Autumn in the Genesee River Gorge

Reflections of the Veterans Memorial Bridge in the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
Reflections of the Veterans Memorial Bridge in the Genesee River

Back in 2020, I did a really beautiful (and fairly easy) paddle from Turning Point Park to the Lower Falls of the Genesee River. This past weekend, I decided to do it again – only with a few improvements. First, we started at the Petten Street Kayak Launch instead of dragging our kayaks down the hill to the (useless except in high-water weather) launch in Turning Point Park. This was a great improvement in terms of ease. The dock is right next to the parking area, and the launch is similar to the one in Black Creek in that it’s super easy to use.

Petten Street kayak launch, Charlotte or Rochester, New York
Petten Street kayak launch (GPS Coordinates: 43.2459359, -77.6129958)

Of course, starting here meant we had about an extra mile each direction, totaling about 10 miles RT to the Lower Falls and back. But we also saved a lot of time (and hand muscles) by not carrying the kayaks down (and then back up) the steep hill, let alone trying to launch from one of the fishing platforms (hopefully never again!) Early in our paddle, we passed the “Spirit of Rochester,” a 2 hour lunch or 3 hour dinner cruise ship that was quite popular from 1985-2004, when it hit a sunken tug in the Genesee River. Repairs were completed in Toronto, but the ship has slowly degraded, achored in the Genesee River, for the last 20 years. It’s not in very good shape at this point.

The Spirit of Rochester.  Not shown: Broken windows and lots of rust.  Genesee River, Charlotte, New York
The Spirit of Rochester. Not shown: Broken windows and lots of rust.

Up near Lake Ontario, the trees were still fairly green. But by the time we came to Turning Point Park, the trees were becoming quite colorful. I’d say that they’re not quite peak, but they will be within the next week or two. So if you’re looking for a great place to leaf-peep in Rochester, I highly recommend either walking at Turning Point Park or else making this kayak trip!

An old log south of Turning Point Park, Genesee River, Rochester, New York
An old log south of Turning Point Park

We were by far not the only people out on the Genesee River. I saw at least half a dozen other kayakers, and then there were at least a dozen motor boats heading up to just beyond the Veterans Memorial Bridge (the water must get too shallow beyond that point, since none of them went up to the Lower Falls).

A kayaker (right) and a motorboat below the Veterans Memorial Bridge on the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
A kayaker (right) and a motorboat below the Veterans Memorial Bridge

There were also quite a few airplanes – apparently, the approach for landing following the Genesee River was in use that day!

A Spirit airplane over the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
A Spirit airplane

And then there were the people fishing. Wow, were there a lot of people fishing below the Lower Falls! One man told us that the fishing wasn’t great at all, but we did see people catching, too (mostly gigantic salmon).

People fishing below Lower Falls, Genesee River, Rochester, New York
People fishing below Lower Falls

One of the biggest surprises from our last adventure was that we could hear the falls almost as soon as we paddled under the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The water level up to that point had been similar to what we’d experienced in 2020, so we weren’t really expecting the falls to be that much fuller, either, even though we’ve had a lot more rain this fall.

Approaching Lower Falls - see the sunlight drifting through the blowing mist?  Genesee River, Rochester, New York
Approaching Lower Falls – see the sunlight drifting through the blowing mist?

Well, we were wrong on that front – the falls were absolutely roaring with water. This also meant that the river near the falls was faster and higher. Between the swift current and the number of people fishing, we pulled our kayaks over to the right (western) bank and one of my group stayed with them while the rest of us took the muddy, slippery trail up to the falls, themselves. Crazy as it sounds, the rock bar where we stood last time was completely underwater!

The Lower Falls of the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
The Lower Falls

We pretty quickly headed back downstream and at a snack while drifting down toward the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Kayaker under the Veterans Memorial Bridge, Genesee River, Rochester, New York
Kayaker under the Veterans Memorial Bridge

Then it was back under the pedestrian bridge between Maplewood Park and Seneca Park.

Pedestrian Bridge at Maplewood Park

I took quite a few more photos, but I’ll only put a few here at the end of the post – enjoy! (Note: Because I’ve detailed this trip before, I won’t put in the GPS track, mileages, etc., which can be found over here.)

Yellow tree along the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
Yellow tree
Veterans Memorial Bridge while kayaking the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
Veterans Memorial Bridge
An arch of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, Rochester, New York
An arch of the Veterans Memorial Bridge
A bluff with colorful trees along the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
A bluff with colorful trees
A small waterfall on the western side of the Genesee River Gorge, Rochester, New York
A small waterfall on the western side of the gorge
I overheard one person on a motorboat call this "the prettiest tree on the river."  Genesee River Gorge, Rochester, New York
I overheard one person on a motorboat call this “the prettiest tree on the river.”
A kayaker in autumn reflections on the Genesee River, Rochester, New York
A kayaker in autumn reflections

Today’s Featured Product!

This book is an indispensable guide for paddling around Rochester, New York, and westward to Buffalo. It cover so many great water trails and lakes, including this paddle up the Genesee River. (FYI – The current sample of the book on Amazon shows the Finger Lakes version, not the Western New York version – don’t be confused). Buy your copy here!

One thought on “Autumn in the Genesee River Gorge

  1. Pingback: Good Qualities without Submission is Miserable – Anne's Travels

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