Fall trails and parks in Perinton

For a fall walk in Perinton, start with the Crescent Trail: about 35 miles of footpaths through the hills, with a free guided hike on Sunday, October 11. If you'd rather stay flat, take the canal towpath. The parks below are the ones with real amenities, and two of them keep their restrooms open into winter.

Crescent Trail

The Crescent Trail is about 35 miles of mostly single-lane dirt footpaths, including an orange-blazed main trail of roughly 17.5 miles. Many sections cross private land, so the rules matter: stay on the path, leash dogs, carry out your trash, and no bicycles or motorized vehicles. Printed maps are $2 at Town Hall and the Community Center; section maps are online. The network links to the Erie Canal trail and the RS&E Trolley Trail.

The Crescent Trail Hiking Association leads free guided hikes, usually on the second Sunday at 1:30 pm:

• Sunday, October 11, 1:30 pm: the final leg of the Orange Trail End-to-End Challenge, about 6 miles with some difficult sections. Meet at the Northside School lot; a town bus takes hikers to White Brook Nature Area to hike back north.

• Sunday, November 8, 1:30 pm: planned, but the location hasn't been announced.

• Sunday, December 13, 1:30 pm: a short walk around the Perinton Community Center.

Erie Canalway Trail

The state trail runs 360.3 miles from Buffalo to Albany and is part of the Empire State Trail. In Perinton it passes the Perinton Park trailhead, meets the Crescent Trail at the Marsh Road and Lyndon Road bridges, and connects to the Trolley Trail. Check Canalway Trail alerts before you go.

Parks and what they have

• Perinton Park, 99 O'Connor Road: canal and trail access, trailhead parking, six tennis courts, a heated building, a shelter, a playground and a skatepark.

• Fellows Road Park, 499 Fellows Road: pickleball, tennis, softball, soccer, beach volleyball, a fitness track, playgrounds, shelters and a heated community building.

• Center Park West, off Ayrault Road beside the Community Center: soccer fields, playgrounds, shelters, grills, cross-country trails, an amphitheater and a link to the Trolley Trail. Entrance construction on the town campus may affect parking. Center Park East, nearby, has soccer fields and hiking trails but little else.

• White Brook Nature Area, 250 Aldrich Road: more than 100 acres of trails, a heated shelter and grills. The town lists hunting among its uses and doesn't post the rules, so ask before a fall walk.

• Kreag Road Park, 555 Kreag Road: canal docks, a playground, a shelter, courts and links to the Crescent Trail (the town admits some are hard to find).

• Garnsey Road Arboretum: a quiet natural area for hiking and bird watching, with no sports fields.

Restrooms

Most town park restrooms are closed for the season. Perinton Park and Fellows Road Park keep theirs open until winter.

Coming up for discussion

The town is looking at shared-use trails near Thayer Hill and the Dewitt property. It's only an idea for now; nothing is approved or built.