St. Paul Street. At the exit intersection, make a left, go across the Inner Loop and under the railroad tracks. The next left will be Cataract Street. Parking lot on the left.