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| Photo courtesy Rochester Birding Association. |
You don’t have to be a naturalist to enjoy the great outdoors, even if it’s just an easy walk through the woods so here are some places to get you started. It was the naturalist John Muir who wrote “the mountains are calling and I must go.”
It was in an an 1873 letter, describing the pull he felt for California’s Yosemite before it was a national park. And while we don’t have California weather, or mountains here, the point applies to anyone who loves to put feet on the ground.
Except that this time of year, the ground around here is either frozen solid or full of mud. It’s been a bit of both this week, which doesn’t make for optimal hiking conditions.
Maybe that’s why the call seems to grow with intensity this time of year. While it’s certainly not impossible to enjoy a hike in February, it’s usually more comfortable in the summer months and many of us choose to wait until then.
I’ve been feeling the call quite urgently these past few days and whether I hit the trail this week or this summer remains to be seen. But either way, it got me to thinking about which trails I enjoy the most. So, in order, my Top 5.
Taylor Marsh in Honeoye, along Allen’s Hill Road. It’s a 600-acre plot owned by The Bergen Swamp Society, which owns several other area nature preserves.
The Taylor Marsh is among my favorites because its so accessible and simple. The entry point is easy to find along Allen’s Hill Road and the grassy area right off the road is where you park.
The mowed trails are easy to navigate, making it more of a walk than a hike. And if you move through the property as you should, that is quietly, chances are excellent you’ll spot plenty of deer.
The one big summer drawback is seeing the vegetation fully grown along the trails. It’s tall and hides you from wildlife, but the converse also is true. So it can be difficult to spot animals unless you’re moving through with the aforementioned silence.
It’s easy to spend close to an hour exploring all the mowed trails, so it’s time well-spent. Below the mowed trails is a marsh that doesn’t invite walking, but it’s an excellent opportunity for cameras or binoculars to sit and watch.
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| Photo courtesy AllTrails.com |
Trails along Hemlock Lake. After taking Route 15A through Hemlock, about 30 minutes southwest of Canandaigua, you can find the boat launch along the eastern shore or drive to the end of the lake for an area to park your car. It’s all part of more than 6,000 acres of state-owned land.
The walk along the shore trail offers fantastic views of the water and always takes my mind to a place where I wonder what it was like here during a couple of eras. First, the days of the Seneca. How bountiful was this lake for their needs?
Second, the heyday of tourism in the 1800s that included hundreds of cottages and several hotels. Once the lake became the source of drinking water for Rochester, in the 1870s, development ceased and structures eventually were torn down to make what we see today.
But if you look carefully as you walk the trail along the eastern shore, you’ll spot the remnants of foundations from long ago.
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| Photo courtesy I Love NY. |
Harriet Hollister Spencer State Recreation Area. This park covers just over 1,500 acres at the south end of Honeoye Lake.
While it’s great to hike, it’s also a fantastic area for cross-country skis and snowshoes. And because of its elevation at 2,133 feet (Canandaigua is at 750 feet), there often is more snow at this park than in other area parks.
The park has trails through the woods tough enough to challenge you, but there are some wide roads to accommodate the beginner as well.
But the best part of this park is the view you get of Honeoye Lake, looking north. Once you spot the vista from the main trail into and out of the park, it’s the kind of view that makes you stop, take a deep breath, smile and stare.
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| Photo courtesy Waymarking.com |
Bristol Hills Branch of the Finger Lakes Trail. If you want a hike to test your lungs and legs, this is the one. It’s not as difficult as any of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks, but it’s as close as you can get in this area.
The Branch is technically part of the Finger Lakes Trail that crosses New York State and the best parking spot for the start of this hike is on West Hollow Road (County Road 33) north of Naples. You’ll have to look carefully for it, though, especially for a summer hike when the foliage is full.
Once you cross the road and head eastward on the trail, it’s an easy walk for a bit until you hit the hills and that’s when fitness, or lack of it, can be an issue.
But once you plow through the steep climbs and reach the top of hill, you can follow the trail until you reach the overlook for Gannett Hill and that view is breathtaking. Especially in the fall.
If you’re not up for the challenge of this hike, you can still see the view. Enter the Ontario County Park off of Route 64. You can drive into the park, get out and a short, easy walk through the woods will take you to the overlook for Gannett Hill.
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| Photo courtesy AllTrails.com |
Boughton Hill Park in Bloomfield. A true gem of a park in our area and the catch is, it’s open only to residents of Bloomfield and Victor. It covers 300-plus acres with 5 miles of trails and a pair of ponds that cover 56 acres.
The hiking is casual and cool, perfect for an energizing breath of fresh air. The paddling can be calm and serene and if you park at the lot on Stirnie Road, the carry for your craft is just a few feet to the shore.
The abundance of wildlife is what you’d expect and the variety of trails is fantastic for cross-country skiing.
Some of my personal favorites among the memories here include cross-country skiing at night during a heavy snowfall and seeing the work of beavers along one of the more remote pone shores.
Of course, going on a hike here as a first date with the woman who turned out to be my wife is at the top of the list. It ranks even higher than catching 3 or 4 bass in the West Pond on my wedding day in 2009.
So there’s my list. Where’s yours?
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