Powder Mills Park, off Route 96 in the Town of Perinton, is one of Monroe County’s outstanding hunting-free hiking parks, matching Mendon Ponds Park for rugged terrain and interesting features.

Meet at the Oak Tree Lodge Parking Lot on Woolston Road at 1:545 for a 2 PM start. Warm layers, hiking poles and good boots are advised. The Climbers will follow a winding course (ridges and lowlands) of about 4 miles through the south and central parts of the park, both north and south of Woolston Road. The Tourists and Naturalists will take a less strenuous route of about 1.5 miles from Oak Tree Lodge toward Wadhams Lodge along the Trillium Trail, turning to the east on the Ridge Trail to cross the low ridge and explore the fish hatchery before returning by the same route.

Directions:

From Springwater: Head north on 15A for 21.6 miles through Hemlock and Lima. Take a right at the exit to Honeoye Falls. Stay on W Main St into the village, and at the center of town make a right on East Street, which becomes Boughton Hill Road. Follow Boughton Hill Rd (CR53) east to Victor- Holcomb Road (State Route 444) at flashing light on hilltop; turn left (going North) and follow 444 (becomes Maple Ave in Victor) to intersection with Rte 96. Turn left on Rte 96 and proceed through Victor, past Eastview Mall, and under Rte I-490 overpass; watch for Fishers Rd at first light after I-490; turn left on Fishers Rd and watch for Woolston Road; turn right on Woolston Road; watch for and park @ 2nd lot (Oak Tree Lodge) about 1/4 mile on left.

Alternate Route: from Honeoye Falls, take Route 65 (Main Street) north to Route 251, then right on 251, through Mendon, and turn left on Wangum Road in 1.8 miles. When Wangum Road ends at Main Street Fishers, go left and then  a quick right on Fishers Road. Go under the Thruway, and in 2 miles, make a left on Woolston Road to enter the park. The Oak Tree lot will be the second parking area on your left, in about a half mile.

 From Rochester area & north: From Interstate 490 – take the Bushnell’s Basin exit. Go left on Route 96, pass the Garnsey Road light, and take a right on Park Road. Just past the Fish Hatchery, turn left on Corduroy Road. At the end of Corduroy Road, turn right on Woolston Road. The Oak Tree Lodge parking area will be the second lot on your left, in a quarter mile.

Post Hike Social:  will be at Twin Elder Brewery 160 School Street in Victor (SW corner of School Street and Rawson Rd, roughly across from Victor Post Office) and next to D’S Pizza, where we can order pizza and possibly other takeout fare to bring into the brewery.

Directions to Social:  Go right from Oak Tree lot on Woolston Road, take a left at the end on Fishers Road to Route 96. Go right on 96 to Victor, about 5.5 miles. Turn right at School Street (next to Canandaigua Bank), go another .4 miles to the Rawson Road intersection on the right. Twin Elder Brewery will be on your right just past the intersection.

This Sunday’s hike will take us back to an old favorite, Mendon Ponds Park, with well-marked trails and much to see in every season. We will meet outside the Nature Center/Wild Wings at 1:45PM. Wild Wings is open 10AM-2PM if you want to arrive early and walk through before our hike. There are also restrooms at the center.

The weather on Sunday is expected to be a nice 40 degrees but the rain on Saturday could make our hike a bit muddy. Please be prepared and bring your pole(s) if you use them.

We’ll split into just two groups for this hike. The Naturalists and Tourists will hike the area of the Grasslands and West Esker trails with an overlook of the Devil’s Bathtub, for about 2+ miles. The Climbers will do a combination hike of the Nature Trail/Birdsong and the Quaker Pond loop for a longer (and quicker paced) hike of about 5 miles, with an enjoyable view of Quaker Pond. See attached map with trail descriptions.

Park Map:       https://www.monroecounty.gov/files/parks/jan%2015%20mpp%20map.pdf

For the social afterwards, interested members can head to Flaherty’s in Honeoye Falls at 60 W Main St..

Directions:

From Springwater: Head north on 15A for 21.6 miles through Hemlock and Lima. Take a right at the exit to Honeoye Falls. Stay on W Main St into the village where you will pass the Flaherty’s on the right. Continue straight onto NY 65 for 4.4 mi. (At 2 miles, you will go around a traffic circle. Stay on NY 65.) Turn right onto Pond Rd at the park entrance. The Nature Center parking area is immediately on the right.

From Honeoye, take US 20A west and head north on CR 37 for 8.2 miles to W Bloomfield. Continue straight on NY 65 for about 3 miles, and make a right on Quaker Meeting House Road just before you come into Honeoye Falls. When Quaker Meeting House Road ends at Route 251 (Rush-Mendon Road), go left and then right on Route 65/Clover Street. The Pond Road entrance to the park is about 2 miles to the north, on the right. The Nature Center parking area is immediately on the right.

From Rochester: Exit I 590 at Monroe Ave toward Pittsford. Turn right (south) onto NY 65 (Clover St). In about 6.7 you will come to the Canfield Road entrance to the park – this is not the one you want. Continue another 1.5 miles, then turn left onto Pond Rd, the second entrance into the park. The Nature Center parking area is immediately on the right.

Join us Sunday afternoon to explore the latest Nature Preserve of the Finger Lakes Land Trust – Canandaigua Vista, overlooking the Canandaigua Valley and points east. This preserve, on a 90-acre parcel that was once a dairy farm, includes a combination of meadow and woodlands, with trails circling the property and abutting parts of Barnes Gully and a farm pond. This is a shorter hike than our usual, but there’s a lot to see. If folks finish early and there is interest, we can visit another nearby Canandaigua overlook afterwards – Quiet Meadows on Barnes Road.

Hiking is on mostly dry rolling hills, with some moderate climbs. The Land Trust permits fall hiking while also issuing a limited number of private bow hunting permits on the property in the interest of deer control; all permitted hunters have been advised of our event. WEAR SOME BLAZE ORANGE OUTERWEAR AS A PRECAUTION. Poles and mud-suitable boots also advised. Binoculars are also recommended if you have them – great for identifying landmarks way off across the lake.

Meet at 1:45 at the new trailhead parking lot near the top of Jones Road, a dead end off Route 21, about 2 miles south of Cheshire. Park in the generous off-road lot, not on the road. The whole group will take the White Trail around the perimeter of the preserve, stopping at various overlook points to take in the sights. At the end of the loop after about 1.25 miles, Naturalists and Tourists will return to their cars to adjourn to Quiet Meadows (see directions below), and Climbers may retrace the full loop back to the start, seeing the sights from the other direction for a total of about 2.5 miles, or adjourn to Quiet Meadows or nearby Onanda Park, where we can hike another 3 miles in a woods with its own Canandaigua Vistas.

Optional Social:   Join us afterwards for refreshments at Brews and Brats, 6461 Route 64. Check out the menu here.:

DIRECTIONS:

From Springwater, Wayland, Naples: Go east to North Cohocton and Naples and Route 21, then continue north through Woodville to the intersection of Route 21 and Route 64. Bear right at the fork and follow Route 21 north for 6.8 miles, to just past the Scenic Overlook. Make a left on Jones Road, and go up the hill about a half mile. The Trailhead parking area will be on the left. There is a big sign.

From Honeoye: Take Route 20A east to County Road 32 (Wizard of Clay), then make a right and proceed to the Bristol Valley. At the Route 64 intersection, go straight and up the hill, making a right on Montanye Road (later Goodale Road) This road ends in Cheshire . Make a right on Route 21, and go about 2 miles south. Make a right on Jones Road, just after the Seneca point Road intersection. Go 12 mile p the hill to the trailhead parking on the left.

From 5&20 and Canandaigua: Take Route 21 south to Cheshire and continue south another 2 miles to Jones Road, just after the Seneca point Road intersection. Go 12 mile p the hill to the trailhead parking on the left.

Directions to Quiet Meadows and Onanda Park: Return to Route 21 and make a left, then an immediate right on Seneca Point Road. In about .9 miles, turn left on Barnes Road. The first building on the right is a red barn. Park in front of the barn and go through the hedge row opening to the grassy labyrinth. Walk the labyrinth paths for a meditative experience, or navigate the mowed paths to the left around the 5 acres of hills and lake vistas. For Onanda Park, Barnes Road entrance, proceed another quarter mile down Barnes Road. After the road curves to the right, look for a dirt road entering the woods on your left (no sign) There is a trailhead and parking for about 8 cars in there.
Brews and Brats: From Canandaigua Vista, go down Jones Road and right on Route 21. In 6.8 miles, turn right on Route 64 and go a sort distance around the curve to the right. Brews and Brats is behind Arbor Hill at 6461 Route 64.

This Sunday we will enjoy the beautiful downtown Fairport NY, with some history of the Erie Canal and a walk along the banks of the Canal.

Our hike will start with a tour of the Fairport Historical Museum. Vicki Profitt,  the Museum Director & Pres. of the Historical Society will be our tour guide.  It is a very small museum & it will be open @ 2:00, so people are welcome to come in anytime after that but probably around 2:15-2:30 is ideal.  The tour will be approximately 1/2 hr. Parking is available in the municipal lot across the street from the museum.

After the tour, we will have two hikes. The longer hike will cross the canal on the Lift Bridge and follow the canal path east. In about a mile, we will cross the canal and continue east on a wooded path. At the next bridge (Lyndon Rd), we will cross back over the canal and continue back to the village. Hikers wishing some refreshment will leave the canal, crossing a parking lot to Mulconry’s Irish Pub. The rest of the group will cross the Lift Bridge, taking the stair up beside the library to the parking lot and our cars. This hike is approximately 5 miles.

For a shorter hike we will stay on the canal path for about 1 and a half miles, returning the way we came.

Following the hikes, everyone is invited to Mulconry’s Pub at 17 Liftbridge Ln E, Fairport, NY 14450. You can find a description of Bangers and Mash plus other food on their menu. This pub is a very short walk from the Village Landing, so cars can stay parked there at the Landing. We will be making a reservation for 10 people & we can increase it if need be.

Directions: The Museum is  in on Perrin St, one street west of Main St in Fairport. Parking is across the street – plenty of parking by the Dollar Store in Fairport Village Landing.

From Springwater: Head north on NY 15A. In 2.7 miles from the flashing light, take a slight right onto Old Bald Hill Rd South, then an immediate right onto Johnson Hill Rd.  At the top end of Johnson Hill Rd, turn left onto CR 37. In Canadice, turn left to stay on CR 37 for 11 miles. At the light in W Bloomfield, continue straight onto NY 65. Continue straight onto CR 35 when NY-65 curves to the left. In Monroe County, the road changes name to W Bloomfield Rd but continue straight. After crossing the Thruway, Thornell Rd is 1.4 miles. Turn right on Thornell Rd. At the end of Thornell Rd, turn right onto NY 96.  At the second light, turn left onto Kreag Rd. At the end of Kreag Rd, turn right onto Ayrault Rd. At the first light, turn left onto Moseley Rd (NY 250). In 0.9 miles, turn left into the Fairport Village Landing parking lot. Park on the far side of the parking lot, across the street from the Museum.

From Canandaigua: Tak3 NY 332 north to the Thruway.  Head west on the Thruway to exit 45. Take the first exit off I-490 onto NY 96. Pass Eastview Mall and turn right onto Moseley Rd (NY 250). In 0.9 miles, turn left into the Fairport Village Landing parking lot. Park on the far side of the parking lot, across the street from the Museum.

From Rochester: Take I-490 east to Exit 25 – NY31F Fairport. In 3.6 miles you will be in the village of Fairport. Turn left onto Perrin St (the last street before the light). Go past the Museum on the left and turn into the parking lot on the right.  Park across the street from the Museum.