Irondequoit Bay West Park - Irondequoit, NY
Posted by: 
sagefemme
N 43° 11.039 W 077° 31.748
18T E 294466 N 4784351
Two of Monroe Counties parks have been designated for mountain bike trail riding on an experimental basis. (The second is Tryon Park.) Both parks have undergone extensive improvements since then, including expanded parking, and signage.
Waymark Code: WME8NR
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 04/19/2012
Views: 9
In 2010, whether mountain bike riding should be allowed in any of the Monroe County parks was an active conversation. At issue was the question of whether the sandy kames and eskers formed by the retreat of the glaciers could withstand the erosion.
In 2011, two parks were designated as shared use parks, between pedestrian and mountain bike users, on an experimental basis.
Now, in early 2012, the trails are highly developed, including extensive (and thoughtful) work on the part of the local mountain bike clubs. The difference in this park is dramatic.
The old trails followed animal trails straight up some of the steepest hills along spurs and ridgelines, and every one of them was a heart attack waiting to happen. The new trails include many switchbacks and the trails are deeply stepped where they cross the hillsides. Gullies have been filled with large rocks with gaps that allow the water to flow (but with flat tops that are conducive to both foot and bike use. All the trail intersections are clearly marked. All the bikers I've met are extremely deferential to the foot traffic, and so long as that remains the case, I'm pleased to share the park with them. With permanent signs in place, my guess is the mountain bikes are here to stay.
There are theoretically five trailheads throughout this park, but any of the trails can be reached from any other. This trailhead is the Purple Trail. It's "other end" is off Orchard Park Blvd (the public access road to this park).
In addition, there is a Blue Trail (with one outlet in a residential cul-de-sac at the western end of the park, and the terminus at a park road northwest of the fishing and hunting club access), the Green Trail (with one access point just west of the Blue Trail access point, and the other end being a junction with the Blue Trail), the Orange Trail (which connects to the Blue Trail at both ends and intersects it multiple times) and the Red Trail (which connects to the Blue Trail at one end, but ends in a loop).
All this for the mountain bikers, and still some original trail designated only for foot traffic.
Trail Name: Purple Trail
Short description of trail:
The Purple Trail covers some of the most untouched parts of the park. Untouched doesn't mean unspoiled nature, however. There are signs of ancient human settlement, including midden piles (where people simply through there garbage down the hill "out back" to rust away). The trail was very tastefully laid, though, with some of the deepest steps, and gully fills. It wanders through the southernmost portions of the park, up into the easternmost parts.
Trail Average Difficulty: Not listed
Web Link to trail map (if available): Not listed
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