Irondequoit again, finally.
Irondequoit has kind of been getting the short end of the stick lately. I’m already more than 40 parks into my quest, and only two of those have been in Irondequoit. It's small consolation that Irondequoit’s Helmer Nature Center will always be the very first park I conquered on my list, and actually served as the inspiration for my 100-parks challenge.
Still, I figured it was about time to get back to Irondequoit and show it some lovin’.
My morning started, actually, with a very pleasant and beautiful bike ride through Turning Point Park in Charlotte and up to the Port of Rochester. Since that’s all city property, I won’t write about it here, but I highly recommend making that trip.
My first Irondequoit park stop was at the very north end of the town.
Spezio Park
Spezio Park is a very small neighborhood area at the very north end of St. Paul Blvd., just past where it turns west toward the river. Its only features are two run-down tennis courts and a small playground. I didn't even turn off the car to take my photos. I only needed one shot (below) to get pretty much the entire park.
If you’re in the area to check out this park for yourself, just wave at it as you go by, and keep driving down to the river. There’s a parking area down there and some pretty nice scenery.
Seneca Park
If you’ve got kids, you’ve most likely been to the Seneca Park Zoo on St. Paul Blvd. But don't think that the small playground on the zoo’s access road and wooded area surrounding it is Seneca Park. The zoo actually represents a small fraction of the much larger Seneca Park.
Next time you’re headed to the zoo, don’t pull into the parking lots. The access road continues to the left of the zoo’s main entrance and down into the belly of Seneca Park. There’s a swing gate and a park staff member there to greet you as you enter, but there’s no admission charge. He told me the gate was just to slow people down.
The road makes a large one-way loop around the north end of the park, around Trout Lake, past picnic tables and grills, a lodge, a handful of shelters, and a playground. It would be a very nice place to picnic.
A 1.8-mile section of the Genesee Riverway Trail passes through the Seneca Park as well. The 24-mile Riverway Trail actually begins at the north end of the park at Seneca Park Ave.
The gallery below: 1) this is probably what most people think IS Seneca Park, the zoo and the 2) playground. But drive further and you'll discover beautiful Trout Lake (3 and 4), and some nice natural and picnicking areas (5, 6 and 7)
St. Paul Pocket Park
This is a cute little, unpretentious neighborhood green space.
Pocket Park is located at the corner of Collingwood and St. Paul, across from the zoo access road, and really offers nothing but simple beauty. And a butterfly garden. And a charming garden of decorated bricks at the base of one tree. Basically, it would be a nice place to read a book and watch the world go by.
