This Sunday we will explore the woods and fields overlooking Honeoye Lake on the west side, followed by a dish-to-pass social at the Affolter farm. Meet at 5422 County Road 37, about 2 miles south of Route 20A and 2 miles north of Canadice Town Hall. Park in the drive or on the road shoulder. Our hikes will take us up the ridge, through wooded trails and along gully rims. Get a scenic vista of the whole expanse of Honeoye Lake, from a new and different perspective.
There will be a longer hike for the Climbers of 3.5 to 4 miles, and a shorter hike for the Tourists-Naturalists of 2 to 3 miles. Hiking conditions should be good, but layers are advised, and traction devices and poles are recommended in case of mud.
Bring your favorite goodies along for an indoor dish-to-pass social at the hike starting point.
Directions: From Springwater, take Route 15A north 2.7 miles to a right on Johnson Hill Road. In 1.1 miles, make a left on County Road 37. Continue northeast for 6.7 miles, including a turn to the left after Canadice Town Hall. #5422 will be on your left, just before you leave the town of Canadice and about a half mile after you pass Hayward Hill Road and Jersey Hill Road.
From Honeoye/Hemlock: Take Route 20A east from Hemlock or west from Honeoye to the intersection with County Road 37. Go south approximately 1.9 miles. #5422 will be on the right, just past the Entering Town of Canadice sign.
The Sunday hike this week will be on Saturday 23rd April, and we will be participating in an Erie Canal Clean Sweep event in Macedon. This event is organized by someone other than Springwater Trails, so we will be joining them at the earlier time of 11:00am to walk a section of the Erie Canal in Macedon, pick up all the trash we can find and generally tidy up the towpath. We’ll limit our time at the event to something c
lose to our usual 2 hour hike.
We’ll meet at the parking lot near the boat launch in Macedon – See the map provided by the event organizer.
Please bring trash bags, secateurs and work gloves.
The Social: We’ll organize a social during the event.
Directions. NY 31 follows the canal east from Pittsford to Macedon. In Macedon turn north on 31F – Ontario Center Rd. In 0.2 miles, just before the canal, turn left into the park. Meet at the boat launch or in the parking lot.
NOTE: Please note the change of time to 3:00PM EDT. We plan to work until about 5:30.
This Sunday’s hike will be a joint event with NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Parks & Trails New York, and the NYS Parks and Recreation. It will be part of a state-wide network of events celebrating I Love My Park Day to honor New York’s state parks and state forests. Our effort will focus on making one of our closest patches of state land – Wheaton Hill in Springwater (42.657417, -77.564875) – cleaner and more hikable for visitors. The trails at Wheaton Hill are a small part of the Hemlock Canadice State Forest, a lovely patch of land in the hills of the Finger Lakes and is well worth a little TLC. We will split into several teams depending on how many people show up, with each team being assigned a route through the forest and tasks such as cutting grass, picking up trail debris, picking up trash, and general cleaning up the trails.
Please bring gloves to protect your hands, loppers or small clippers to cut branches and the ever present Multiflora roses. Other useful tools, if you have them, include a small saw for branches that are too large for the loppers, and a small shovel if you want to help direct some of the water on the path. If you want to do some serious damage, then bring a weed whacker and have at it. We will also have a sawyer at the event should there be fallen trees across a path. If you do plan to use power tools, PLEASE BRING EYE PROTECTION! These devices can kick up a lot of dust and small stones. Finally, a backpack may be useful to carry your water and saw while you use loppers to cut roses.
We will work on the Pine, Skid, Spruce and Redbud trails. Most of our work will be clearing fallen sticks off of the path and cutting back the roses and other growths. This organic debris will be moved off the trail, but left in the woods. Some garden duty trash bags will be available for carrying out any trash that has found its way into the forest..
The Social
We’ll have a picnic social if the weather if fine, otherwise we’ll just quit at the end of the day. All workers are invited to bring a sandwich or snack and beverage and a chair in case you wish to rest.
Directions: Wheaton Hill is the first right turn north of the intersection of Rt 15 and Rt 15A in Springwater (0.9 mile north of the intersection). The trail head is 0.5 miles up Wheaton Hill just before the road turns straight east and heads up the main hill. More details are on the directions page. Please park on the left side of the road as you come up the hill. There is a short entrance to the trails on the right side you can use to turn around.
What to bring:
- Gloves and clippers – hand clippers or long handled loppers for larger branches.
- Water to keep hydrated.
- A picnic dinner
- Solid boots to protect your feet
- Rain coat or poncho if the forecast changes
If you wish, bring one of the following
- A weed whacker if you want to cut grass, with gas mixture and extra string.
- Eye protection
- Small bow saw.
- Small shovel that is easy to carry
- Plastic grocery bags in case you find any litter.
The Springwater Center, founded in 1981 by Toni Packer, is located in the northwest portion of Springwater. The property contains open fields, forests and waterfalls and provides many opportunities to enjoy the beauty of Springwater. The Center offers silent meditation retreats and year-round guest visits, currently to fully vaccinated guests. Springwater Trails has been regular guests at the center, always enjoying the center’s hikes.
There will be up to three hikes for the group to select from, each lead by a leader well versed in both the history and the landscape of the Center’s property. We can expect up-close views of Mill Creek waterfalls, and long views of Springwater Valley.
All hikers will meet at Wayne Coger and Susan McCallum’s house. Their house is adjacent to the east side of the Center property. Hikes will start at 2:00. Following the hike, you are invited to a dish to pass social at Wayne and Susan‘s house. Please bring a dish to share or your own snack and your own beverage. Oven and microwave will be available to keep food warm or reheat, if needed.
Directions:
From Springwater: Heading south on Rte. 15A turn right onto Kellogg Road (1st right on the north edge of the village). Continue on Kellogg about ¾ mile to where Marrowback Road tees into Kellogg. Turn right onto Marrowback, continue about ¾ mile to the 1st driveway on the left. Turn left, continue a short distance to the top of the T and turn left again. One of us will meet you and direct you to parking areas. Similarly, if heading into Springwater on 15A from south of the village, turn left onto Kellogg at the north edge of town and then follow the directions above.
If coming south on 15, turn left onto Kellog (it loops between 15 & 15A and then left onto Marrowback. Then continue as written above.
Please click for detailed directions from Rochester, Livonia, and Naples.
