We were on vacation in the area in late September, and were looking for a place for a stroll…read more This was a nice path that was mowed grass in most places, and had both shaded a d sunny sections. There are some parts under construction, and the detours aren't well marked and involve walking along the roadside which wasn't as nice as the trail of course. We enjoyed some views of the river and some late summer flowers, but don't expect amazing scenery. It is an easy walk though if you have anyone in your group who can't do the rocky, more rugged trails in the area.

If I had to choose just one word to describe this trail, I'd go with surreal. In my opinion it is…read moreone of Rochester's greatest hidden gems, and I'm surprised to be the first to review it. The trail more or less begins on the other side of the river from the U of R campus, and you go through Genesee Valley Park to the old railroad bridge that crosses the Erie Canal, and basically just keep on going. My guess is that most people get spooked by the industrial district that runs along Scottsville Road, and that's unfortunate because there's a very beautiful area that runs through that area. part of it appears to have been reclaimed by nature, but it's worth venturing through because there is a really peaceful area right by the river where you feel as if you're in the middle of a wilderness even though you're just on the other side of the river from East River Road. The trail sort of breaks up once you hit Scottsville Road, but picks up again down the road when you get to Little Black Creek Park, which, by the way, is an amazing place to visit right after a bad ice storm. The trail continues south and almost reaches another stretch of trail on the opposite side of the east/west railroad track that runs through Henrietta, but I guess there just hasn't been enough interest in this trail to connect it better thus far. Once on the other side of the tracks you will come across a massive culvert and then once on the other side of Jefferson Road you'll see a whole bunch of really old derelict telephone poles along with the outline of the dried out canal that used to run parallel to the trail. Eventually you will reach Scottsville, which is a rather pretty, idyllic small town with a charming graffiti bridge park and elevated walkway that leads to the trail. From there the trail goes on to Avon, and during the Fall it is quite lovely. Upon reaching Avon, I highly recommend taking the detour trail that leads to that town because there is a lovely bridge there and the town itself has a very "Mayberry" vibe to it. Go a little further and you'll find a cool place called the Five Arch Bridge on the outskirts of town. From Avon to Fowlerville, you'll see some interesting ruins of the canal from sections of the trail that are at a significantly higher elevation than than the Genesee, and from Fowlerville to Piffard there is a nice detour I found (due to necessity r/t flooding) that runs by a really cool Catholic monastery. Their chapel is as serene as it is awe-inspiring and their shop has a variety of baked goods and jams, my favorite being Elderberry jam. Once you reach Cuylerville there is an interesting tractor museum and I absolutely recommend taking the road on a detour east to see an old Revolutionary War site where a couple soldiers got tortured to death by the Seneca as well as Fall Brook Falls (but don't drink the water from the falls...just trust me on that one). Also along the way there is a barn with a silo where this massive tree grew in the middle of it and you can see the top of the tree emerging from the silo. Mount Morris is another quaint small town and then when you reach Sonyea things start to get weird. First there is an old Shaker Village and an abandoned colony for epileptics that is somewhat evocative of the derelict asylum from "Until Dawn" and then you reach a prison that has all these historical buildings built up in a highly militarized way, almost like something you'd see in an episode of "The Handmaid's Tale." The main map you find of the Genesee Valley Greenway from Google is somewhat misleading because the color difference between the main trail and "closed" is very subtle and although the original railroad did go through the correctional facility and then the state forest on the other side of it, there isn't really much of a trail that goes through all of that, although there is definitely some kind of path and I must say that I rather cherish the memories I have of going through Aurora and seeing some of the Mennonite farmland that I passed through on the way back. My advice is once you reach Sonyea make sure you have the AllTrails app downloaded because the NikeRunClub and UnderArmour apps are pretty much useless when it comes to finding the beginnings and ends of these trails. The trail does continue on further than what I have explored, and I hope to someday pick up where I left off.

This place is somewhat of a hidden gem. I agree with the first reviewer's overall assessment - nice…read morelittle area definitely worth checking out at some point, but nothing out of this world. I plan to come back later in the spring. There is very relaxing overall feel to the place, and the main tree by the stream kind of reminds me of that tree garden from Winterfell. If you follow the back trail to the end where it meets up with the Hojack Trail and keep going to the other side, there is some kind of obscure trail that continues on toward a stream, and that's worth checking out. Once you get there, there are so many overturned trees crisscrossing the stream, so you can pretty much get just about anywhere in that area regardless of the forks in the stream and general lack of bridges (there are a couple).

good little spot for a walk, maybe you'll even see the woodchuck relaxing and looking for food by…read morethe pond!

What a fantastic park, lots of great hiking trails along the Oatka Creek with such beautiful views…read more Trails are easily marked. Love how they even spray paint uprooted tripping hazards.. bright pink and white. Loved hiking to the bridge overpass , great view over the creek. So much fun rustling through autumn leaves and fall weather!

I have such conflicted feelings about this review, because part of what makes Oatka Creek Park so…read moreamazing is that it's off the beaten path and not very well known. But a good Yelper doesn't hoard the knowledge, and the physical location of the park is still going to be off the beaten path, so I can be confident in sharing why Oatka Creek Park is a gem. Oatka Creek Park is a little hard to find if you haven't been there before. Luckily, Waze actually recognized the address and got us there in one piece. Basically, you go through an intersection and the park is right there. There was a decent sized parking lot right away, and down the road another, closer to the trail. It's your call which lot is best. The main trail is a loop around the park, the goal to get you down to Oatka Creek itself. And let me say, it's worth the hike. Moving water is the best, for so many reasons. It's not the fastest moving creek, but it's a great one to stop at and take in the sights. I found the trail to be fairly simple, a little uphill and downhill at times, but not the strenuous kind (at least in my eyes). You could even go on horseback if you wanted, and I've seen the horses on the trail. It's a good one for horses, but be advised that with horses comes the not so little presents they leave behind. Watch where you step. Oatka Creek Park is a true gem, so I don't feel too bad about letting the world know about it. Somehow, I feel the serenity and woodland creatures won't go anywhere on a day with more hikers and horses than usual.

My baby and I took a lovely stroll here. Stroller friendly, beautiful nature along some water…read more Great spot!!

Great trail! There are SO many places to start, and so many places to veer off. They have signs…read morethroughout telling you which branch of the trail to take if you want to go to Main St, or Budd Park, etc. We noticed quite a few benches and tables on our way through, a swing, and at least 4 exercise stops. It looked manicured and well taken care of. We walked the trail to Budd Park and then swung around and took town streets back to the car for fun!

This is by far the best hiking/biking/walking/running wooded trail in Webster. Pretty busy at high…read moretraffic times but multiple trails to choose from with ample parking. You won't be disappointed!!! The trail is well groomed and you/the kids are sure to see some sort of wildlife.

I had no idea this place was here! What a great place for a variety of activities!…read moreFirst of all, I LOVE that there is a large, flat, trail around the big field. This is perfect for trail running. The trail is wide and you're not going to have to worry about mountain bikers sneaking up on you over that next ridge. It's perfect for laps. Heading into the woods, there are decent trails for hiking. There were not many people here when I went on a Saturday morning. A boy scout troop was rebuilding a sign near the parking lot, but other than that, we only encountered a few people walking their dogs in the woods. There is also easy access to other trail systems from the trails in the Gosnell Big Woods. You can plan a lengthy day hike right here in Webster with trails covering miles of terrain. Some areas seemed particularly boggy and buggy, and the breezes are limited because of the dense tree cover. Prepare yourself with bug spray, and of course check yourself for ticks after you've been on a hike. Gosnell is a great place for trail running, getting out into nature without having to go very far. I would dare say it's a hidden gem of a place right in our own back door!

This is a special place and I'm selfishly glad it's not more well known. This is a beautiful forest…read morecontaining some seriously old and beautiful trees that have been protected by the family that owned this property from all the logging projects carried out over the years. The trails are well marked and easy to explore and the forest provides a beautiful hike and enjoyment of nature. There is also a large wildflower field to enjoy and many insects, birds, and other critters to see. The small woods trail weaves past a beautiful meadow and young transitional forest while the big woods forest weaves through "the big woods" with all the ancient and beautiful trees. This is a good place to bring your dog for a walk and burn off some energy! A beautiful place to visit and enjoy some beautiful natural landscape.

Great spot to access the canal path for walkers, runners, biker's. Popular spot, so the parking lot…read morewas filled up. There a spot to launch your kayak or canoe. I enjoyed sitting here watching the boats go by as I drank my coffee. Great people watching spot too. Lots of plaques with area history and canal facts. Great spot.

This is a beautiful trail right along the Erie canal. Theres a parking lot and benches to sit along…read morethe way. My only complaint is there isnt garbage cans along the trail for all you dog owners, including myself.

Went on a hike that started at Turning Point Park and we kept on following the signs all the way to…read morethe end, which turned out to be the pillar on the cement block out in the middle of Lake Ontario where the Genesee River empties out. I'm not sure how many miles it was, but I can tell you we walked about 16,000 steps from the parking lot to the end and back. It was a nice walk and we ended up walking by the waterways and passing by great places to grab a drink, as well as a carousel. Definitely check this trail out.

*Writing this review in hopes I can leave an updated five star review in a few years. I know…read moreupdates and upgrades to the things I am complaining about are happening via Roc the Riverway. I am simply writing this review based on my recent experiences traversing this trail* Sigh. I am going to be blunt here...this trail could be The Shit and it is instead simply, shit. I have made it my quarantine mission to walk this whole trail and have made it most of the way at this point, just leaving the end of the trail by UofR left to do. I have felt a wide variety of emotions while traversing so far, the most prominent being frustration and disappointment. We can and WILL do better, but I do think there's some very basic things that could happen like tomorrow without millions of dollars to help keep this trail up for locals. ANYWAYS... I don't think it is possible for the signage to be less clear in the downtown portion of this trail. I walked it as though I was a tourist and found it deeply upsetting. Not only are the NUMEROUS portions of the trail that take you on an uncertain goose chase, much of it is not on the water at all. The portions that are (coming up to Main St etc) look as though they have not been touched or thought about since the trail was created. I am determined to keep trying and learn more each time I do this walk. Overall, if you are a tourist wondering if this is worth exploring: it IS! Just stick to visiting each individual park/landmark and walking portions of the trail that way. Avoid the center city portion, and you will find some beautiful views. Looking forward to see how we improve this as a city in my lifetime!