These town parks offer more than just a typical baseball diamond and playground. Each has a unique offering of woods, wildlife, and water features to explore. Some parks have even, paved surfaces with very little change in elevation. Others feature a combination of hard-pack dirt, wood chips, gravel and boardwalk.
North Ponds Park
Webster. The 1-mile loop trail circumnavigates both ponds. It is perfect for a leisurely stroll, jog, or bike ride with little change in elevation along its route. This makes it a great place for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. There are also eight fitness stops optimized for varied ability and height.
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Channing H Philbrick Park
Penfield. The Mills Trail is a short loop leading down to the main cascades with an accessible viewing platform. The Irondequoit Creek Trail consists of narrow, dirt paths that are fairly easy to walk. It crosses over several boardwalks and wooden bridges along the way.
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Meridian Centre Park
Brighton. The trails are flat; some are gravel, others wood chip, with a section of beautiful boardwalk. There are nature paths and an arboretum in the western part of the park with plantings and wooden arches making this a popular destination for bird watchers. You can also access the Erie Canal up a slight incline in the trail.
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Breese Park
Henrietta. Even though access to the park is through a highly residential area, this doesn’t feel like a residential park. There are no amenities, restrooms, or playgrounds. Just a large parking lot, a few picnic tables, and a simple, shaded, hard-pack gravel path along the river’s edge.
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Braddock Bay Park
Greece. This 375-acre town-operated park, leased from New York State, is part of the greater Braddock Bay Fish and Wildlife Management Area. Here you’ll find a hard-pack gravel pathway leading to a viewing platform and wetland boardwalk. There is a fully accessible kayak launch near the marina.
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Looking for more town parks?
There are several more which have become some of our favorites, including Brighton Town Park, Great Embankment Park, and Buckland Park. We’ll be exploring more in a future article. In the meantime, what are your favorite town parks? Share them in the comments below!
In addition, there are several city parks you should explore as well! Cobb’s Hill + Washington Grove, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park at Manhattan Square, Susan B Anthony Square, Maplewood / Lower Falls Park, and Genesee Crossroads Park.
