This week our Sunday hike will be an easy out and back, hike or x-country ski depending on the weather with an after social at the Cottage Hotel in Mendon, New York.  The Mendon trail begins where we park at the Little League ball field just off Route 251 west of the four corners of Mendon, 3865 Rush-Mendon Road (Route 251). We’ll be hiking or skiing west from Mendon out about an hour with a turn-around at Chamberlain Road.  That’s about 4 miles out and back.  Those that wish more hiking, if time, can explore the trail east from Mendon toward Fishers.

This linear park has an interesting history.  It’s a 15 mile trail extending from the Ontario County line through Mendon and Rush to the Genesee River with a north extension into Henrietta. It was purchased in 1995 for $1,300,000 and was completed and transitioned in 2004 from the old Lehigh Valley railway to a recreational trail for biking, running, cross-country skiing, hiking and horseback riding.

After the hike about 4 pm, we’ll be walking from the ball park parking lot to the four corners of Mendon to the Cottage Hotel on the north east corner.  They are open until 8 pm on Sundays.

Directions:  From West Bloomfield at the traffic light head north on Route 65 and in .7 miles, don’t take the curve, go straight and you will be on County Route 35 (West Bloomfield Road).  Travel straight for 5.9 miles, when you reach the stop sign at Route 251, turn right.  In about a mile, right across from the Ye Mendon Tavern on your left, turn right into the parking lot at the Little League Ball Field.  Plenty of parking there.