Penfield's Pretty Preserves
Today I traveled only about five miles south of my house deep into Penfield, to more completely explore a park I've been to many times before, and explore another for the first time.
Neither is actually considered a park. Thousand Acre Swamp Nature Conservancy and Hipp Brook Preserve are dedicated to preserving nature, without the trappings of playgrounds or picnic tables, their leafy paths winding through and around a variety of biomes including wetlands, forestland, meadows and ponds.
Thousand Acre Swamp Nature Conservancy
Thousand Acre is located on Jackson Road next to the Penfield Highway Department. It really only measures about 500 acres right now, but according to its website, it's still growing. There's a small parking lot at the end of the entry driveway. As you head back to the lot, bear left at the intersection; to the right is a private residence.
We used to bring the kids to Thousand Acre for short hikes when they were younger, so I'd been here several times before. But I'd never hiked the entire length of the sanctuary's trail system, having opted to stick to the shorter boardwalk trail and not the much longer trail leading to Way Pond.
This was actually my second time this year trying to check Thousand Acre off of my Eastside Parks list. My first attempt was at the height of summer, and although I knew that the preserve tends to be very buggy (it is a swamp after all) I figured since it was a very dry summer, I was safe.
I made it maybe 50 yards down the main trail before the flies and mosquitoes got so bad that I had to turn around.
This time it was a beautiful, cool autumn day, and this time when I headed down the main trail there was nary a bug in sight. For the next 50 minutes I walked just about the entire length of the park's trails, which total less than three miles. The shorter Boardwalk Loop is a circular trail which takes hikers through some deciduous forestland and over the sanctuary's best known feature, a long boardwalk through some beautiful wetlands. Add the Song Bird Trail to make the loop a bit longer. The trail out to Way Pond is out-and-back and quite a bit longer, but well worth the trip.
The trail map you'll find online (and pictured at left) is no longer completely accurate. The trails themselves are depicted correctly, but they appear to have been consolidated under fewer trail names. I did see some blazes on the trail out to Way Pond, but they really weren't necessary. With a map in hand, and thanks to some very good signage, it's very easy to know where you are and where you're going. The maps placed on the trails themselves are more up to date than the one I have posted here.
There is one short trail that is not marked on the map, however. It leads from the main trail to Duck Pond. It's been so dry this year that there wasn't much of a pond.
Once you get off the main trail and boardwalk, most of the trails are rather narrow and filled with roots. You need to keep your eyes on where you're walking or you'll frequently get tripped up (I did.) Where the trail would tend to get marshy -- and there are a lot of those places -- the caretakers have put down long boarded walks. In several places they've even put screening on the planks, since they themselves could also get slippery. A few benches placed here and there encourage hikers to rest and appreciate the solitude.
This is a very peaceful walk, filled with birds and squirrels and beautiful scenery, enhanced by the smell and crunch of autumn leaves, The only distractions were the sounds of shots coming from the gun club not far away, and the noise created by a few children who were running through the trails, screaming at the tops of their lungs. The shots I could deal with. The disrespect shown by the parents of those children, allowing them to run roughshod through a nature preserve, really bugged me.
This would be a great short hike for kids, especially if they've always wanted to "walk the plank," because there's a lot of that. The boardwalk through the swamp, and Way Pond are both delightful little surprises, kind of rewards for the walk. The kiosk at the entrance to the preserve is very educational, so that's a good place to start. But please also teach them to respect the beauty that is a nature sanctuary.
I took a lot of photos. Everything was just so pretty. I've pared them down to a selection in which I try to show the diversity of this beautiful area. Below you'll see the entrance trail and kiosk, scenes from the boardwalk, forestland and Way Pond.
Hipp Brook Preserve
Like Thousand Acre, Hipp Brook Preserve is simply nature. Located on Bougham Drive, less than two miles south of Thousand Acre off of Jackson Road, it's about 94 acres and is known for its wetlands, wildflowers, songbirds and variety of other small creatures. There is only one trail, the Wild Iris Path, which is only about a half mile long. The trail can be accessed off of Bougham and Phaeton Drives. I didn't check out the Phaeton entrance, but on Bougham there is no big sign, and you have to park on the street.
This is a pleasant little half mile walk, but like at Thousand Acre, watch out for roots on the narrow trails. There's even a short boardwalk through the wettest of the wetlands.
The thing that struck me most about this little hike were the abundant benches. No fewer than five benches have been placed on the less than half mile route. Four of them, I noticed, were built by the same Eagle Scout, Ryan Connal, back in 2010. I was already marveling at the work that young man had done, when, just before leaving the park, I noticed a sign on the entry kiosk. It said, "Look on back of kiosk." There was a plaque listing all of the projects that Eagle Scouts had completed at Hipp Brook, going back to 1999. It was a great testament to what these young men do for our community.
