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Location / Directions / Maps
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In the Greater Rochester Area;
Town of
Penfield; Monroe County;
New York
Maps:
Google Map,
Bing Maps (Bird's-eye view),
Multi-map (topo);
Trail map
(pdf); Interactive map.
GPS: Bridge: (N
43.12720 / W 77.48457)
Lower Falls:
(N 43.12728 / W 77.48436)
Upper Falls: (N 43.12731 / W 77.48296)
Falls on Honey Creek (N 43.12767 / W 77.48246)
Directions: Take I490
to exit 23 and head east on Linden Avenue. Follow
Linden as it becomes Penfield Rd. past the Panorama
Trail exit. As the highway reaches the town and the
speed limit drops and the route becomes less like a
highway, slow down and look for the park sign on the
right. Make a right onto Linear Park Drive. Follow
this road into the parking area.
Or use
Google Directions.
An alternate entrance and parking is located on the other
side of the bridge and can be accessed from N Washington St. Use
Google Directions. |
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Information / Accessibility / Accommodations
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Number of
falls: 3
Size/Types: Upper and Lower Falls are
less like waterfalls and more like gradual cascades
and rapids. They are no more than a series of 2ft
high drops. The waterfall on Honey Creek, although
usually dried to a trickle, is roughly 30 ft tall.
It starts out as a 3 ft cascade, then a 14 ft
gradual slope, then another cascade to the bottom.
Best time
to visit: Year round, but best after
heavy rain.
Flow:
Moderate to high for Irondequoit Creek. Seasonal for
Honey Creek.
Waterway:
Irondequoit Creek, which flows north into
Irondequoit Bay and
Lake Ontario. Honey Creek is a small seasonal
tributary into Irondequoit Creek.
Time:
At least 15 minutes, but hiking the park trails can
easily take 1 or more hours.
Seasons/Hours: Open
year-round, daily, from 6am to 10pm.
Parking:
There are three lots, two off of the Rt 441 entrance
(north), and one off of the N Washington St entrance
(south). Parking for roughly 20 cars.
Admission: Free.
Handicap
accessibility: Yes, from the parking area to
the observation/fishing platform on the south bank
of the creek near the Lower Falls/Rapids. Pets:
Allowed if on leash. Leash policy strictly enforced.
Please clean up after.
Accommodations: Restrooms, signage;
historical markers; trails; fishing, playground,
pavilion. |
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Local Activities and Events
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Harborfest (Late June) -
Ontario Beach
Park, Rochester
Lilac Festival
(Mid May) - Highland Park, Rochester
High Falls
Film Festival (mid May) - Rochester
Hochstein
Concerts at High Falls (June - July) -
High Falls, Rochester
Party in the Park Concert Series (June-August) -
Rochester
July 4 Fireworks (July 4) - Downtown
Rochester
Big Rib
BBQ Fest (early July) - Highland Park, Rochester
Corn Hill Arts Festival
(mid July) - Rochester
International Jazz
Festival (mid July) - Rochester
Monroe
County Fair (mid July) -
Henrietta, NY
Ten
Ugly Men Festival (late July) - Genesee Valley Park,
Rochester |
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Area Attractions / Places to Stay
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Want a prominent spot on this list?
Click here for advertising
options.
Other Waterfalls
Corbett's Glen,
Brighton, NY
High Falls, Rochester, NY
Lower Falls, Rochester, NY
Zoo Falls, Rochester, NY
Turning Point Falls, Rochester, NY
Norton's Falls, Rochester, NY
Densmore Falls, Irondequoit, NY

Bed & Breakfast
Clematis Inn - Rochester, NY
Canal
Lamp Inn - Rochester, NY
Dartmouth House - Rochester, NY
Reen's
Bed & Breakfast - Rochester, NY
Webster Vacation Rental - Webster, NY
Hotels /
Lodging
Courtyard Rochester East/Penfield - Penfield, NY
Rochester Plaza Hotel - Downtown Rochester, NY
Strathallan Hotel - Downtown Rochester, NY
Restaurants/Cafes
Europa Deli - Penfield, NY
Charlie Brown's - Penfield, NY
Humphrey House - Penfield, NY
Bill Gray's -
Penfield, NY
More...
Museums
High Falls Museum - High Falls, Rochester, NY
Memorial
Art Gallery - Downtown Rochester, NY
George
Eastman House - Rochester, NY
Rochester
Museum & Science Ctr. - Rochester, NY
Susan B. Anthony House - Rochester, NY
Wineries / Breweries
High
Falls Brewery - High Falls, Rochester, NY
Rohrbach Brewing Company - Rochester, NY
Casa
Larga - Victor, NY
Bakeries /
Local specialties
Elegant Expressions Bakery - Penfield, NY
Savoia Pastry Shoppe - Rochester, NY
Village Gate Square - Rochester, NY
Parkleigh - Rochester, NY
Stever's Candies - Rochester, NY
Entertainment / Theater
GEVA Theatre - Rochester, NY
Rochester
Philharmonic Orchestra - Rochester, NY
Off-Monroe Players - Rochester, NY
Eastman Theater - Rochester, NY
Downstairs Cabaret - Rochester, NY
Blackfriars Theatre - Rochester, NY
Seabreeze
Amusement Park - Rochester, NY
Sports
BayCreek Paddling Center - Irondequoit, NY
Redwings Baseball - Downtown Rochester, NY
Rhinos Soccer - Downtown Rochester, NY
Amerks
Hockey - Downtown Rochester, NY |
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Weather Forecast
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Description
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AKA: Linear Park; The Falls; The Hollow; Sgoh-Sa-Is-Thah;
Irondequoit Falls; Irondequoit Rapids
The Town of Penfield hosts this 19 acre community
park along an exciting stretch of Irondequoit Creek,
where it drops over 90 feet in the course of one
mile. The relatively steep drop in an otherwise flat
region leads to some interesting rapids along its
path towards Irondequoit Bay and eventually Lake
Ontario. The community of Penfield has always had a
use for this stretch of the creek. The power
presented by the creek created a large community of
mills that fueled the earliest industries in the
valley. Although the course of the creek has changed
over time, and all of the mills that once utilized
it have been razed, evidence of this period can
still be found in the crumbling foundations of a few
of these remaining structures.
Named after former Town Supervisor,
Channing H. Philbrick, the park serves a variety of
purposes. The open field, picnic shelter and
playground are a frequent host to parties and family
gatherings throughout the summer months. Year-round,
the creek is host to hikers, photographers, and
fisherman who come to enjoy the sights, sounds, and
the sense of peace and isolation this small sliver
of nature offers in an otherwise highly-developed
suburb.
The big draw here is the class III
whitewater. Twisting, bouncing and spraying around
the limestone mottled creek bed, Irondequoit Creek
displays tremendous power for such a small waterway.
The porous nature of the rock layers here acts as an
amplifier as the water drums upon it, creating a
thumping roar of water that fills the glen. It's
both relaxing and exhilarating at the same time, and
well worth at least a quick stop.
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History
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When walking the shady trails along
this section of Irondequoit Creek, it is tough to
imagine its banks lined with dozens of mills and
factories. Although the course of the creek has
changed drastically since then, some traces of these
mills can still be found along its shores.
Irondequoit Creek's origins can be traced to a
pre-glacial Genesee River, that carved out the
valley that Irondequoit Creek now flows through.
Irondequoit Bay was once the delta where this
ancient Genesee emptied into the pre-glacial Lake
Ontario. Sediment deposits from the last ice age
pushed the Genesee to its current location to the
west, while small tributaries still contributed to
its former valley, forming Irondequoit Creek.
Prior to pioneer settlement, the Iroquois inhabited
this region and named this section of the creek
SGOH-SA-IS-THAH (smashing water against rock)
hailing to the drumming sound made by rapids
pummeling the limestone layers beneath.
Penfield was first owned by Jonathan Fassett, Sr of
Vermont. The heavily wooded, hilly and swampy
terrain was not of much use and it was sold, and
sold, and sold again until Daniel Penfield, a
wealthy land owner and merchant from down state,
came to the area in 1795 and saw the potential of
this stretch of Irondequoit Creek for the powering
of mills. He bought the entire township that same
year, but did not erect a sawmill until 1800. Soon
after, several other mills were erected nearby. The
principal industry here was flour, which was carried
by land to Charlotte and then shipped north across
Lake Ontario to Canada. The opening of the Erie
Canal in the 1820s allowed for shipping to markets
far to the east and the milling industry in Penfield
thrived. The mills here included, but were not
limited to grain, sawmills, triphammers, clothing
mills, tanneries, clothing mills, distilleries.
Other businesses sprung up to support the township
and prosper from the power of the creek. Mr.
Penfield maintained the water rights within the
Township limits and thus had an interest in all of
the businesses that utilized it. Mr.
Penfield encouraged settlement within his township
by accepting produce and livestock in lieu of
mortgage payments for new farmers as they settled on
their land. As the milling business in nearby
Rochester blossomed around the
High Falls, milling on
Irondequoit Creek diminished and agriculture took
over as the principal industry in the town. Before
becoming a town park, this area (specifically the
open fields along the creek) was home to a sewage
treatment plant that emptied right into the creek.
It was removed and trails and park facilities were
built. The park was called Linear Park until
recently. |
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Hiking / Trails / Exploration
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Difficulty:
Easy to moderate.
Distance:
Roughly 1.5 miles of trails within the park, and
larger trail systems connecting connecting to this
park.
Markings:
The tails are easy to find and usually marked with
trail-heads.
Description:
Channing H Philbrick Park Trail runs
along the northern shore of the creek east and west.
It will get you the best look at the rapids and the
bluffs. Pick it up near the pedestrian bridge or the
wooded area near the pavilion. The trail is well
maintained dirt or gravel, through the wooded
terrain along the creek. At some points it reaches a
wooden bridge or downed tree. After heavy rain, some
areas can get quite muddy. You can follow this trail
east past the boundaries of the park and all the way
to Linden Ave if you don't mind getting wet and
dirty.
Follow it west along the twists and
turns, past the bluffs and all the way to Rt 441 and
the Irondequoit Creek - Panorama Plaza Trail.
The Old Mill Trail is a short
loop that begins from the small parking lot on the
southern end of the bridge, off of N Washington St.
This 15 minute trail will take you to a depression
in the ground that was once occupied by mill. A few
remnants of the mill foundation can be found
scattered along the site and in the creek below.
Follow the trail back to the parking area.
The Honey Creek Trail, a
recent addition to the trail system in the park,
passes through wooded hollow north of the creek and
then scales the sandy the glacial moraines to and
ends at 5 Mile Long Rd. Honey Creek Falls,
cannot be seen from this trail, it actually lies
several hundred feet to the west where this small
seasonal tributary pours over the scarp into the
glen. It is accessible via a barely detectable trail
that runs adjacent to Honey Creek.
The Irondequoit Creek - Panorama
Plaza Trail is a multi-use trail that runs from
the Town Buildings at Philbrick park (near the
pavilion), northwest along Irondequoit Creek and
ends at the back of Panorama Plaza. The trail is
approximately 3 quarters of a mile.
Maps:
Park Trail map
(pdf);
Irondequoit Creek - Panorama Plaza Trail map (pdf);
See also the interactive map below. |
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Photography tips
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Fishermen
— include them in your photos of the creek
for a sense of scale and to add a touch of human
personality.
Macro
— go in close and try to make abstract art from the
swirls and flows of the frothy water.
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Links of Interest
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Penfield trails information and maps
Penfield park shelter reservations
Irondequoit Creek public fishing information (PDF)
Fishing access maps for Irondequoit Creek (PDF)
Town of Penfield history
More Penfield history (pdf) |
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Who to Contact
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Town of
Penfield
Parks & Recreation
3100 Atlantic Avenue
Penfield, NY 14526-9798
(585) 340-8655
recreation@penfield.org |
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