Irondequoit Off The Beaten Path

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This is the road I travel to the Lake. Take 104 east or west and get off at Goodman. heading north down Goodman once you cross Titus it turns into Kings HWY. Take this road all the way to Lake Rd and in front of you will be Lake Ontario. (check out the new walking / biking path built along the lake. This area is best know as Durand Eastman Park/Beach. You will also pass by the Durand Golf Course. (public)

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Built in 1830. It has been moved twice. I have known it when it was called the Strawbery Salt Box, a gift shop, located on Portland Ave. near E. Ridge Road. It has since been moved to 1280 Titus Ave. right next door to the Town Hall (behind the gazebo) It is currently preserved as a historical building.

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Golfing, Swimming, Picnicing, Skiing
You willl find me here most of the summer at the beach on Lake Ontario. I have been coming here since I was 16yrs old. The best part is that you can just pull up, park and you are there.

The place is 1280 Titus Avenue, the venue is the town gazebo, the time is 2:30PM. It is summer, it is Sunday, it is music time.

Bring your own chair or lay a blanket on the grass and listen to two hours of commercial-free, entertaining, music. The genre of the music is all over the tonal spectrum: Bach, Fats Domino, Chubby Checkers, Elvis, Verde; modern, folk, classical. The list is posted on the website below.

Pick a weekend that you are in town and see what music you can hear. Or call the parks department (number is below) and ask for concert information.

Seneca Park in Irondequoit has about 300 acres in a long strip between the Genesee River on the west and St. Paul Blvd on the east.

There is one entrance/exit route and along the route are the picnic areas, swimming area, parking area, zoo, pond and walking trails.

Most of the joggers use the edge of the paved roadway for their exercise while the hikers and birders use the gravel pathways that hug the edge of the park by the Genesee Gorge. The view over the gorge wall is beautiful but be careful not to go beyond the security fence because it is a sheer drop of several hundred feet to the river.

The picnic areas are placed along the roadway for easy access and the pavilions are all at the north end of the park by the pond. There are restrooms at several locations. There is fishing in the pond but it is usually just for entertainment of the children. You won't catch a 5 pounder there.

The zoo is tucked into the eastern central part of the park and is the only part of the park where you have to pay to use. The swimming area is just south of the zoo.

Come on down and spend a restful couple of hours here either by yourself or with the kids.

The park closes at dusk and the area is not as friendly to tourists at night as it is in the day.

to get there: take route 104 to St.Paul Blvd exit and go north on St. Paul a short bit and see the signs.

Irondequoit Bay Park is an under-developed park on the west side of Irondequoit Bay just south of the Glen Haven neighborhood. It is somewhat isolated because of the single street access route and has been kept at a low develpment level so that the natural beauty of the cliffs along the shore line can be preserved. A small boat launch is available and fishing is done along the shore.

Hiking is popular here but there are many deer resident so be careful of getting ticks (Lyme disease is a possible problem) if you go hiking. Make sure pants are bloused and shirts sleeves are buttoned when you go into the wooded areas. Some birding has been done here but for some reason it is not a popular stop for migratory species.

to get there:
take I-590 to the Norton Street exit, go east on BayView Drive then onto Glen Haven Road that twists around south to the park entrance.

Irondequoit Bay Park East is, like its name says, on the east side of the bay. It is on the southern end of the bay where it gets a bit marshy.

Hiking and birding trails are abundant on the undeveloped park.
There are no boat official launches but I have seen people carry canoes to the water here.
Fishing is pretty good but much of the shore line is boggy so you have to pick your spot carefully or wear waders. Parts of the shoreline are also soft cliffs that appear suddenly from thick brush, so be take care not to take a fall.

to get there:
take I-590 to the Webster exit and take route 404 east then north to the park entrance.

This park is completely undeveloped and you have to hike back in off the main road to get to it which makes it great for birding and nature hiking.
There is a rudimentary launch area where a canoe or small row boat can be used. Fishing along the bank of the Bay is usually pretty good also because it is so little utilized.

Not the type of park for a family outing, but great for a couple of adults to get some time into nature and away from hustle-bustle.

to get there:
take route 104 (seaway trail) east from Rochester across Irondequoit Bay to Bay Road on the east side of the Bay. go south on Bay Road about 1000 feet and see the trail sign to the park.
Parking is allowed along the road edge but be careful to pull enough off the road so that you are not a traffic hazard but not so far off the road that you get stuck in the roadside ditch.