Back to Irondequoit
I took advantage of yet another glorious summer day to knock off four parks in Irondequoit today. Three of them I had never been to, but the fourth is a favorite.
Joshua Park
Joshua Park is a nice-sized neighborhood park in West Irondequoit, located behind Irondequoit Plaza and the Hudson Avenue Wegmans. It was originally named Irondequoit Plaza Park, but in 2005 was re-dedicated to the memory of young Josh Rojas, who passed away while playing soccer there.
Two large soccer fields make up most of the park but there is a well-tended playground and a half-mile long walking path around the perimeter. According to the Town of Irondequoit website, there are also bocce courts and horseshoe courts, but I didn't happen to see them.
There are a few access points on the west side of the park, off of Seville Drive and Rogers Parkway. However, the best place to park is probably behind the Wegmans, and you can get into the park from there. There are no bathrooms.
The gallery shows the walking path, the soccer fields and the playground.
Heyer-Bayer Memorial Park
Heyer-Bayer is another neighborhood park, this one in East Irondequoit, on the west side of Seabreeze parkway (Rt. 590) and just south of Seneca Road. You can’t access it from the 590 side, which is well fenced off. However, Rudman, Brandon and Pemberton roads all lead to the small 12-car parking lot.
The park sports a softball diamond and the “Irondequoit Rotary Play Area.” I don't know why it’s called the “Rotary” play area. Perhaps they helped fund it or build it. I also haven’t been able to find out who “Heyer-Bayer” is (are?). There’s a kiosk near the playground which has Irondequoit Rec notices, and I thought there might be some indication there, but nothing.
There is also a Porta-Potty, but one online review of the park said that it was locked, the assumption being it was only open during sporting events. Too bad.
Below are images of the softball field, the playground and the informational kiosk.
Birch Hills Park
If you go onto Google Maps and look up “Birch Hills Park,” chances are good the result will show you someplace near Anchorage Alaska. That’s what happened to me. Searching “Birch Hills Park Irondequoit” doesn’t do much better. That’s because according to Google Maps, this park does not exist. However, the Town of Irondequoit says it does. Its website says this about Birch Hills Park:
It’s located on Birch Hills Drive “(North side, off of Breezeway Drive),” it’s a “20-acre passive park...great for hiking or walking,” with parking “available on site.”
If you say so.
I was actually able to find what I think was the park. Birch Hills Drive is a skinny, one-and-a-half lane road in the northern end of East Irondequoit, which ends at a cul-de-sac with several very nice lakeside homes.
The park itself is basically very wild, dense woodlands on both sides of Birch Hills Drive. I drove it a few times, and never saw anything resembling a trail or trail head which would make it great for hiking. The only parking area I saw was a small, 3 to 4-car pull-off about halfway down, on the west side of the road. Just steps away from that was a deep gully. Not much hiking going to be done from there.
The only sign I saw indicating that this last is more than just private property was located at this parking area. It is this sign which hints that the Town of Irondequoit has some long term plans for the land. I hope so, because it has a lot of potential.
Right now, though, this is more a deer park than a human park. That fact was illustrated as I drove out, and saw a deer calmly munching on a bush, a mere 30 feet from a resident who was doing some gardening. They seemed to be coexisting nicely.
This, by the way, was park #50 for me. It’s kind of ironic that this milestone park is not really a park at all.
Irondequoit Bay Marine Park
This park is one of those that I have come to consider a “destination.”
Irondequoit Bay Marine Park is a state park located on the western (Irondequoit) side of Irondequoit Bay, at its very northern end. It is a busy marina and boat launch, and also very popular with fishermen. Because it’s mostly a marine park, there’s also a boat clean-out station and a small bathroom facility.
I am not a boater. But I have often traveled out to the mouth of the bay, especially when my kids were younger. That’s because this is a beautiful spot from which to view the lake, to watch the boats come in at night, see the sunset, and sit on the small beach and listen to the waves. It’s also fun to walk out the quarter-mile pier to the lighthouse, get sprayed by the waves when they hit the big rocks, and wonder at the Great Lake that we live on.
It’s also always interesting to see the Outlet Bridge, which is swung out of the way every summer to allow sailboats to access the bay, then moved back into place each fall. It’s a pretty impressive sight, especially if you’re lucky enough to be there while it’s being moved.
Even though it’s not in place now, and no one can drive across the outlet, you can still stand on the bridge, look east and yell “HI WEBSTER!”
This is not really a picnic-and-BBQ park. There are no picnic tables or benches to speak of. But there’s enough sand on the small public beach to put down a blanket, and the kids can splash around in the surf, although the beach is not guarded. You’ll find a Don’s Original and a Bill Gray’s within walking distance if you really need lunch or dinner.
Watch out for the Canada geese with attitude. They’ll stand right out in the middle of the road and not let you by. And for all you Pokemon GO addicts, there are Pokemon all over this park, judging from the gaggles of teenagers wandering around collecting them.
This park is so pretty and there is so much to see every step you take, that I took a lot of photos to illustrate.
The top row shows one of the Lighthouses on Parade, located near the park entrance at the swing bridge; what it looks like to walk across the bridge when it's swung out of the bay; and a view of the small beach area from the pier.
The second row of photos show the beginning of the quarter-mile-long pier walk; looking back at the beach from the pier; and looking ahead to the lighthouse.
Row three: Another look back; the lighthouse itself; and an interpretive panel at the entrance to the park illustrating some of the fascinating history of this strategic bay.
