Life is a grand adventure. Go live it.
- Unknown
Lehigh Valley Rail Trail - July 12, 2025
The Lehigh Valley Trail is part of a growing system of rail-trails in western New York. The trail is sometimes called the Black Diamond Trail, which comes from the Lehigh Valley Railroad's nickname, "The Route of the Black Diamond." The railroad's main line stretched 535 miles between Buffalo and New York City from 1892 to 1981, and was used for hauling anthracite coal (black diamonds) from Pennsylvania. In 1995 an agreement was signed to turn the abandoned rail corridor into a rail trail. It’s an unusual dual trail system, with a 10 foot wide multi-use trail and a parallel 5 foot wide equestrian trail.
 |
| Map of the trail. We started at the red marks beyond the "Finish" and headed to around the midpoint. |
The entire length of the finished trail is 16.4 miles stretching between the towns of Scottsville and Victor. We started our ride at the western trailhead just south of Scottsville. The first 1/2 mile of trail was a bit rough as we made our way past open meadows and a light industrial area before riding down a hill to Wadsworth Junction. At this point the trail intersects the Genesee Valley Greenway. We could see some remains of the former railroad in the form of large stone abutments.
We next approached the Wadsworth (Genesee River) Bridge over the river. The trestle bridge was once 3,000 feet long, but now the only the section that remains is the one that crosses over the river.
After crossing over the Greenway and the bridge, the trail changed to crushed-stone and was easier to ride on. From that point on the trail travels through wetlands and through a wooded corridor with occasional fields on either side. After coming out of the woods we headed down a small incline and followed the trail along a short on-road section to pass under the I-390 (Genesee Expressway) bridge. Back on the trail we crossed over the Honeoye Creek before arriving in the charming little town of Rush.
In addition to having a few places to eat, riders can take a break at the Veterans Memorial Park in Rush where there is a viewing platform above the creek and a gazebo. The village once had a train depot and a mill along the banks of the Honeoye Creek, but only the mill dam exists today.
We continued riding along the tree-lined trail to the Rochester Junction trailhead in Honeoye Falls. The trailhead here provides parking areas, bathrooms and water fountains. In addition, there are remnants of the railroad and a replica freight house for visitors to explore.
Just past the junction, about the midway point of the trail, the northern extension of the Lehigh Valley Trail joins the main segment of the trail. This part of the trail is still under development and will eventually connect to the Erie Canal Towpath about 5 miles to the north.
We rode our bikes a bit further along the trail, but decided to turn around at the next road junction. If we had continued to the end in Victor, another rail trail picks up there and runs about 11 miles between Victor and Farmington. But it was a particularly hot day, and although a lot of the trail was partially shaded, we had had enough sun for one day.
We didn't take any photos on this bike ride, by you can view a YouTube video of it by clicking here.
Mt. Morris Dam & Recreation Area - July 14, 2025
The Mt. Morris Dam & Recreation Area is a flood control dam operated by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers on the Genesee River. This free attraction includes a Visitor Center, playground, picnic shelters and an overlook.
The dam was built in the late 1940s to reduce the risk of flooding on the lower Genesee River. It's the largest concrete "dry" dam east of the Mississippi. The dam provides flood protection along 67 miles of the Genesee River Valley as the river winds its way from the village of Mount Morris to the city of Rochester where it enters Lake Ontario.
 |
| Mt. Morris Dam |
The dam is only used to to hold back water to prevent flooding. Usually, the river flows freely through the open dam. But when the dam is closed, the water backs up to fill Letchworth Canyon until it can safely be released.
Our visit to the dam was in the morning on July 14, before the visitor center was open. We spent a few minutes at the overlook watching vultures soaring on the wind currents above the valley cut by the river. Other than the riverbed below, there really wasn't a lot to see, so we didn't stay long.
|
|
Stony Brook State Park - July 15, 2025
We visited Stony Brook State Park during the morning of July 15, 2025. The park is located south of Dansville and features a beautiful gorge with waterfalls. The park and campground are considered pet-friendly except where posted.
The park has much to offer in addition to the waterfalls. The North Entrance is primarily for day-use visitors. There are picnic areas, grills, restrooms, a playground, a natural stream-fed pool and hiking trails. The park also offers a variety of playing fields that include tennis courts, baseball fields, volleyball and basketball courts. Hikers have a choice of 3 trails, each about a mile long, but with quite a bit of stairs making them moderately difficult and not ADA accessible.
Although we didn't visit it, the park has a campground with 88 campsites, 1 group campsite, and 8 rustic cabins which are accessed from the park's South Entrance. The campground doesn't have electric or water at any of the campsites or in the cabins, but it does have public restrooms in each loop and a dump station.
We entered the park's North Entrance and headed straight for the park's Gorge Trail, which begins at the park's stream-fed pool. The pool was closed for cleaning during our visit, which meant no crowds to navigate as we made our way along the trail, which passes by 3 major waterfalls.
The stone trail through the gorge and the bridges that cross over the creek were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and give a rustic appearance to the trail. We had to be careful navigating along the trail because the stone walkway was wet and slippery in several places.
|
|
We saw at least six smaller falls as we would our way along the trail, but the main attraction were the 3 main falls, each of which plunge into pools at the bottom.
There weren't any signs naming the falls as we walked through the canyon, but this was the first of the larger falls we came upon.
Next we crossed over the stream on a wooden bridge with a small waterfall running under it.
After passing over the bridge the trail followed along on a stone ledge before arriving at the next major waterfall.
Next we climbed up some steep stone steps to the top of the falls.
A short distance later we arrived at the uppermost of the large falls.
Walking a little further above the last waterfall, we found another small waterfall.
Just before arriving at the steep stone stairs that would take the trail up out of the canyon and back through the forest above, we could see the stone abutments from a bridge further up the stream. These were once used to support the Dansville High Bridge, which was the second highest railroad bridge in the country at the time it was built. The trestle was completed in 1886 and was used by the Pittsburgh, Shawmut & Northern Railroad until it was replaced by a steel bridge in 1907. It stretched 700 feet long and stood 245 feet above the gorge. The railroad also built a steep wooden staircase leading down into the gorge giving passengers access to it, but it only lasted a few years before it was removed due to safety concerns. The last train crossed the gorge in 1938 and the trestle was removed in 1948. All that remains today are the trestle foundations.
Instead of climbing out of the canyon via the stone stairs, we decided to retrace our route back to the start, just so we could enjoy the views of the canyon and the waterfalls one more time.
The gorge at Stony Brook State Park was absolutely beautiful with the high walls, waterfalls and greenery giving it a Jurrasic Park-like feel. You really can't appreciate fully the beauty of this place from the short clips posted above. Please feel free to view our YouTube video which shows more clearly the depth of the canyon, the many rock ledges along the trail, and all of the beautiful waterfalls.
If you're ever in the area - this is one you shouldn't miss! Just keep in mind that New York State Parks charge a $10/day entry fee per car. We had purchased a yearly pass prior to our trip because we knew we were planning to spend a lot of time in the state's parks. We just packed everyone into one truck and got plenty of use out of it!
Silver Lake State Park - July 15, 2025
Silver Lake is located near Perry New York, just a short distance from Letchworth State Park. The 836-acre lake is 2.3 miles long and a little more than 1/2 mile wide at its widest point. It's a popular fishing spot.
The lake is accessible from Silver Lake State Park at the southern end of the lake. The state park has a boat launch facility, picnic facilities and a public restroom. We drove to the state park and launched our kayaks in the early evening.
 |
| View from the lake |
Although we didn't see a lot of wildlife during our paddle on the lake, we did see bald eagles flying high overhead as well as some other waterbirds. Other than that, there really wasn't a lot to see at the end of the lake where the launch was located. We didn't really want to venture far beyond the launch area because boats with motors are permitted on the lake and we could see many of them speeding along pulling water-skiers and tube-riders.
We only spent about an hour on the lake, but we did enjoy our float, especially while watching the eagles flying overhead.
|
|
* All photos and videos are the property of the blog owners unless otherwise noted. *
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.