Black Creek Park winter walks cover

18 Wonderful Winter Walks in Monroe County

Rochester and Monroe County offer a stunning winter landscape that will leave you in awe. Take a leisurely stroll and breathe in the crisp, refreshing air that invigorates your senses. The winter sun casts a beautiful glow over the snow-covered ground, making it a perfect time to enjoy the great outdoors.

City of Rochester

Cobbs Hill Reservoir walking parth winter

1. Cobb’s Hill

No matter the weather, season, cloud cover, or time of day, I love looking out over the treetops at the Rochester skyline. Encircling the reservoir is a .7-mile flat, paved path perfect for winter walks.

Cobbs Hill and Pinnacle Hill are two of the original five Pinnacle Hills in the Pinnacle Range—a glacial moraine created by the retreating Wisconsin Glacier 10,000 years ago. And it may feel like you’re walking on top of a glacier!

The trail through Washington Grove takes you by the colorful graffiti-tagged water towers and winds through a quiet grove of ancient oaks. Because of the Pinnacle Range, all major infrastructure, like the Erie Canal, subway, and expressway, were routed around the area, leaving this beautiful area untouched by development.

Genesee Valley Park winter walk
Genesee Valley Park

2. Genesee Valley Park

Genesee Valley Park is a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park located at the Erie Canal, Red Creek, and Genesee River intersection. It’s the perfect spot to observe these waterways in winter, especially when they’ve had time to freeze over.

High Falls Rochester winter
High Falls

3. High Falls

High Falls is the waterfall’s name and the district where it’s located. Few American cities have an urban waterfall as part of the skyline. It takes on a unique personality in winter. Note that the Pond de Rennes Bridge is closed for maintenance through 2024.

Highland Park stairs
Highland Park

4. Highland Park

Highland Park was designed to be enjoyed year-round. Every pathway, every tree, every vista & every relationship between the land & water is intentional. Enjoy winter’s quiet serenity among the evergreens.

Jogging in Mount Hope Cemetery
Jogging in Mount Hope Cemetery

5. Mount Hope Cemetery

It may seem odd to think of a cemetery as a family-friendly destination, but Mount Hope Cemetery is as much park-like as its nearby neighbor, Highland Park. The shapes and shadows are exaggerated when covered in a blanket of snow.

Rochester Public Market Best Coffee at the Market
The Public Market

6. Rochester Public Market

Enjoy the Rochester Public Market all year long on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Surrounded by coffee shops, restaurants, and vendors, the market is a unique destination even in wintertime.

Seneca Park Zoo winter walking
Seneca Park Zoo

7. Seneca Park Zoo

Check the zoo’s website for off-season admission prices.

The Seneca Park Zoo is open all year. And while many animals prefer to stay comfy-cozy inside or in a den, some species, such as polar bears and Amur tigers, enjoy the long, cold Rochester winters. The Zoo is an excellent place to visit if you feel anxious walking alone. The paths are well-maintained for walkability, reducing the risk of falling. The staff is accommodating, and enough people are around to make you feel safe, but not so many as in summer when it can be overwhelming.

Sunken Garden at Warner Castle Rochester NY
Sunken Garden at Warner Castle

8. Sunken Garden

When you stroll around the back of Warner Castle and down the lawn, you’ll discover the Sunken Garden. It’s a peaceful retreat any time of the year. Behind the garden, you’ll find Highland Park Bowl—an outdoor amphitheater used for summertime concerts, Shakespeare in the Bowl, and Movies in the Park. But in the wintertime, it’s a great spot for sledding.

Winter Walks in Hidden places: Turning Point Park snow winter
Turning Point Park

9. Turning Point

Turning Point Park’s most striking feature is a 3,572 ft-long bridge over the Genesee River Turning Basin, part of the 24-mile Genesee Riverway Trail. It’s the perfect spot to observe the river’s winter wildlife and landscape.

Monroe County

Black Creek Park winter trail
Black Creek Park

10. Black Creek

North Chili

There are several trailheads and several places to park your car at Black Creek Park, one of the largest of Monroe County’s 23 parks. Black Creek also offers excellent sledding hills.

Brickyard Trail Sandra L Frankel Nature Park
The Brickyard Trail

11. Brickyard Trail

Brighton

Once you begin your walk, ski, or snowshoe journey, you become unaware of traffic and are transported into a peaceful woodland and wetland. It’s highly populated with birds, even in winter.

Channing Philbrick Park
Channing H Philbrick Park

12. Channing H. Philbrick (Linear) 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 unique. The Irondequoit Creek Trail runs through the length of the park.

Corbetts Glen South under tunnel falls
Corbett’s Glen

13. Corbett’s Glen

Brighton

Nestled in between an expressway and two highly trafficked roads near the Penfield and Brighton town border, Corbett’s Glen Nature Park is a glorious green space in a suburban jungle. Park near the Glen Road entrance to enjoy the waterfalls.

Monroe County Ellison Park Rochester NY
Ellison Park

14. Ellison Park

Penfield

Take the Indian Landing Trail—a 1.5-mile easy walk over level terrain full of history—from the location of an old trading post (Fort Schuyler) to the presumed famous Butlers’s Rangers hideout.

Genesee Country Village winter cover
Genesee Country Village

15. Genesee Country Village

Mumford
$5 for non-members, $3 for members, free for children 12 and under.

On Sundays in January and February, visitors to the Genesee Country Village can enjoy sledding in the Great Meadow, walks in the Historic Village, snowshoeing in the wintery woods, warm beverages and snacks in the toasty Meeting Center, and more.

Mendon Ponds winter Chickadee cover
Mendon Ponds Park

16. Mendon Ponds

Honeoye Falls

Mendon Ponds Park is the largest Monroe County Park, with 2,500 acres of woodlands, ponds, wetlands, and glacially created landforms. Come with plenty of black oil sunflower seeds—the chickadees and nuthatches along the Birdsong Trail will land right in your hand.

Tinker Park Winter trail
Tinker Nature Park

17. 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. Skis and snowshoes are available to rent in the Nature Center from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday for $3 a pair when significant snow is on the ground.

Webster Park Pier frozen
Webster Pier frozen

18. Webster Pier

Webster

Frigid temperatures and ferocious winds create wicked art along Lake Ontario. Webster Park Pier is just one example, but head toward your favorite spot along the shoreline to observe nature’s creativity firsthand.

The nice thing about places like Webster Park, Sodus Point, Oak Orchard Light, and B. Forman Park, to name a few, is that you can observe the lake right from the parking lot inside your toasty-warm car. Most lakefront property is private or requires a substantial walk to view the lake.

11 Best Places to Rent Snowshoes Around Rochester

If you’re looking to spend time outdoors, give snowshoeing a try. There are places around Rochester to rent and learn how to use them.

Read more

Escape Winter: 5 Warm & Cozy Places

With tropical temperatures or cozy environments, these Rochester-area destinations offer pleasant snowy-day getaways—at least for a few hours.

Read more

Snow Sports: 6 Ways to Stay Active in Winter

Skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, skating, and tubing are great snow sports to shake the winter doldrums with exposure to fresh air and sun.

Read more

Wintertime in Rochester

It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s dark. It’s wintertime in Rochester! Here are a few suggestions to help embrace our winter season.

Read more

Where are your favorite winter walks in Monroe County?

Your insights and experiences are valuable. Please share them in the comments.

Debi Bower, Day Trips Around Rochester NY

Debi Bower is the founder and creative director of daytrippingroc.com and author of the book Day Trips Around Rochester, New York.

524 Shares

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *