Some pleasant surprises in Perinton
Center Park in Perinton is another one of those parks whose Google Maps differ from printed maps. It's either one large park, or two separate parks called Center Park West and Center Park East. The two halves are separated by brush and wetlands, so I guess if the town also owns that land, it is all one park. But I prefer to count them as two separate parks to help my numbers.
Both parks are accessed from Ayrault Road, just east of Turk Hill. I chose to bring my bike along on this one, because I knew that on the west half, at least, there were a lot of paved paths.
Center Park West
Center Park West is all about sports fields and concerts. Perinton's beautiful amphitheater is located here, and many a soccer game is played on the fields either side of it. Supporting the fields are a pavilion with men's and women's bathrooms, some picnic tables and a nice playground. The Perinton Community Center and Town Hall overlook it all from a hill at the north end of the park. You can also park up here and walk down to the amphitheater and sports fields.
What I didn't expect to find here were wooded paths. There are several at the top of the hill, near the rec center. While they're not long, they meander through a small pine forest which smells wonderful. The paths are flat and easy to walk (or ride), and would make for a nice stroll with young children.
There's also a small pond at the lower (southern) end of the park which has a trail next to it. I'm not sure how far it went; I didn't walk its length.
Another nice surprise was the Rochester Syracuse & Eastern Trolley Trail, which is the rail bed of a former interurban electric trolley. This trail is now a beautiful biking/hiking/running trail that runs through the middle of the park (or between the two parks if you choose to see them my way). I look forward to reading more about it, finding out where it goes, and doing some more riding on it.
The gallery below shows a view of the trolley trail, the pond, the playground, and the complex as seen from the Community Center on the hill. The map is from the Wegmans Passport to Family Wellness, which shows the trails at the north end of the park.
Center Park East
Center Park East is basically just a sports field facility. There are two big soccer fields, and the only trail is basically just a gravel path for fans to use to walk all the way back to the second field. There is a bathroom facility with two unisex restrooms which were open, despite the fact there was no game in progress.
As I was riding around, I did see what seemed to be a trail heading off the north side of the park, so I took my bike up the grassy hill to check it out, following a strange dotted white line. Basically it led to more open meadows and power line right-of-ways. I expect the line was meant to direct football or soccer athletes on training runs.
In summary, Center Park(s) are very nice town parks, which can be enjoyed by athletes and music lovers, with the added benefits of a few short but nice trails and a very nice playground.
White Brook Nature Center
Drive just 3.5 miles further east on Ayrault Road, and you'll arrive at White Brook Nature Center, not long after Ayrault turns south and becomes Aldrich Road. This is a beautiful area devoted to nature. So, aside from a community building and a picnic shelter, you won't find any amenities. What you will find is a diverse natural site with freshwater wetlands, upland meadow, wooded wetlands, ponds and a brook.
There are several trails here, a few which keep you with the park proper, but also a few others which take you farther afield to natural areas in neighboring residential areas. These trails are not amenable for bikes. The best trail map I found was actually on the trail itself.
I took a wrong turn immediately when I started hiking, but it was a good mistake. I found myself on the park's newest section of trail, the Yellow Trail, which led to the southern reaches of the park. It was about a half mile hike south to Rt. 31, where I turned around, but current maps indicate the trail does continue farther if you cross the busy road.
The Crescent Trail Association did a wonderful job with this new section, which is wide and easy to hike, with some brand new bridges, frequent bright blazes on the trees and arrow signposts placed at every intersection -- or anything that might be perceived as an intersection -- making it very easy to follow the trail. We hikers owe a huge debt of gratitude to volunteers at organizations like these.
Once I got back to where I had started, I found the original Orange Trail that I had first wanted, and headed down that for another mile hike. This one was older, so it wasn't as well groomed and the blazes were less frequent and fading. But it did bring me through some very pretty wetlands, by thick stands of wildflowers (full of bees) and across a long boardwalk.
The pond in the photo above was exactly the color green that you see. It was pretty spectacular.
There was plenty more hiking to be done if I had wanted to, but it was getting HOT. Between the two trails I managed about 2 miles in 40 minutes. Definitely worth the trip.