Lindsay: [00:00:00] Hello, it's me, your horse who you turned out with two bell boots but came back with only one, Lindsay LaBella. And today we're going to revisit the Lehigh Valley Trail, picking up where we left off in Rush, New York, and completing it all the way to Victor. Why? Because you're listening to Rochester Trail Riders.

Today we're back on the Lehigh Valley Trail doing another section for mile marker 5 oh 12 ish. Starting at the village of Rush, New York and finishing our trip to Victor. all the way out into the village of Mendon and then extend it on to Victor. If you missed part one of this trail, the Lehigh Valley is a rail to trail conversion that spans 17 miles, connecting the Genesee Valley Trail to the Auburn Trail.

This trail is made possible to you by Monroe County Parks and the Mendon Foundation, who are the core of volunteers that keep this stretch open for multiple purpose use. Yet [00:01:00] again, I find myself a little too fluffy to be riding my small statured horses, and I opted to hike this portion of the trail instead. I have a goal of losing enough weight that my tack and I are 20 percent of my horse's body weight. I had gotten a little too fat too fast for me, but it's coming off.

I decided to enjoy this journey of self recalibration and still going out and enjoying the trails and reporting them to you for your education and entertainment. If you're curious by any chance of my fitness journey, you always can find me on Just Ruck It anywhere on social media or YouTube. Today's trip would be a perfect one for the books.

Even if it didn't involve a horse this go around. Cool temperatures and lower humidity than last time would allow me to push farther than I initially planned. Rail to trails, or greenways as they are known around here, have one big drawback than many of the other trails and state parks in our area.

The trails go one way. And being the remnant [00:02:00] of a historical train route, these trails are long, flat, and mostly straight, meaning your option for travel can only be one of two. You can do the out and back, where you depart and return to the same area, or the traverse, where you will need to coordinate a pickup at the end point and get a ride back to your starting point.

My plan today was a traverse, relying on my husband once again to pick me up at the far end. And if this, if doing this with a horse, there is plenty of room at both points to stash your trailer and buddy up to the other end.

If you don't want to do a down and back. Or, if you and your horse are fit enough, a 14 mile day in the saddle sounds pretty good to me. 

The morning of my truck, I woke up well before first light and stumbled around my house trying not to wake up anyone. I snuggled up on the sofa with a warm drink and my dog at my side as I planned out my day. The park [00:03:00] technically doesn't open until 6am and I had time to spare.

Plotting mileage to road crossings on Google Maps, I decided to complete another 5 miles ending at the Cumberland Road parking area, with the hope of pushing further, potentially doing the rest of the 12 miles entirely. The night before, I let my husband know I'd text him within 45 minutes to an hour away from my pickup point and send him the directions.

Knowing that I might stay out longer than just a quick walk, I poked through my pack and discovered my snack supply was lacking. A trip to the store was in order, but first farm chores. Completing my dance of mucking and feeding and water and hay, just as the sun decided the light in the sky. The weather called for storms later, but it was a crystal blue morning.

Tossing my pack into the car. My first stop was the store to load up on sustenance. Protein and some carbs to get the metabolism moving.

Opting for cheese and crackers, a Quest bar, and some muscle milk, I was on the road to Lehigh [00:04:00] Valley in rush. In case you're wondering, muscle milk was a terrible idea and almost caused me a catastrophic blowout. Mental note, I'm not going to do that again. Bowels in order. The car parked in a big parking lot.

Yes, this location can handle horse trailer parking. I made my way a quarter mile back to where I left off the last time at the Creekside Inn. 6. 42 AM and I hit start on my Apple Watch. Officially, we're off. This section starts off in the center of the village of Rush, right next to Honeyoy Creek with a lovely view of the falls.

If on foot, it's a nice little distraction to check out. Soon you'll find yourself on a trail with a nice long section, approximately two and a half miles before the next road crossing. Honeoye Creek meanders off to your left, coming into view occasionally with fields giving way to wooded areas on your right.

As [00:05:00] customary on the LVT, horses are to ride off the stone dust in a wide grassy area to your south, which is to my right as I am traveling east. Since this is a multi use trail, it does get a lot of cycle and jogger traffic on it. As with all of my Greenway episodes, I will caution folks that their horses need to be cycle safe before traveling.

My early morning start made for an empty trail. I found it calming to watch the world around me wake up as I traverse the barren path. Approximately two miles down came the first obstacle, a long train trestle bridge spanning Honeoye Creek. Signage warned of steep drop offs on either side, but reassuringly there was a wide wings on this bridge to funnel horses without worry.

There was even a small mounting stone block on the far side, a rare sight for this trail. In short time later came the first road crossing and a fun place to stop and absorb some history. [00:06:00] Monroe County Parks preserved the Lehigh Valley Trail Junction with plans to expand this area into a small park called the Menden Station Park.

There is much to see with gardens and building site markers, a few rail cars and more. For me, it was a perfect spot for a water break and to stretch out the legs before pressing on. Past the junction, the trail comes to a fork with a section leading off to the right to the Great Bend Park. The trail itself, from an aerial view, appears to be a literal rail Y.

A Y is where a train could turn around. That is spelled W Y E, in case you're wondering. My plans for the day had me continuing on to the left, which was clearly marked as the Lehigh Valley Trail. A short time later, we made it to the Clover Street Crossing, known as Route 65, and this is a heavily traveled road.

Please use caution when crossing. There's a small parking area, not appropriate for trailer parking there as well. [00:07:00] A quick burst into the woods and out you come to Quaker Meeting House Road, a much quieter crossing with a larger parking area off to the north, capable of holding one trailer.

The next stretch is a long, densely wooded section on both sides, complete with steep grades on the north side. A nice 1. 6 mile long span that brings you out to the Chamberlain Road crossing, which marked 5 miles traveled thus far. This crossing was where I intended my pickup, initially, but opted to continue on the extra two miles all the way to Menden, and I let my husband know at this point of my plans.

This last stretch was broken up by West Bloomfield Road at approximately the midway point. This crossing did not reveal any trailer parking either. In my last mile stretch, you could feel the slow encroachment of housing along the wooded path. The trail got wider and wider, until it eventually burped out into a baseball park in Mendon.

The parking here is plentiful, as long as it doesn't conflict with a baseball [00:08:00] game. This park was also my end point. As if by divine intervention, my ride turned in the parking lot the exact same time I arrived. Perfect timing. Well, kind of. I could see the 12 mile marker at the road crossing and I was determined not to get into the truck until I touched that marker.

And then of course, crazy me, I couldn't stop walking circles until my kilometer based Apple Watch showed 12 kilometers. Ah, so satisfying on so many levels to complete a perfectly whole number.

But wait, there's more! I went back shortly after completing the last section, which 4 miles remaining. However, these four miles, while easily completed on foot, are a NO to horse traffic shortly after Menden. For some reason, as soon as the trail crosses into Victor territory, [00:09:00] they have signs up that say, NO HORSE TRAFFIC.

Which means, you cannot connect the Lehigh Valley Trail to the Auburn Trail on horseback. WTF, right? What's more frustrating is that Victor actually maintains a nice wide horse path off the stonedust, so I don't know what their reasoning is.

I did notice they also have signs up restricting e bike usage, so my guess is the problem is with the fact that the trail is heavily traveled and they don't want to have conflicts. I will contact the Parks Department and Victor at a later date and see if I can determine the reasoning for the lack of horse traffic.

Lehigh Valley Trail completed! The trip between Rush and Menden was much more open and well maintained than the first 5. 5 miles that I covered in Part 1. Large parking areas on either end make it easy for a nice section ride. Either as a long down and back or [00:10:00] a one way traverse, shuttling on either end.

 Menden Station Park has picnic tables and things you could tie your horse off to to take a little break if the feeling struck. As with any multi use space, the clash of cyclists and horses can be there.

This tension I can see only escalate since horses are to ride off the stone's dust, making the cyclists look like they can just whiz by without yielding. If you have a horse that is not desensitized to e bikes, or bikes in general, it could be challenging trail. But, if you pick your times right, you probably could travel the trail all by yourself.

 While you technically can continue on through Menden for about another mile, mile and a half, the trail quickly becomes posted for no horses as soon as you make it to Victor. If you're riding this trail to complete your RTR badge, completed entries will be accepted from the River Road to Menden Baseball Fields.

[00:11:00] Alright, review time. Parking. Two hooves. It's not like the Greenway. While there is parking large enough for trailer access in a couple locations, there really isn't a specific horse trailer parking area. Go early. Get yourself a spot. Smaller rigs would be ideal, and make sure you don't be around during baseball games.

Maps and signage. Four hooves. It's a straight line. It's kind of hard to get lost. Mendon Station has some cool signage telling you of mile markers to other trails and towns and even 379 miles to New York City. There are mile markers every half mile if you're doing any pace training on this section.

Difficulty. 2 Hooves. Anytime you're going to encounter a cyclist, I'm going to give the difficulty a low rating, despite the fact that the trail is flat and wide. Yes, an easy ride. Road crossings, bridges, and other encounters are what are going to [00:12:00] make this one a little more challenging. Maintenance. Four hooves.

This section is very well maintained compared to the Greenway to Rushside in Part 1. The grass area for horse traffic has groomed and the branches and brush have been kept back. It looked like to be a very pleasant riding area. That wraps up today's adventures. Be sure to subscribe, like, and share wherever you get your podcasts and remember to respect the trail, wear a helmet, and clean up at your trailer site. Happy trails!