Friday, November 23, 2007
Genesee Land Trust Corbett's Glen site
Allen Creek/Corbett's Glen Preservation Group site
maps:
Corbett's Glen north (PDF)
Corbett's Glen south (PDF)
Channing Philbrick park (PDF)
Corbett's Glen photo slideshow
Channing Philbrick Park photo slideshow
I had originally hoped to get in both a walk with Ann and a ride today, so I checked several of my hiking books for someplace relatively flat (to lower the risk to her knees!) and eventually settled on Corbett's Glen in Brighton. We'd visited there back in 2005, but earlier this year we discovered that there was another entrance to the park off of Penfield Rd, near the southern entrance to Ellison Park. So I pulled up some maps online to see what the trails looked like and off we went.
The Glen has a rich history, as home to a Native American trading ground, a pre-Civil War powder mill, and later as home to the Corbett farm, which was eventually converted into a private park. Efforts to preserve the Glen from development date back to the 1970's, but it wasn't until 1999 that the property was purchased by the Genesee Land Trust and turned into Corbett's Glen Nature Park. Even today, proposed development of land to the east of Allen's Creek (along the eastern perimeter of the Glen) threatens to disrupt the scenic beauty and tranquility of the park.
Ann and I enjoyed a chilly but peaceful walk through the woods from Penfield Road down into the Glen. There are several trails that wind back and forth along the fairly narrow wooded strip, bordered on one side by a railroad embankment (as we were heading back to the car, a train rattled by) and on the other side by private homes. While it was somewhat cloudy much of the time, the bright gold leaves remaining on some of the trees and scattered along the ground created a nice contrast to the browns, greys, and greens of the trees and bushes and the light layer of snow that coated most surfaces. There's was one tricky bit - a steep descent into a ravine followed by a similarly steep ascent on the far side, just before entering the Glen - but overall it was a short, easy walk.
The water cascading over the waterfall in the railroad tunnel and over Postcard Falls further into the Glen was much higher than when we last visited, due to all the rain earlier in the week. It was pretty cool to see! Apparently the cold weather and high water was no deterrent for fly fishermen - we saw several as we walked along the creek. From there we walked the perimeter trail around the Glen, which runs through a field, along the base of some steep wooded hills, and then through a swampy area complete with a boardwalk.
Then we retraced our steps back through the northern portion of the park. Only saw a few people the entire time we were in the park, though we did startle one deer, who retreated into a bamboo grove and watched as we made our way past his hiding spot.
Back at the car, we set out in search of some hot chocolate for Ann, who was getting a bit cold, and I decided that it was getting too late for me to squeeze in a ride, so instead we headed over the Channing Philbrick Park in Penfield to check out the water in the Irondequoit Creek. Needless to say, it was just as impressive as Allen's Creek, and just as popular with the fishermen.
JMH
