The Keuka Outlet Trail is seven miles long and follows the winding waterway where Keuka Lake flows eastward into Seneca Lake.  The trail runs along an old railroad bed, has only a slight incline, and the surface is a combination of dirt, gravel, and ballast. You can find more information at www.keukaoutlettrail.org.  There is also an audio tour, so bring a charged phone and you can listen to some of the history along the trail.

Meet up:  We will all meet at the Cascade Falls Access Point parking area, which is right between the two waterfalls, at 3:45 pm.  

Bikers:  After signing in, bikers will ride to the Dresden parking area, ride the full length to Penn Yan, and return for a total 14 mile ride.

Hikers: Head east towards Cascade Mills Falls, enjoy the view of the falls and then turn around and head west towards Seneca Mills Falls.  After viewing the Seneca Mills Falls, continue west to Turtle Pond. Keep heading west until it is time to turn around in order to be back at the parking area around 6:00 pm.

Social:  The bring-a-dish social will be at the Cascade Falls Access parking area.  Bring a lawn chair and a folding table if you have one. Also bring your own beverage and a dish to pass, or make a $5 donation to our social fund.

Directions from Canandaigua:  Take 5 & 20 through Canandaigua, just before you reach Geneva, take 14A south to Penn Yan. Make a left onto Elm St. Sunoco Gas station on one corner and Walgreens on the other corner, Rt. 54A comes in on the right, there is no street sign here.  Pick up directions below continuing on Elm St.

Directions from the south, Wayland, Dansville, Cohocton:  travel north on Rt. 53 towards Naples and make a right onto Italy Valley Rd.  Continue with directions below from Italy Valley Rd.

Directions from the north Honeoye, Springwater: make your way to Rt. 53 just south of Naples and turn left onto Italy Valley Rd.  Continue with directions below from Italy Valley Rd.

Directions from Italy Valley Rd.: Bear right at the Y onto Italy Tpk. Rd. go to the end and make a left onto Italy Hill Road bear right past Blue Eagle Tavern. Take Italy Hill Rd. (rt. 32) past Hunt Country Vineyards to the traffic light in Branchport. Continue straight through the Branchport traffic light this is 54A.  Stay on 54A which brings you right into Penn Yan and onto Elm St.  Go straight through the light and pick up the directions below continuing on Elm St.

Directions from Prattsburgh: Take N. Main St to Prattsburgh Italy Hill Rd., which turns into Italy Hill Rd. (rt. 32) continue around the bend, past Hunt Country Vineyards right into Branchport.  Continue straight through the Branchport traffic light this is 54A.  Stay on 54A which brings you right into Penn Yan and onto Elm St.  Go straight through the light and pick up the directions below continuing on Elm St.

Directions continuing on Elm St. in Penn Yan: Continue straight on Elm all the way to the end. Cornwall St. is to the left and Outlet Road is to the right.  Bear right onto Outlet Road.  Continue straight and you will pass Stiles Rd on your left, continue on and you will see a red barn on the right and a small parking area just past the barn, which is Seneca Mills Access. Go past this parking area and you will come to a road (Ridge Road/Mays Mills Road) on the right and will see another parking area straight ahead where we will be meeting.  This is the Cascade Falls Access Point parking area.

Welcome to the eleventh Annual Mushroom Foray [thanks to both Springwater Trails and the Rochester Area Mycological Association] at the All Western Evergreen Farm.  Three hiking groups are planned, all starting and ending at the parking area at the farm.  The three groups will explore much of the farm, with many opportunities to find mycological specimens.

Please plan to arrive early (1:45 PM) to sign in and to sign the RAMA liability forms.

Maps of the farm, paper bags and paper plates for collecting and displaying mushrooms will be provided.  Those who want to learn how to collect mushrooms will be instructed by Gene and Georgia, and any other Rochester Area Mycological Association members who will be our guests.

The Climbers will follow the driveway up to the fields, turning to the left at the top. We will circle the pond on the southern portion of the farm and the spruce forest along the edge of the Christmas tree plantations. Heading west through the Cathedral Pines will take us to wet spots in the woods. We will return along the edge of several more Christmas tree plantations (Douglas-fir, Nordmann fir, Grand fir, Concolor fir, Canaan fir, Alaska yellow cedar, Norway Spruce, Meyer Spruce).

The Tourists will follow the driveway up through the woods, stopping occasionally to explore for mushrooms.  When reaching saleable size Christmas trees (Lot Z), head to the right around or through the Christmas tree plantation.  At the corner where the small Southwestern White Pine tree row ends and the tall Concolor fir are, follow the trail into the woods and back to the field and head west along the north field road to a hidden corner of the field with some spectacular 35 foot green and blue Concolor fir Christmas trees live, the size seen during Christmas season in a large mall.  If there is still time, follow the north field road next to the hedge row up to Story Road. We will return through the tillable fields, visiting smaller collections of trees and back down through the woods.

The Naturalists will start exploring under and behind the Western red cedars (thuja plicata or giant arborvitae) by the parking area and south to the Alaska yellow cedar, large Concolor fir and spruce, then back up through the woods to the right of the trail up to the main fields.  These are likely full of mushrooms, but you will find some swampy areas, so don’t get lost behind people’s homes along Liberty Pole.

All hikers should check their watches and return to the parking area by 4:00 PM to have their collections identified.  A portapotty with a sink is nearby.

Mushroom Identification

Once again we expect to have several RAMA members with us to identify the mushrooms collected between 4 and 5 PM.  After the mushrooms are identified please join us for a dish-to-pass social (5:00 – 6:30 PM) hosted by Katherine outside the house next to the Furnace Building. Please bring a lawn chair and your own beverage, plus a dish to share or a $5 contribution to the social fund.

We will begin all the hikes at 6840 Liberty Pole Road where there is ample parking at the Christmas tree loading area between the tall Western red cedar and Morton Building and Nursery beds. Follow the parking signs.  When we return from our foray, the mushrooms will be displayed for identification on paper plates on the tables outdoors.  Please dress for the weather, rain gear as needed.  Social distancing and masks are recommended when close together.

Directions:

From Springwater: Go west from the Springwater light on NY-15 North.  Just past the top of the hill and after rounding the tight curve, turn left on CR 38 (Liberty Pole Road).  The farm is on the left (the high side) 1.1 miles from NY-15 at 6840 Liberty Pole Road after you cross Carney Hollow Rd. There is a sign for the All Western Evergreen Nursery & Christmas Tree Farm.  Follow the orange cones to the parking area and park facing the house.

From Geneseo: Go south on NY-63.  About 6.4 miles after passing NY-408, turn left on CR-1 (Groveland Scottsburg Rd) at Groveland Station.  This road becomes CR 1A (Springwater Scottsburg Rd) at Scottsburg (Route 256) and then Liberty Pole Road after you cross Stagecoach Road (CR 71), and finally CR-38 (still Liberty Pole Rd) after crossing Reeds Corners Rd (CR-29).  It is 7.1 miles from Groveland Station to All Western Evergreen Farm.  The farm is on the right (the high side).  Follow the orange cones to the parking area and park facing the house.

From Honeoye: Take 20A west to Hemlock and 15A south to Springwater.  Then follow the Springwater directions above.

From Rochester: Take I-390S from Rochester. Use Exit 9 for NY-15 Lakeville. Turn left onto NY-15. Stay on NY-15 for 16.5 miles, through Lakeville, Livonia, Conesus and Webster Crossing.  When NY-15 curves to the left at the south end of Webster Crossing, continue straight onto CR-60 (Carney Hollow Rd) and take the first right onto Liberty Pole Rd.  The farm is on the left (the high side) at 6840 Liberty Pole Rd.  Follow the orange cones to the parking area and park facing the house.

If using GPS, use the map directions on the www.allwesterntrees.com website and make sure you are on Liberty Pole Road and not being directed to the center of the farm from Swartz Road or Story Road.  Follow the orange cones to the parking area and park facing the house.

Notice: Rain appears to be likely this afternoon. Bring rain gear. We will move the social to the pavilion in Hemlock Park in the case of actual rain.

We will explore the south end of Canadice Lake and its surrounding terrain with the travel method of your choice (hike, bike or paddle), starting at the Canoe Launch (the southernmost lake access point) on Canadice Lake Road (southeast corner of the lake). Meet at 3:45pm and park on the road shoulder near the kiosk.  If you are bringing a boat or a bike, allow extra time for unloading.  Note: event time change.

Hikers:  Those interested in a gentler walk may head south along Canadice Lake Road to the southern end of the Canadice Lake Trail and follow it as long as you like, then return. The side trail through the ponds south of Canadice Lake is a nice addition to this route. The terrain is flat with a well-worn mulched trail.

Paddlers:  Put in at the south launch site and paddle the shores as far as you’d like, then return.

Cyclists:  Starting at the southeast corner of Canadice Lake, head north along the Canadice Lake Road, west on Purcell Hill Road and back to the start on the Canadice Lake Trail for a total of about 7.8 miles. The Lake Trail is fairly level and a decent surface for road bikes with medium tires, better for hybrid or mountain bikes.  For those who prefer road riding, continue north on Canadice Lake Road to loop back on Canadice Hollow Road and Purcell Hill Road, returning to the start for a total of about 9 miles. If that’s not enough, riders can pick up another 4 miles by heading south to the intersection with County Road 37 and back.

Optional Social: Bring a dish to pass or your own food and we will have a picnic at the south boat launch.

DIRECTIONS: From Springwater: Head north on 15A and cut over to Canadice Lake Road. via Wheaton Hill or Johnson Hill Road. The south access area will be on the left. 

From Canandaigua, Honeoye and Hemlock: Take Route 20A to the Canadice Lake Road intersection. Go south 6.5 miles to the southernmost lake access area, on your right.

From Rochester: Take Route 390 south to the 5&20 exit, go east to Lima, then south on Route 15A. After Hemlock, turn left on Route 20A and right on Canadice Lake Road. The southernmost access area is 6.5 miles down, on your right.

Whiteman Gully is a unique place – a pristine Finger Lakes gully not much touched by any organized hand. It was privately held until a couple of years, when it was bequeathed to the Genesee Valley Nature Conservancy.

This is a different hike to our usual long walk; it will be a hike of exploration along trails which are not long, but unimproved and requiring care; we will wander around a small but very scenic patch of land. There are 3 trails to explore on both sides of Whiteman Gully Road. There have been few “improvements” to suit casual walkers on this property; if there has been rain recently the paths will be muddy but the waterfalls and the stream more impressive. To get a good view of the waterfall on the south side of the preserve  there is a stream crossing on stepping stones to be dealt with, and the section of the trail to get a view of the waterfall is short but steep; this pattern is likely to be repeated on other trails that we explore. There are several waterfalls and a chute on the north side of Whiteman road, and further waterfalls can be seen which are probably beyond the boundary of the preserve.

The gully does not appear to have been farmed or logged and the trees are big and old.

The Meeting Place

We will meet at the point where Whiteman Gully Road in Wayland crosses the stream of the gully (42.55731, -77.65159). There is adequate roadside parking on Whiteman Gully Road. First we will explore the trail to the north west and the gully around the waterfall. We will then return to the meeting point and explore the trail upstream and finally the trail the the north west on the opposite side of the stream to the first trail that we followed.

All hikers will walk in just one group on this hike, and hiking alone is definitely to be avoided given the uncertainty of the trail conditions.

Equipment

Gum boots or high waterproof boots and two walking poles are strongly recommended for the stream crossing, especially if there has been rain, and the poles are generally helpful on muddy and steep ground.

We will bring a rope to help on the steep section of the trail near the waterfall

Directions:

From Naples:  Come into Wayland on Rt 21 from the east. Continue through the two traffic lights when the road becomes Rt. 63 to Dansville. Passing the the Wayland school on the left, continue for about 3 miles to Whiteman Gully Road on the right. Turn right and follow the road for about half a mile; the road turns into dirt and drops downhill; the gully is at the bottom of the hill where the stream is marked by barriers along the side of the bridge.

From Springwater: Come into Wayland on Rt 15 and turn west on to Rt. 21, then follow the directions as from Naples.

From Dansville:  Drive towards Wayland on Rt 63 and take the second Whiteman Gully Road left  – Whiteman Gully Road follows an arc with both ends on Rt. 63 – then follow the road for about half a mile. The road turns into dirt and drops downhill; the gully is at the bottom of the hill where the stream is marked by barriers along the side of the bridge.

The Social

The social will be at the Sunrise Family Restaurant in Dansville, NY.