Okay,
so Western New York may not be Bend or Boulder, or even Lake Placid. But for
the precious few months that summer visits these parts, the discerning outdoor
enthusiast can find plenty of challenges. If you know where to look, that is.
Whether you’re new to this area or just tired of hoofing it down the same old
trails, here are a few hidden gems that you don’t have to drive all day to
reach. These destinations have enough variety to test the skills of the
experienced adrenaline addict, but also give newbies a fun, easy entrรฉe into
climbing, biking, or backpacking.
To
climb or not to climb
Real rock in
the Niagara River Gorge. Let’s face it. This part of the world will never be the
climbing mecca that the Adirondacks or Shawangunks in the eastern part of the
state are, let alone the more famous crags of Yosemite — at least not in our
geological epoch. But we’re not wholly out of luck either. Those wanting to
hone their climbing skills have at least one first class option: bouldering in
Ontario’s Niagara Glen Nature Area.
Bouldering
is the hip younger cousin to conventional climbing, only achieving legitimacy
as an activity in itself within the past decade or so. Instead of traditional
longer-roped routes that take a mix of skills and endurance, boulderers pursue
short, รผber-hard “problems” requiring both superb technical ability and the
strength and flexibility of a gymnast, without the protection of a rope. (Since
most of problems rarely get more than a few feet off the ground, this isn’t as
dangerous as it sounds.)
As the name implies, this usually takes
places on large boulders, rather than imposing monolithic walls. In the case of
the Niagara River Gorge, these 20- to 30-foot (or larger!) giants are mainly
limestone, remnants of a bedrock layer that once capped the mighty falls. Now
they’re strewn haphazardly about on the floor of the gorge besides the
turbulent post-falls Niagara River like abandoned toys in a child’s room. The
result is a fantastic landscape that’s a fun short hike for anyone and doubly
exciting for rock junkies.
There’s
a great variety of problems, ranging from unrated scrambles to V6s and V7s
(boulders use a “V” system to rate a problem’s difficulty). Be sure to bring a
crash pad since uneven, rocky landings are par for the course. Leave your rope
at home, though. A ban on roped climbs in the park has been in effect for
several years.
For
more information visit www.glenbouldering.com or www.infoniagara.com/recreation
Spin
city
Mountain bike
bliss in Allegany State Park. There are plenty of good places to
mountain bike in Western New York (almost none in Monroe County, but that’s a
subject for another story).
Few
of these, though, compare with the variety you’ll find at Allegany State Park.
Maybe that’s why the Western New York Mountain Bike Association holds their top
annual race event — the Raccoon Rally — there each year. In fact, even
non-bikers will be impressed by the terrain, which is among the wildest in the
state; glaciers left it alone during the last ice age, so the landscape differs
somewhat from the rest of the region.
Trails
range from hilly to flat and there are wetlands, forests, and open meadows
among the variety of environments. With 65,000 acres there’s plenty of wild
space for these trails to expand into, which means you won’t exhaust the
options in just a few rides. Still think you’ll get bored? Where the park meets
the Pennsylvania state line it becomes the Allegheny National Forest, a far
larger wilderness which has plenty more of the same terrain.
The
icing on the cake is a spin past the “Thunder Rocks,” a clump of weirdly hewn
conglomerate boulders so rare and otherworldly-looking that the chance to see
them alone makes it worth the trip from Rochester.
For
trail conditions and more information check out www.wnymba.org or
www.nysparks.com.
A
journey of a thousand miles…
Backpacking
the Finger Lakes Trail. You probably didn’t know that you could walk from the
eastern edge of New York to North Dakota on a designated national trail.
Oh
sure, everyone’s heard of the Appalachian Trail, and maybe even the Pacific
Crest and one or two others. But how many Rochesterians know that one of the
nation’s premier long distance trails runs practically through their backyard?
Starting at the banks of Lake Champlain and winding westward to its terminus at
Lake Sakakawea State Park in Pick City, North Dakota, the North Country
National Scenic Trail is the nation’s longest east-to-west trail. Right now,
more than half of it runs along roads and other right-of-ways but when the
remaining off-road portions are complete, it’ll be the longest trail in the
nation at over 4,000 miles.
South
of Rochester its route follows the Finger Lakes Trail which itself follows a
line connecting the southern tips of the Finger Lakes, through some of the best
terrain the Southern Tier has to offer. With half a dozen spurs leaving the
main trail between Syracuse and Buffalo — the nearest is a 25-mile path
connecting the FLT to Letchworth — it’s easy to plan anything from a day hike
to an epic adventure.
To
find out more go to www.northcountrytrail.org or www.fingerlakestrail.org.
This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2005.
