Rochester Genesee River Trail
 

I like doing Family type bike rides and like to pass along the information to the customers at the Bike Shop. I had heard about this new trail that opened late last year and decided to give it a try.

This is the Rochester Genesee River Trail and it is one of many in the Rochester, NY area. Part of the problem with some of the trails here is they are not well connected and some of the streets you ride on to connect to another trail are NOT bike friendly in a family ride situation.

The Rochester Genesee River Trail has a number of parking areas that you can reach off of Lake Avenue in Rochester. Some of these Parking areas are brand new and won’t be on the maps yet. Looking at Google Earth, the image shown there is old enough that these places are not even shown for parking.

I found a handy parking area down near the new lift bridge, the Col Patrick O’Rorke Memorial Bridge.
I like doing Family type bike rides and like to pass along the information to the customers at the Bike Shop. I had heard about this new trail that opened late last year and decided to give it a try.

This is the Rochester Genesee River Trail and it is one of many in the Rochester, NY area. Part of the problem with some of the trails here is they are not well connected and some of the streets you ride on to connect to another trail are NOT bike friendly in a family ride situation.

The Rochester Genesee River Trail has a number of parking areas that you can reach off of Lake Avenue in Rochester. Some of these Parking areas are brand new and won’t be on the maps yet. Looking at Google Earth, the image shown there is old enough that these places are not even shown for parking.

I found a handy parking area down near the new lift bridge, the Col Patrick O’Rorke Memorial Bridge.
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Heading North from here takes you to Lake Ontario and the Pier along the outlet of the River. South from here takes you towards Turning Point Park. At this point heading south, the trail rides along the Genesee River and is in some very wooded tree covered spots. Wildlife abounds in this area and it’s not unlike you will see rabbits, groundhogs, raccoons and like on this ride even deer.
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A short ride south on the trail brings you to the start of the Boardwalk area that goes around the rim of the Turning Point area of the River. This is where large boats would tie up waiting to be unloaded and the turn round and head back out to the Lake.
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After you clear the trees and a slight downhill section you see the wide waters area and then most of the Boardwalk. As seen in this picture, it is quite an impressive length.
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This is from one of the Cement piers where boats used to tie off too. It shows the Boardwalk winding its way from the shoreline over to this first pier.
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This view is looking back to the North from where we have just come from.
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I then continued south along the trail and in a few miles the trail ended at Lake Avenue near the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. I then turned around and went back along the trail. There are a few splits on the trail that will take you by the different parking areas and allows you to do a few loops. Green trail markers show you were the trail goes too mark these intersections.

This next shot shows the other side of the head of the Boardwalk heading back towards the parking lot.
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Along with the new Col Patrick O’Rorke Memorial Bridge, there is the Port of Rochester and the Old Lighthouse that you can see from the trail.
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There are many places to eat down at the Port, some are seasonal but most are open all year long. There are also a few areas down in the Port that have open bathrooms, and water fountains to fill up your bottles.

I’ve had a few folks that wanted to see a picture of my new Clyde Bike that I built up and here it is.
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As the ride goes, it’s no problem with a MTB or Hybrid Bicycle. A Road Bike could do it also, although I am not sure how the boardwalk would feel on really narrow tires. The boards were placed tight together with little or no gaps to worry about. There was one area that had some dropped seeds and such from the trees. This might cause some problems with narrow tires as would the leaves in the fall. There are some hills on the ride. Most adult riders would have NO problem with these. For children on small bikes it might be an issue and it might require some coaxing to get them up the hills. This time of year there is always some breeze off the lake and with the trail being near the water or in the tree line it is a cool ride.

Great report, I ride that portion of the trail every time I'm out on a bike and it's a wonderful, serene place to be. Since I live just off of Lake Ave, almost uphill of the Turning Basin, the trail's almost in my back yard. If I can ad this info.... parking is available at the east end of Boxart Street, at the east end of Pettin St. and also at Charlotte beach. Though the trail officially starts at Pettin St. and runs south along the river, it is accessable from the beach. Your photos are way better than mine. Nice job.
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I did manage to capture this image of the Swan family in the Turning Basin though.

What a great place to ride. If I'm ever in the area I'll be sure to ride this one.

Lenny,

Thanks for adding some street names. I should have paid more attention to those. It is a great trail folks. I can't believe the amount of new construction in this area to support it also. Where I parked, the lot was very clean, well marked and almost private. Not many cars at all while I was there.

Bev, I was thinking about you during this whole ride. Reminds me of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area Trail that I've ridden in Ohio.

Chris

Those are some beautiful places to ride. I guess there are some advantages to living in such heavily populated areas where there is a tax base to support this kind of thing. Difficult for a small town boy like me to imagine.

My daughter and I rode the Cuyahoga Trail in 2000. We also did the old train ride through the valley. I enjoy trails with stops along the way to enjoy nature or historical places.

Last time I was there was 1999. I bought one of the trail pins and made a donation for the trail upkeep. I was hoping to find more trail pins but have found few. I would really like to go back there some day. I love seeing the 271 bridge that goes overhead. It's WAY UP THERE!

Chris

I've done that ride. You've captured it well.

Thank you very much for the pics!!!

really brings me back, I went to UofR for undergrad and grad school 92-97....now is the best time of the year before it gets too hot (and ofcourse too bleak and cold :-)

Thanks again!

We've done it several times on the Monday Night Small Ring Ride, right out of your shop. Just ask Kyle or Shana. No problem for the skinny tire set--except of course for the stares as all that lycra goes rolling past.

Very very cool.

I love the vicarious thrill I get from seeing photos from around the world.

If we all had bikes, there would be no more war.

I still have my trail pin. It's hanging in my office along with some pictures I took along the trail.

Most excellent. I can't wait to retire so I can travel around and do rides like this.