Mendon Ponds Park, located in the towns of Pittsford and Mendon (about 8 miles southeast of Rochester), is the largest Monroe County park at roughly 2,600 acres.
It was named to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks in 1969 due to its geological history and the presence of significant glacial-melt features from roughly 11,000 years ago, including: kames (conical hills or mounds); eskers (long, windy ridges of stratified sand and gravel); and kettles (shallow, circular depressions).
This park offers six Lodges and seven shelters, all available for rental. Mendon Ponds has several recreational areas, including a Nature Center, Sharon’s Sensory Garden, Wild Wings, Inc., a Youth Camping area, and a car-top boat launch (non-motorized boats only).
There are roughly 40 miles of sandy hiking trails that weave through the dense woods surrounding the park’s open fields and ponds. The major trails are marked in color and are easy to follow; there are other unnamed connecting trails that are lightly trafficked and are usually marked with numbers. Most of the 10 trail loops are between 1 and 3 miles long.
A kettle pond known as the Devil’s Bathtub is a popular hiking destination, largely because it’s a rare meromictic waterbody, which means the top and bottom waters do not intermingle so it’s difficult for organisms to thrive due to the oxygen-poor environment.
The Devil’s Bathtub Trail is a 1.8-mile loop with boardwalks to help hikers avoid muddy conditions. Other trails include the challenging East Esker Trail, which is a 4.7-mile hilly hike that travels through woods and fields of wildflowers.
The Quaker Pond Trail is a 2.8-mile loop over level terrain that features views of working beavers and includes three observation points for spotting other abundant wildlife, including birds, muskrats, foxes, minks, and deer.
The Mendon Ponds park office is located at 95 Douglas Road, Honeoye Falls, NY.
Photo: Mendon Ponds Nature Center.
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