Cobbs Hill Park and Reservoir Walking Tour
Description
Any time of the year is a good time to take a walk around the Cobbs Hill Reservoir. It
is a short paved walk, perhaps a quarter mile, if you only take one lap. Its short length
makes it an enjoyable lunch-time walk. You can walk a lap of the paved level walkway and
still have time to eat lunch and get back to work. The view is panoramic, not
breathtaking, but enjoyable if you have been sitting at a desk or looking at a computer
monitor for too long. The view is a favorite of photography students looking for a vantage
point to photograph the great Rochester cityscape. At the west side of the loop
stands a utility building that vaguely resembles a Greek temple. During the summer, the
steps of the building are a favorite gathering place for musicians.
A reader contributed these details about the distance around the
reservoir "The paved path around the reservoir is .69 miles. The roadway is
.75 miles."
Cobbs Hill Reservoir is a manmade circular lake located on top of a hill in Cobbs Hill
Park. A paved walking path surrounds the reservoir which is protected by a metal fence. A
road circles the reservoir. Parking is allowed on the eastern and northeastern sides of
the park. Although you may see numerous cars parked on the west side, they are parked
illegally and may be ticketed.
How to Get There
Cobbs Hill Park is located between I490 and
Monroe Ave. (Rte. 31) and between Culver Rd. and Cobbs Hill Dr. From the center of
Rochester, take Monroe Ave. southeast to Highland Ave. Turn left on Highland Ave. (east).
The first turnoff to your left (north) will be the entrance to the park. The park road is
one way. Follow the road up the hill to the right. When you reach the top of the hill you
will see signs designating parking areas along the roadside. A little further on, you will
see the road split. The right fork will take you around the park loop. The left fork goes
to the left of the communications building and rejoins the loop drive. Parking is
permitted on this side road. The park would be a great place for lovers to park at night,
which may be why it is closed after dark.
Google Map.
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Topo map of Cobbs Hill |
Favorite Walk
Taking a walk around the Cobbs Hill Reservoir often provides us a break from writing or
other indoor work. We can put together a quick lunch, drive to the reservoir, walk, and
return in an hour. This walk is enjoyable during every season. There is something about
being outside and being high enough to see a panoramic view that frees the spirit. The air
seems fresher and clearer. It may be an illusion associated with being able to see so far.
After spending too many hours at our computers, one us will declare that our eyes need to
focus at infinity for a while. The walk and view from the reservoir provides that needed
infinity focus and gets us back to work quickly.
We have never felt unsafe at the reservoir, but we wouldn't recommend that women walk
alone there. The amount of dog droppings on the walkway sometimes makes walking there
unenjoyable. It may seem like I harp too much on this subject, but it is a
disgusting nuisance. It seems that Rochester's dog owners like to take their
pets to public parks so that their dogs can defecate on the trails,
especially the paved ones. They don't scoop the poop. Most of the negligent dog owners we observed, arrived in expensive cars,
so one can assume that it is lack of consideration and rudeness more than anything else
that encourages their behavior. The temple, as we like to call the utility building on
west side of the reservoir, is a favorite target graffiti writers. With those exceptions
noted, our walks at the reservoir have always been pleasant.
We often take a walk at the reservoir when we need to discuss problems, successes, and
important plans with each other.
Summer
When the days are warm and sunny, you may pass by, or stop and listen to, musicians
playing guitars, drums, or flutes on the steps of the temple. The steps face the afternoon
sun and the temple offers some protection from the wind. The view from the steps is a long
slope of green grass leading down to Monroe Ave. The day that Jerry Garcia, of the
Grateful Dead, died, we walked by a group of mourners playing music and singing on the
steps. It was touching to see his fans paying tribute from the temple.
If there is a warm summer rain shower, put on some water proof shoes, take your
umbrella, and go for a walk at the reservoir. You can explain it to your therapist later.
For now, enjoy it.
As long as the walkway is free of ice you will probably see joggers on it. It is a
great place for beginning joggers who need a level surface and want to limit their runs to
a short distance or multiple laps. Stronger joggers run along the road rather than the
walkway. The road dips down near the entrance and climbs again as it makes a circle around
the reservoir. The hills are steep, but short.
Winter
Even on the coldest day of winter, the reservoir is still recommended walk. Because of
its exposure, the wind chill can sometimes be biting. Alternately, because of its
exposure, it gets lots of sun. Snow and ice melt from the reservoir walkway before most
other places. Even if there is just a little sunlight coming through clouds, it makes a
difference here.
Sledders love to slide down the hill below the temple when there is adequate snow on
the ground. It is steep enough to cause injury to the careless sledder out of control. We
have seen ambulances at the bottom of the hill treating banged up sledders on several
occasions.
Other Diversions
If you want to extend your walk, go down the hill from the temple steps to Monroe Ave.
and turn right (northwest) and walk about 10 short blocks to the business district. You
will pass bookstores, antique stores, jewelry stores, restaurants, markets, and much more
along the way.
More Rochester Walks.
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