Off the beaten path
My husband and I turned today's park explorations into a bike ride along the canal. We parked at Great Embankment Park just south of Pittsford, rode down to Bushnell's Basin for our first stop, then back up to Pittsford for lunch and a few more parks before returning to the car.
Bushnell's Basin Docks
By all appearances, the Bushnell's Basin Docks aren't really a park. But since the Town of Perinton puts it at the top of the list in their parks brochure, I'm gong to count it.
Bushnell's Basin is a nice little hamlet on Route 96 filled with restaurants, pubs and shops. If you're riding the Erie Canal Heritage Trail, you have to cross Marsh Road over to the other side of the canal via a one-lane steel-deck bridge on Marsh Road to reach Bushnell's Basin. But it's well worth the detour.
The dock area, which has been recently updated, is especially beautiful. Whether stopping by in your boat or traveling the canal path, it's a pleasant area with restrooms, picnic tables and benches, where you can enjoy some lunch or dinner and an ice cream from Abbott's.
William A. Carpenter Park at the Port of Pittsford
This park, located on the east side of Main Street and the south side of the Erie Canal in Pittsford, was renamed in 2013 in honor of former town supervisor William Carpenter. The two-acre park is accessed from Main Street, with paths snaking behind the village's veterans memorial down to the canal. There are docks for boats, an outdoor stage and a short canal-side walkway featuring several benches and picnic tables. This is a great place to relax, watch the canal traffic and the activity across the water at Schoen Place.
Erie Canal Park
Chances are good that many Pittsford residents may not even know that the village has something called Erie Canal Park. You won't even find a reference to it on the Pittsford website, but if you pull up to the north side of the canal, climb onto the Sam Patch which docks there, or look at the area from William Carpenter Park across the canal, you'll see a sign that says Erie Canal Park.
Most people know this area as Schoen Place, after the road on which it is located, accessed by car from Main Street on the west end, and State Street on the south. The street is lined with great restaurants, pubs, a wine bar and unique Pittsford-esque retailers. If you've never been here, I highly recommend you put it on your to-do list, especially around Christmas time. It's a great place to find unique gifts.
And that's the main attraction for those of us who never need to use the docks at Erie Canal Park. I've bought many a gift there, and drank many a pint at Lock 32. You can rent bikes and canoes and kayaks. In the summer months it's crowded with people who arrive by boat, bike and foot, especially since it's right on the canal trail.
Copper Beech Park, Pittsford
Copper Beech Park is located on State Street, just east of the Village of Pittsford's four corners. This was yet another park surprise for me, although I've been in the village countless times.
It was also a bit of a mystery. Looking on Google Maps to see exactly where it was, the little park seemed to be obliterated by a huge tree. It was curious, but I figured it didn't matter since I was going to visit it anyway.
As we arrived at the park, we stopped our bikes and realized why the only thing you could see in that park was the tree. Because the tree IS the park.
Rising above us was the largest tree I have ever seen. "I'm going to make a guess that this is a copper beech," my husband commented. Clearly the oldest tree in the entire village, it has been given a place of honor: a park all its own. Its branches literally stretch the entire width and depth of this pocket park, creating a shady resting spot with a garden area and benches, in the middle of the busy village.
Of course I had to look up its history. According to one source,
"The age of the copper beech once was estimated at more than 200 years. Well into the twentieth century it stood in the front yard of a farm house belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Roy Battams. When the old house was razed, the tree remained, contributing ever since a lovely and regal aspect to the area of our Four Corners. For many years its image appeared on Town signage."
Sadly, that same source reported that the tree is diseased and will probably have to be removed by 2020. That will be a distinct shame.
