When I initially think of walking on a boardwalk, the Eastern Seaboard comes to mind with the great beach boardwalks in Atlantic City, Wildwood, Ocean City, Myrtle Beach, Coney Island, and Virginia Beach. Boardwalks lined with seaside shops, bars, casinos and entertainment that draw massive crowds throughout the summer.
Alas, this is Rochester. So when I think of boardwalks here, my mind goes to trail systems where boardwalks are incorporated along the pathway to help people meander through wetlands, or to help preserve wildlife from the footsteps of human explorers.
Either way, I do love boardwalks wherever they appear! Here are some of my favorites.
Boardwalks as Part of Trail Systems
1. Tinker Nature Park
Henrietta
Tinker Nature Park comprises 68-acres in Henrietta with a 1.2 mile flat perimeter trail for jogging, biking, skiing, snowshoeing or walking.
2. Channing H. Philbrick Park
Penfield
As Irondequoit Creek passes through Channing H Philbrick Park, it drops 90 feet over one mile giving us the cascades that make this park so special.
3. Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge
Basom
Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge is the largest in New York State at 10,828 acres, not even including the surrounding Oak Orchard and Tonawanda WMAs. The 1.3-mile Swallow Hollow Nature loop trail is located on Knowlesville Road. It was created using a series of ramps, gravel pathways and boardwalks making it accessible for all to enjoy this unique ecosystem.
4. Sandy Bottom Park & Nature Trails
Honeoye
Sandy Bottom Park is located at the north end of Honeoye Lake. There you will find Sandy Bottom Beach, the Honeoye Creek Outlet, and a trail system that combines raised boardwalks and a mowed grass path through agricultural land along Mill Creek.
5. Turning Point Park
City of Rochester
Turning Point Park’s most striking feature is a 3,572 ft-long boardwalk over the Genesee River Turning Basin, part of the greater Genesee Riverway Trail.
6. Christine Sevilla Wetlands Preserve
Caledonia
This cattail and wooded wetland preserve is part of a much larger (1,000+ acres) wetland targeted by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for protection. The juxtaposition of the Christine Sevilla Wetlands Preserve’s wetlands including wet meadow, cattail wetland, and swampy woods make it an excellent habitat for dragonflies, butterflies, and other unique wildlife.
Take a stroll along the boardwalk to see what you can find hidden among the many species of grasses, ferns, and sedges lining the trail.
7. Yanty Creek Nature Trail & Marsh
Hamlin Beach State Park
Yanty Marsh is a lake shore wetland that provides habitat for various marsh-nesting birds, amphibians and turtles. The observation platform is a great place for wildlife watching.
For a closer look, paddle into the marsh from one of the boat launches on the lake.
8. Helmer Nature Center
Irondequoit
The paths at Helmer Nature Center, made primarily of wood chip, boardwalk, and hard-pack gravel, are easy to navigate and clearly marked.
9. Mendon Ponds Park
Mendon
There are several boardwalks in the park. Pictured above are the boardwalks on the green Devil’s Bathtub Trail and in the bog at David’s Nature Trail off the yellow Birdsong Trail.
Devil’s Bathtub is one of New York’s rare meromictic lakes, similar to Green Lakes. It’s so deep, and so protected by the geologic features around it, that the layers in the water do not mix, or “turn over”.
10. Thomas Creek Wetland Walk
Fairport
Many folks when visiting Fairport walk along the canal path not knowing that the Thomas Creek Wetland Walk is running parallel to them.
The Wetland Walk is actually two separate paths. One is paved yet rustic. The other is a boardwalk with a seasonal viewing platform. They both connect to each other and with the Erie Canal Trail.
11. Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area
Greece
The Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area is a shallow water bay-marsh complex existing in five units along the Lake Ontario shoreline, ranging from two to six miles west of Rochester.
12. Meridian Centre Park
Brighton
The trails are primarily flat. Some are gravel, others wood chip, with a section of beautiful boardwalk. There are nature paths & an arboretum in the western part of the park with plantings and wooden arches making this a popular destination for bird watchers.
13. Huckleberry Swamp
North Rose
Huckleberry Swamp is a unique nature preserve and wildlife observation area. It has 79 acres of diverse, high quality wetlands for bird and wildlife habitat conservation. A wildlife observation deck and boardwalk meanders through a variety of wetland habitats including emergent marsh, Green Ash Wetland, and Red Maple Wetland. Springtime heron rookery.
14. Thousand Acre Swamp
Penfield
Thousand Acre Swamp is full of unique habitats ranging from marshy lowlands to forested upland tracts. An extensive boardwalk and trail system winds through the preserve, one of Monroe County’s largest wetland systems. Ten trails on the property show you a world of wildflowers, animals, birds and other natural wonders.
Lakeside Boardwalks
15. Lakeview Village Shoppes
Olcott Beach
The shoppes are a quaint collection of gift, specialty and food shoppes on a boardwalk overlooking Lake Ontario.
And right down the street is the Olcott Beach Carousel Park (closed during the pandemic). It features a 1928 style Hershell-Spillman two row carousel, five vintage kiddie rides, and a 1931 Wurlitzer band organ.
16. Ontario Beach Park
In the City’s Charlotte neighborhood you’ll find a long walking pier extending out into the lake, the original Abbott’s Frozen Custard, the original 1905 Dentzel Carousel, restaurants with waterfront seating, a couple of beloved “greasy spoons”, bars, the Port of Rochester and marina, a boardwalk, and plenty of lot and street parking. There is a free public swimming beach.
17. Seneca Lake
Geneva
Enjoy a walk through Lakefront Park, part of which is boardwalk, by the Finger Lakes Welcome Center, and ice cream on Long Pier. Take an even longer walk along the north shore through Seneca Lake State Park to the marina.
18. Durand-Eastman Lakeside Trail
Irondequoit
Enjoy a walk along the 5,000 feet of Lake Ontario shoreline, and along the boardwalk leading up to Seabreeze. Or find several smaller ones around Durand and Eastman Lakes.
10 Spots to Seek Solitude Around Rochester
If you’ve already explored every inch of your backyard, here are a few spots where there’s ample space for finding solitude and solace in nature.
9 Lighthouses Along Lake Ontario
These lighthouses along Lake Ontario in New York are all within a two-hour drive of Rochester. And where there is a lighthouse there is a sweeping view!
71 Hiking Trails Around Rochester
Here are a few less populated, rustic, or unusual trails around Rochester that will inspire you to take a hike. A diverse collection of rail-trails, waterside trails, and inland trails.
On a hot day, you can sit under a waterfall, swim in a lake, or jump in a creek at one of these refreshing natural swimming areas.
Where are your favorite boardwalk trails?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Your insight and experience is invaluable!