We will be hiking the original Rob’s Trail on Nature Conservancy land on the east side of Rt 15A, the connector trail down to Canadice Lake and the southern portion of the Canadice Lake Trail along the west side of the lake.  Everyone should meet at the Rob’s Trail parking area just to the east of where Old Bald Hill Road South meets Route 15A in the Town of Canadice, Ontario County.  Please come early to arrange for car pools.  After the hike, we will have a social in the parking area.  People attending the social should bring a dish to pass, their own beverage and something to sit on.  In the case of rain we will go to the American Legion on Mill Street in Springwater for pizza.

There will be three different hikes with varying levels of difficulty.  The three hikes will be:

1. Up from Canadice Lake ~ 4 miles (the Climbers);
2. Down to Canadice Lake ~ 4 miles (the Tourists);
3. Along Canadice with no climbing ~ 2 miles (the Naturalists).

The Climbers and Naturalists will car pool from the parking area to the south end of Canadice Lake.  Directions will be available at the start of the hike.

The Climbers will start at the south end of Canadice Lake and go along the lake trail to the Rob’s Trail connector trail and then continue around Rob’s trail to the parking area.

The Tourists will do the reverse hike, starting at the Rob’s Trail parking area.  They will hike half way around Rob’s Trail and then descend to Canadice Lake, taking the lake trail out to the south end.  They will use the Climbers cars to return to the parking area.

The Naturalists will do a flat hike next to Canadice Lake.  This group will start with the Climbers and will walk for a mile or so along the lake trail and then return along the same trail to their cars.

Hikers wishing to complete the full 4 mile hike should consider whether they want to climb up Bald Hill or go down the hill.  It is a 600 foot climb in 0.4 miles. The Climbers will be going up the hill and the Tourists will be going down (harder on the knees).

NOTE: Pets are not permitted on Nature Conservancy land at the top of Bald Hill. Hikers with dogs should go with the Naturalists or start with the Climbers and then join the Tourists when the two groups meet.

Directions: We will meet at the Rob’s Trail parking area on the east side of NY 15A (the entrance is actually on Old Bald Hill South. Directions are available here.

This week, Springwater Trails is starting a series of monthly hikes along the Letchworth Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail. This 25 mile long trail passes along the top of the Letchworth Gorge on the eastern side of the park. The trail is known for beautiful views of the gorge for a vantage point that is often unfamiliar to regular visitors to the Letchworth Park. In addition to the main gorge and the Genesee River, there are many small streams that cross the park from east to west, carving gullies that must be crossed by hikers. So, we will often experience detours from the edge of the Gorge where these gullies are steep and deep, eastward to the head of the gully where crossings are possible.

Our hike this Sunday will begin on the Greenway in Mt Morris. The Climbers will hike through the Al Lorenz County Park, past the Mt Morris Dam to Access C, a total of about 3.5 miles. The first half of the hike will be up a fairly steep hill to reach the flat area at the top of the gorge.  The Tourist group will do the same hike in reverse – trading the steep climb for a steep descent.  The Naturalists hike will be primarily flat. They will start at the Dam parking area and head north to the Wildlife Loop for a 1.5 mile hike. After returning to the parking area, the Naturalists may want to head south on the Letchworth Branch trail to enjoy some views of the gorge. 

All hikers will meet at the parking area 400 feet north west of State St on Main St in Mt. Morris. Please come early to help arrange car pooling to Access Pt C at the south end of this week’s hike.

The Tourists will drive to Access Pt C (Hogsback overlook) to start their hike. After parking, they will immediately enjoy a view of the Letchworth Gorge. Turning to the right, they will follow the Letchworth Branch blazed yellow for about a mile to the Mt. Morris Dam Visitor Center parking lot. Yellow blazed are painted on the lamp posts down the center of the parking area, Continue across the parking area to the right corner of the visitor center where you will find a mowed trail heading diagonally across the field. On the far side of the field, continue to follow the yellow blazes. When you join the Wildlife loop, stay to the left to follow the yellow and blue blazes. The yellow blazes will leave the Wildlife loop to the left to start the descent along the gorge. After passing an old log cabin, you will see the pavilions of Al Lorenz County Park. Take the lane to the left up the hill to the Livingston County campus. Turn left on Sickles Rd and walk the road down around several switchbacks. At the bottom, the yellow blazes end at the Genesee Valley Greenway. Turn right on the Greenway and follow the trail beside the old Genesee Valley Canal to Main St and the awaiting cars.

The Naturalists will car pool to the Mt Morris Dam parking area to start their hike. If they arrive at the parking area before 4:30, they may want to spend a few minutes in the Visitor’s Center. Exiting the visitor center, turn left on the sidewalk and walk to the field. Follow the yellow blazes for the Letchworth Branch into the woods to the Wildlife Loop. Turn right onto the Wildlife loop, follow the blue blazes around until it rejoins the Letchworth Branch.  Continue on the Blue/Yellow trail back to the start of the Wildlife Loop, then continue on the Yellow Letchworth Branch to return to the Visitor’s Center. Based on time, the Naturalists may want to spend time in the park around the Dam, or go to the South end of the parking lot and pick up the Letchworth Branch for a short out and back hike. 

The Climbers will start from the meeting place along the sidewalk down hill to the Genesee Valley Greenway. Cross Main St and stay on the Greenway to Sickles Ave to the start of the Letchworth Branch of the FLT. Turn left and follow the road to the top.  There are occasional blazes as you go up. At the top the road turns left but the trail continues straight (W) past a
dumpster on the right, down a lane to Al Lorenz County Park. Stay to the right to find the yellow blazes, into Letchworth Park, along the gorge. At the sign for the Wildlife Loop, stay on the Letchworth Branch. The trail will come out onto a mowed path to the Visitor Center, along the length of the parking lot, to a kiosk where the trail enters the woods and follows the gorge to Hogsback overlook (Access C). The climbers will then use the Tourist’s cars to return to the parking area (I hope you remembered to swap keys when you met the tourists on the hike up).

Following the Hike, we will all drive to Al Lorenz park for a pot luck social. Please bring a dish to pass and your own beverage. In case of rain, we will go to the Charred American Bar + Grill at 36 Main St across from the meeting area.

Directions to the meeting location:

From Springwater: Follow NY-15 N for 1.5 mile. Turn left on Liberty Pole Rd, which becomes Springwater-Scottsburg Rd, and Groveland Scottsburg Rd, for a total of 8.1 miles. Turn right onto NY-63 N. Turn left onto NY 408 into Mt. Morris. At the Main St light, turn right and park in the first parking area on the right (about 400 ft.).

From Wayland: Head south on NY-15. Turn right onto I-390 past the Dansville exits to Exit 36 (16.3 mi) for NY 36, Mt. Morris. Turn left on NY-36N for 5.2 miles onto Main St. The parking area is about 400 feet beyond the light at NY 408 on the right.

From Rochester: Take I-390 S to Exit 7 for NY 408 Mt Morris. Turn left (south-west) on NY 408. At the Main St light, turn right and park in the first parking area on the right (about 400 ft.).

Directions for carpools to the hike start: Turn left onto Main St. Take the second right on Chapell St (NY 408S) In 1.8 miles, turn right onto Visitor Center Rd. Tourists will stop in 1.1 miles at the Hogsback Overlook. Naturalists will stay on Visitor Center Rd for 1.7 miles to the parking log at the center.

Directions to Al Lorenz Park: 

From Main St Parking Lot: Turn right onto Main St. Turn left onto Grove St. Turn right onto Murray Hill Dr. Take the first left onto Al Lorenz Dr. Take the first right into the park. 

From the Visitor Center parking lot: Turn right onto Visitor Center Rd.  Take the first left onto Damsite Rd. Turn left onto Tallman Rd. In 1.2 mi, turn left into the park.

From Hogsback Overlook parking lot: Turn left onto Visitor Center Rd.  Take the first right onto Damsite Rd. Turn left onto Tallman Rd. In 1.2 mi, turn left into the park.

A brief preview of the Springwater Trails Letchworth Series.

Our series of hikes will start at the northern end of the trail in the village of Mt Morris. The first hike (August) starts on the Greenway in Mt Morris to the Letchworth Branch intersection and upward past the Mt Morris Dam to Access C, a total of about 3.5 miles. In September, we will continue with a 4 mile hike to Access D, then 2.9 miles to Access E (Oct), 6 miles to Access F (Nov), 2.4 miles to Access G (Dec), 3.6 miles to Access H (Jan), 4 miles to Access K (Feb) and a final 3 miles (or so) in March to meet up with the main Finger Lakes Trail just past Portageville.  The construction of a new railroad bridge over the Genesee at the south end of the trail has required re-routing of the Letchworth Branch onto road walks. We expect the trail to be reopened by March, but if necessary we will postpone our final hike until the trail is opened.

This Sunday we’ll have a chance to see the Wesley Hill Preserve from a different angle with the option of an off-trail walk down a hemlock-lined stream bed.

We will meet at 3:45 at the parking lot on Gulick Road, north of Cummings Nature Center and south of Wesley Road.   Both Climbers and Tourists will follow the Red Trail past the pond to the spot where it crosses a side stream (not the much deeper Briggs Gully).  Hikers comfortable with the rough terrain of the stream bed will head down the stream  about .8 miles, to the point where the Red Trail again crosses the stream, near the Wenrich Cabin (about an hour of streambed hiking), and then return on the Red Trail, with a detour on the Green Trail down into Briggs Gully for those wanting more of a climb.   The stream gradient is gentle, and it’s likely to have a moderate amount of water in some sections and be dry in others. There are occasional fallen trees to negotiate over or under.  Caution and flexibility are required.  The level of difficulty is similar to what we saw last week in Clark’s Gully.  Wear footwear with good traction that you don’t mind getting wet, and poles are recommended. 

For those looking to stay on a trail, the Climber group will follow the Orange and Red Trails for a total of 4 miles.   The Naturalists will hike to the pond and into the relatively level woods beyond on the Red Trail, retracing their steps when they choose.

Wesley Hill is a Finger Lakes Land Trust property of 390 acres on the hill east of Honeoye Lake.  including stands of northern hardwoods, red and white pines, a woodland pond, and the northern edge of Briggs Gully, as well as the Wenrich Cabin, set in an old forest overlooking the gully, deep in the woods.  A network of trails through the preserve offers excellent hiking routes of various lengths and levels of difficulty. The preserve was established in 1999 by the generous donation of 90 acres by the children of three artists – John Wenrich, James Havens and Colburn Dugan – to the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Since that time, the Land Trust has expanded Wesley Hill through the purchase or donation of four additional parcels.

Following the hike, the optional social will be at the Boat House Grill behind Trident Marina, 5226 East Lake Rd, Honeoye, NY.

Directions: 

From Honeoye: take route 20A east through Honeoye to East Lake Road (CR 33). Turn right onto East Lake Road. (If coming from Bristol or points east, its a left onto East Lake Road).  Take the first left, staying 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 to the first right turn on Gulick Rd.  Follow Gulick for about 7 miles.  The parking area is on the left.

Directions to the Social from the trailhead:

Via the seasonal part of Wesley Rd.: Turn left out of the parking area and head north on Gulick Road. Turn left on Wesley Road, the first left. At the bottom, turn right on East Lake Rd. The marina is on the left in 3.1 miles. The Boat House Grill is in the back of the building with a view of the lake.

Via Gulick Rd:  Turn left out of the parking area on Gulick Road. In about 3 miles, the road bears left and becomes Pinewood Hill Rd. At the stop sign, turn left to stay on Pinewood Hill Rd (CR 33). In 0.4 mi, turn left onto E Lake Rd. In 0.8 miles, turn right at the sign for Trident Marine. The Honeoye Boat House Grill is about 150 feet down on the back of the building with a view of the lake.

Sunday’s hike takes us to the Seneca nation’s Great Hill at the southeast corner of Canandaigua Lake.

We will meet at 3:45 PM at the NYS DEC parking lot at the juncture of West Avenue and  Sunnyside Road, in the Town of Italy and at the south end of the Middlesex Valley.   There will be no formal groups – Tourists and Climbers may turn around and return to the start when they see fit.  At Clark Gully, which is easy walking distance from the DEC parking lot, we will view the emergence spot of the Onundawaga (Seneca) from a previous world to this one (in distinction to the story of Sky Woman, who fell). Their name means People of the Great Hill, and this is it.

After that short walk we will adjourn to the West River Nature Preserve, a Finger Lakes Land Trust property right across Sunnyside Road to look at signs and explanations of the 32 acre property which is prime grassland bird habitat now (previously was abandoned vineyard). Then we will walk on Sunnyside Road south and west toward Canandaigua Lake until we come to the Great Hill Nature Preserve (also FLLT) about 1 mile up and to the left (sign), and we will turn into it and walk a trail about 1.5 miles to its end, then turn and come back to our cars.  All in all, about 3.5 miles. What with gawking it should take us about 2 hours.

Social gathering is at the Middletown Tavern, 183 S. Main St., Naples.

Directions:
From Springwater and points south, west and northwest:  Go to Naples, then turn onto Route 245 opposite Bob’s and Ruth’s. After 4 miles, turn left on Sunnyside Road. The parking area is on your right, in about .4 miles.

From Rushville, and points north and east: From Rushville, take Route 245 South 9.75 miles through Middlesex and on to the Sunnyside intersection. Make a right, go .4 miles to the parking area on your right.