Rifle Range Trail, Ellison Park Wetlands Center
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Penfield Parks Trails info (includes links to trail maps)
Wegmans Passport to Family Wellness program
Ellison Park Rifle Range trails map (PDF)
additonal info about the Rifle Range trails
photo slideshow
A little background - back in June Ann picked up two Passport booklets for us at the Adirondack Outdoor Expo at Mendon Ponds Park. The idea is simple enough - there are 13 trails in Penfield that are part of the Passport to Wellness program. At each there is a trail marker with an embossed ID plate that you make a rubbing of in your booklet. Visit 6 and you can get a T-shirt; visit 10 and you're entered for a chance to win a catered picnic at the lodge at the main park in Penfield. Ann and I visited 5 of the trails in early July, and then visited another 4 in August, so today we decided to get in the last of the 10. Two of the remaining walks were sidewalk routes around the center of Penfield, which sounded kind of dull, and we'd visited the Irondequoit Bay Park East last fall and found it scenic but very hilly. So for today's hike we ended up heading over to the Ellison Park Wetlands Center to walk the Rifle Range trails.
The northernmost portion of Ellison Park, located between Empire Blvd and Browncroft Blvd, is home to the Irondequoit Creek wetlands, as well as mainly forested trails running throughout the glacial moraines. The property was originally home to a private gun club starting in 1933; club members used the ranges there, and later the property was also used by the National Guard, the Army, the NY State Police, and the Rochester PD for firearms training. (Info from both Rich and Sure Freeman's Take A Hike! Family Walks in the Rochester Area and the Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club.) In 1994 the property was purchased and made a part of Ellison Park.
We'd had a fairly drizzly day, so this was bound to be a damp hike (though most of it was under tree cover, so it wasn't as bad as I expected.) This was a gorgeous place to hike - up and down hills under both deciduous forest and evergreens, with a couple of short stretches through overgrown fields. At the southernmost portion of the trail, we walked along the bank of the Irondequoit Creek and had great views of the wetlands, where we saw herons and ducks and heard kingfishers chattering away in the distance. At one point we even came on a hawk perched in a tree not far off the path (he flew off before I could get his picture, unfortunately.)
We saw occasional evidence of the gun club, in the form of concrete steps, what was probably the old gate, and one of the gun ranges, complete with rusted target machinery. We also took a brief break in a gazebo on top of a hill, with views of the forest all around. Unfortunately, neither of us brought water or food, and the hills and distance (between 3 and 3 1/2 miles) took their toll... we were both dragging a bit by the time we got back to the car.
I have decided that next summer I simply have to get to Ellison to run... the trails today and the one we hiked back in July (the Coyotes Den trail) were great, albeit a bit on the hilly side.
While we were walking along the creek, Ann said repeatedly that we have to kayak the creek next summer, so I guess she's also been somewhat bitten by the paddling bug. Maybe I won't have such a hard time justifying buying a kayak next year after all...
So that wraps up our Penfield hikes, now we just have to find out when the Recreation Office is open so we can turn in our booklets and get our T-shirts and chances to win the catered picnic. With luck they'll do the Passport to Wellness program again next year, and we'll have a good excuse to wander around on these wonderful trails again. If not, we'll just have to do it anyway!
click for larger image
On the way back we stopped to take some photos of the bay and ended up watching a great heron catching fish in the water near the marina. I also took some nice shots (though grey and cloudy) of the expanse of the bay. All in all, a fun way to spend an otherwise dreary afternoon!
JMH
