Today, we're setting out on an adventure close to home yet hidden in plain sight at the Genesee County Park and Forest. It's a place seldom mentioned by local equestrians, but rich with trails that offer more than meets the eye. Will the paths prove to be friendly to our carriage wheels, or will the steep slopes have us bracing for a wild ride? Grab your helmets and join us as we explore this lesser known park, because you're listening. To Rochester Trail Riders. The Genessee County Park and Forest in East Bethany is a remarkable example of human initiative and natural beauty. Spanning 430 acres purchased in 1882 and established as a nature preserve. In 1915, the land initially served as a lumber resource for subsidized housing. In the 1920s, a man named George Fleming had a vision to preserve and reforest this parcel. Fleming's foresight led to a planting of over 200, 000 trees by 1935, shaping the landscape we see today. The idea to designate this forest as a county park emerged in 1949, but it took until 1966. When the forest's growth necessitated thinning for the plan to be put into action. This period marked the appointment of the park's first full time supervisor and forester, ensuring professional care for the thriving woodland. The park owns its development and maintenance to a collective effort between community groups and organizations. Their dedication is evident in the ongoing tree planting projects, construction of pavilions, and playgrounds. And the maintenance of extensive trail systems as a resource for recreation and a testament to an environmental stewardship. The Genesee County Park and Forest stands as a prime example of how community can effectively create. and manage a natural space for the enjoyment and benefit of all. I've been around the greater Rochester area my entire life and it's really wild that I've never come across this park at all until recently. It took a random photo of somebody else's trail ride that popped up on my interwebs that caught my eye and just like that, boom, I was hooked. I took a deep dive into Google, and it gave me all the goods. Maps, photos of horses on trails, you name it. It looked like a really awesome place for a carriage drive, so I decided to take my mighty little tuna for an adventure. What is an adventure without a partner in crime, right? So I shot a message off to Ray. Hey Ray, you free for a trail drive on Saturday? Um, you know, cause I'm ready to squash any hesitation with the promise of a fun day with Hey, no problem. I'll pick you up. I got this. Let's go. I mean, you're on my way after all to this park. So, guess what? Ray agreed, and we were setting a date for a little trail drive and an adventure with our two minis. So, that Saturday morning was off to a lively start with Tuna. She was being a little more stubborn than usual. Probably annoyed that I gave her that, uh, shark fane look on her mane to tip away her beautiful locks. But, a bit of wooing, and she was on the trailer. Next stop, Painted Charm Farm, and we grab Ray and her mini equine, our house, Harley. Now, Harley might be a pint sized 29 inches. He is no stranger to road trips. So it kind of threw us for a loop when he planted his little hooves firmly and said, Nuh uh, not getting on. And we, we tried everything, you know, the usual. Coaxing, pushing, tempting with treats. But just about the time we were about to give up in sheer frustration, That cheeky little guy made his move and jumped right on, as if to say, Hey, my bad, just joking, haha, wasn't that funny, ugh, whatever. Like that, we popped into the cab of the truck and we're off down to the park. So there I was, you know, playing a game of trust your gut over the GPS. You know, classic ADH move, where, you know, your gut's got a mind of its own. A horse trailer parking lot, marked clear as day on the map, might as well have been camouflaged for all the attention I paid to it. A quick whoopsie daisy. Hey, how well involved a little nifty big rig hey turned into somebody's driveway. Hey man, thanks for the hospitality. Yeah, we were back on track. Well, Genesee County must have known folks like Ray and I would be rolling on in because right there at the horse trailer parking area was the port a crafter. Port a crafter. This is just live in the port a crafter. Well, anywho, back on track here. Uh, yeah. Well, they hit a port a crapper. It totally had these, um, cinder blocks inside of it to keep it weighted down, and I mentally high fived the county for their foresight. With our micro dragons out of the trailer and looking every bit as fiery fuzzballs that they are, we got them harnessed up, but not without a festive twist. Santa hats on our helmets, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Christmas, yay! And we're all about jingling down the trail. I hitched up Tuna first and we were ready to go and then I played the role of, uh, equine air traffic controller. We'll be experiencing silhouettes. Petting both ponies while Ray wrangled her increasingly feisty four legged speedster into gear. Sudden arrival of a carload of Great Danes all off leash and eager to explore. Definitely spice things up a bit. Kind of had to make a mental note. Those giant pups are bound to be part of today's adventure at some point. Both of us seated comfortably, we started our stroll down the bounty trail. And our first challenge was a very wide wooden bridge. But the horses first focused on a rebellious set of reeds that fell onto the ground 20 yards out. Tuna gave them the s Well, Harley went for the big, dramatic, worthy of an Olympic event. Well, the actual bridge was a piece of cake and we crossed it without any fanfare. As we trekked forward, the path teased us with the prospect of a steep climb up. But as luck would have it, the trail navigated around with its much more gentle path, slowly, steadily climbing up. Driving along the Boundary Trail, the wide wheel width of our hyper bikes became our saving grace. We both felt the urge to hold on to something on the high side as the carriages tilted on uneven ground. For fellow carriage drivers that are attempting to consider this route, word of caution. Steer clear of bringing standard easy entry carts, road carts, metal bricks, or similar models. They are just not cut out for this terrain like you would find yourself in a wreck pretty quick. Those of you with marathon vehicles might have a better time of it, but it is not negotiable. You need a gator sitting on the high side to prevent tipping over. If you're not up for that kind of thrill, a safer and alternative route is to take the park road and join the trail via the wetland route. It's the only bypass this challenging section of trail has. Assuming you're in a carriage. As if the trail itself wasn't a test, our great Dane friends decided to up the ante. They popped out of nowhere, and then just as quickly disappeared, right out of sight. When we got closer, we found them, off the trail, blending into the woods like some sort of canine commando unit. Not exactly a relaxing sight for horses. But, a quick hello from us humans helped everybody relax. The dog's owners, they had their hands full, and we were able to move on without much more of any surprises. The trail had been leading us upward this entire time, and naturally what goes up must come down. A sign warned us of Blind Hill. I guess that was a polite way of saying, well, really steep, dead drop off ahead. And we're talking downhill. that was sharp enough to make an alpine skier giddy, and to make any rider even think twice. Especially with a grass cut short enough to invite a mudslide. But, fortune was on our side, and the Norway Spruce Trail branched off to our left, offering a less intense route down with a good cover of pine needles for traction. At the bottom, we reach the wetlands. A pond held back by an earth dam, complete with a couple of bridges. Those bridges are closed to horse traffic, but, but thankfully, Right next to them was a mowed path with good footing for our carriages to pass. Beyond the pond, we hit a split in the trail and decide to play it straight, hoping to link up with the trail network across the road. But, as it turns out, the trails north of the park road are off limits to horses. Something the printed maps forgot to mention. The signs weren't clear enough, but it would have been nice for a heads up before we chose the road direction. A quick left turn took us up the park road where we learned something new. Memory Lane is now closed off to cars when the snow hits. That was a stroke of luck. It meant that we could trot down the road without dodging traffic as we discovered. All the trails in this direction are closed to horse traffic. With that, we swung a U turn and made our way to the southeast trails marked as fire breaks on the map. We found our way back to the boundary trail via a horse friendly access spur near Cluster Pavilions. It was a welcome sight. The fire break trails were a dream. Wide, well footed, perfect for horses and carriages. The landscape today was rolling with hills, and that challenged our minis. We decided to loop back, sticking to the boundary trail, rather than venturing back out into the road again. The spruce trail was our ally once more, offering a gentler, although demanding, ascent. Kudos to the minis who tackled this challenge like pros. They saved us the effort of having to get out and walk. The final stretch back to the parking lot tested our patience once again. I could have sworn this sideways slope got steeper. Now the drop off was to our right, but those minis? They just kept on going. Unfazed, with a steady pace carrying us safely back to where we started. Our journey concluded with a round trip of 3. 7 miles and 2, 918 feet of elevation gain overall. It. Is. Illy. Back at the trailer, the ponies with a picture of two very different post adventure stories. Tuna? Colossal cucumber. Barely broke a sweat. Harley? Fiery little dragon that he is was drenched. A clear sign he had been eager to take up the pace even more. I'm convinced he would have probably tackled that gigantic steep hill like it was nothing if given the chance. While Harley cooled off under his towel, we got everything in order for the ride home. You'd think with all that excitement Harley would have been ready to call it a day and jump right back on the trailer, but no. He decided to be stubborn, giving the trailer a cold shoulder once again. With the clock ticking on my afternoon plans, I had to get creative. So I maneuvered the trailer near a pile of soil and, with a gentle, ugh, nudge, I coaxed a little miniature renegade aboard. Making our way back to Rey's farm, we couldn't stop talking about our day at the park. Our verdict? We are absolutely in love with it. We're already planning our next visit. There's still a good enough stretch of the Boundary Trail left to be explored, not to mention several fire breaks that we hadn't even ventured down. One thing we agreed on? The Boundary Trail isn't carriage friendly until you reach the wetland area. Best for carriages to take the park road to the Pink Wetlands Trail or further to the fire breaks for access. Heads up to follow equestrians. The park staff tends to mow the Boundary Trail grass down to the nub, which then could lead to some slippery situations. We noticed signs of slippage from other riders too, especially on that first section of the Boundary Trail. If you plan on riding, maybe wait for a dry spell to ensure a safer trip, or pick up the trail after the park road on the wetland area. All in all, it's an adventure we soon won't forget and we're eager to repeat. Time for some raiding! Parking, three hooves. Easy to get to if you follow your GPS. It's not a big lot, but not small either. You could probably handle several big trailers for a small group if people park smart and back in from the road. Maps and signage, three hooves. Man, I really wanted to give this four hooves. I so badly wanted to. There's no information on the maps on which trails are open to horses and which ones aren't. The signage on the trail themselves is great and it's nice and it's clear, but I do wish they'd open up more of the trails for hoof traffic. They looked so inviting. Maintenance for hooves. It is clear this park is well used and loved by many and great care is taken to keep the trails maintained and open. Downed trees are cleaned up and I couldn't find so much as a widow maker hanging in a tree. Well done, park staff and volunteers. That's a wrap! If you enjoyed this week's podcast, please take time out to like, subscribe, and share with your friends. This helps keep me motivated to continue providing you with all this information and entertainment. As always, respect the trail, we're up in a bull brain bucket, and remember to clean up after your horse at the trailer site. Until next time, happy trails!