Canoeing Upstate New York's West River
How to get there
From Rochester, take Interstate 490 east to Interstate 90. Go east on Interstate 90 to
the Canandaigua exit. Turn south on route 332 to Canandaigua. Take route 21 west and south
from Canandaigua toward Naples. Turn east on route 245 just north of Naples. There are two
put ins along the road. One is a boat ramp, the other is at the Sunnyside Road bridge. For
more detailed instructions read the description in the book Quiet Water by John
Hayes and Alex Wilson, page 121.
Notes
On Saturday, July 6th, 1996 we launched our canoe at the boat ramp along
route 245. I mention the date because this was a July 4th weekend and we
expected crowds. There were several cars in the parking lot, but no power boats or canoes
were in sight. Several friends had recommended the West River to us because of its beauty,
wildlife, easy paddling. The West River is beautiful. We were impressed as soon as we got
out of our car. The waterway from the boat launch area to the West River was covered with
duck weed except for a dozen foot wide swath of clear water. The water was dark and the
duck weed bright green. The vegetation along the banks of the river was also beautifully
verdant.
Following Hayes and Wilson's advice, we paddled east on the river. This is upstream,
but you would never know it. The current is not perceptible. We soon faced a fork in the
river. Both ways look navigable, so we took the north fork on our left. As we later
discovered, both channels are navigable. Along the way we saw Fragrant Water Lilies,
Yellow Pond Lilies, Water Buttercups, Arrow Arum, and Yellow Flag Irises in blossom. We
came across Great Blue Herons wading along the shore every few hundred feet and saw many
other common birds. My favorite bird of the day was a Cedar Waxwing. I was particularly
impressed my the smoothness of its feathers and its beautiful coloration. We also saw
turtles and a Muskrat. Another couple we met said that they had seen Raccoons.
Passing under the bridges at Sunnyside Road was an adventure. The passage way under the
highway and railroad bridges was just large enough for a canoe if the paddlers bend way
down or kneel in the their canoe. Just east of the bridges is a nice stone bar on the
right that has rocks of just the right shape and size for skipping. Try to ignore the
trash left behind by other visitors.
Further east, beyond the bridges, duckweed covered the river from shore to shore.
Paddling through the aquatic vegetation became difficult and tiring. We paddled east to
the Beaver dam described by Hayes and Wilson. Along the way, we surprised a female Wood
Duck and about a dozen ducklings. The female, chased the ducklings to shore where they
quietly hid in the dense foliage. She then put on a spectacular performance to draw our
attention away from her young. She first pretended that she had a broken wing and couldn't
fly as she squawked and paddled her way to the middle of the river. She then rose up out
of the water and wildly flapped her wings and squawked even louder. Next, she paddled
upstream squawking all the way. Eventually, she took off and flew into the woods, probably
to join her young. We continued on. Each stroke of the canoe paddle lifted pounds of
aquatic plants out of the water. Our canoe had no glide. The resistance of the thickly
matted aquatic plants stopped us dead in the water at the end of every stroke. Our pace
was slow and exhausting.
On our way back from the Beaver dam, we stopped for lunch and a rest at the rock bar.
Laying on shore we watched clouds drift by overhead and listened to the sounds of the
rural New York, gun shots and chain saws. Because the road passed near by, we could also
hear the sounds of weekend traffic, especially motorcycles. We could also overhear
conversations of people from the double-wide trailers on the opposite shore on the other
side of the railroad bridge. We could smell the partially burned outboard motor oil in the
air from their boat motor as they left to go downstream. To commune with nature and to get
the feeling of being in the wilds along the West River, bring some ear plugs. If we go
again, we will take along trash bags and pick up the ubiquitous beer cans and bait
containers discarded along the shore.
Laying on the rock bar I wondered to my self if there will ever come a day when the
government will offer an amnesty program for people who want to turn in their chain saws
rather than face prosecution for using them. I wondered if I will live long enough to see
a time when the shooting in my neighborhood in Rochester and in the rural countryside will
stop. As it is, shooting firearms is basically unsafe almost everywhere in states as
heavily populated as New York. Because of the ever increasing population density, it is
nearly impossible to fire a gun without the risk that the fired bullet might hit someone.
We have hiked in New York State forests, not during hunting season, and had bullets from
high powered rifles pass just over our heads. We later learned that some local yahoos were
drinking and shooting targets from their back porch. Whenever they missed, the bullets
shot into the adjoining state forest across a frequently used hiking trail. The local
sheriff recommend strongly that we not file charges against the shooters. We didn't file
charges and felt lucky to get away with our lives. Even the Finger Lakes Trails
organization warns hikers to be ultra cautious where they hike because of the frequency of
gunfire along its trails. What is all of this gunfire leading to? Will hikers have to
resort to wearing military flack jackets, pants, and bullet resistant helmets to safely
walk in the woods to see what's left of nature?
If you are a political person, an elected official, or a nature organization member, I
have a modest proposal to share with you. I propose that counties, to attract tourism and
for just plain safety, legislate themselves as shooting free. Countries have successfully
banned nuclear weapons from their ports, from their land, and from their skies. Why not
ban guns and shooting in some counties. What if Ontario and Yates counties banned the
shooting of firearms? They could advertise this as a tourism feature. Families could feel
safe hiking the trails of High Tor, canoeing on the West River, or sailing on Canandaiqua
Lake. A shooting free environment would be a big selling point for ecotourists and
especially for me.
Meanwhile, back on the West River. After lunch, we packed out what little refuse we
brought in, and paddled back under the bridges. On the way back towards our put in, we
took the other, south, fork of the river. It was a real pleasure to be back on a waterway
not choked with vegetation. For a brief moment, we were thankful that the motor boats had
chewed up the vegetation in middle of the river. Our pace picked up and we were soon back
at the channel to the put in/take out. We still had some energy left, so we paddled
downstream toward Canandaiqua Lake. Wind stopped us at the meeting of Naples Creek and the
main channel to the lake. Although Hayes and Wilson say that the West River is protected
from the winds that sometimes make Canadaiqua Lake hazardous for boaters, we found that
westerly winds blow strongly up the West River.
Will we go back to the West River? Not real soon and especially not any time close to
or during hunting season. The Hayes and Wilson book has inspired us to visit new waters.
Suggested reading
Order these books right now.
Rich and Sue Freeman Guidebooks .
Comment: If you don't own copies of Rich and Sue Freeman's guidebooks,
you are missing out on the best places to hike, bike, canoe, or tour in the
Finger Lakes of Upstate New York and the Bruce Trail in Canada. Their
books are well written and their directions easy to follow. Highly
recommended. Quiet
Water Canoe Guide, New York. John Hayes and Alex Wilson. 1996. Published
by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston. MA. ISBN1-878239-51-1.
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