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Hiya folks.
I was away from the net over the holidays and unaware what a debate I inspired! Some of you are right, I am not necessarily looking for majestic mountains, challenging treks, etc etc etc, though of course I love that about Oregon and Alaska. Good day/weekend trips are important, but just as much the ability to do a short drive and walk in the woods for a few hours when you have some time to spare. And that is actually a little harder out west, because distances are so long..... so, between all the back-and-forth, I think I have a good sense of things. Fewer big awe-inspiring adventures than out west (not surprisingly) but plenty of places not too far away to get out and be in nature, too. Obviously, some compromising involved. Thanks to all , and sorry for being kind of a ghost OP for a bit.....
Hiya folks.
I was away from the net over the holidays and unaware what a debate I inspired! Some of you are right, I am not necessarily looking for majestic mountains, challenging treks, etc etc etc, though of course I love that about Oregon and Alaska. Good day/weekend trips are important, but just as much the ability to do a short drive and walk in the woods for a few hours when you have some time to spare. And that is actually a little harder out west, because distances are so long..... so, between all the back-and-forth, I think I have a good sense of things. Fewer big awe-inspiring adventures than out west (not surprisingly) but plenty of places not too far away to get out and be in nature, too. Obviously, some compromising involved. Thanks to all , and sorry for being kind of a ghost OP for a bit.....
LOL hey no problem - that's the beauty of back and forth debate - somewhere in there you get both sides of the story. Hope we helped!
Last edited by aaron4040; 01-02-2010 at 09:52 AM..
I'm from Portland, Oregon and recently moved to Rochester. There are tons of trails in Portland, so I'm assuming you mean hardcore hiking. I haven't discovered any hardcore hiking like you'll find on the coast or in the gorge AT ALL in the upstate New York. So it depends upon what you mean by "hiking."
Location: Was in Western New York but now in Hilo Hawaii
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pdxlibrarian
I'm from Portland, Oregon and recently moved to Rochester. There are tons of trails in Portland, so I'm assuming you mean hardcore hiking. I haven't discovered any hardcore hiking like you'll find on the coast or in the gorge AT ALL in the upstate New York. So it depends upon what you mean by "hiking."
Compaired to Portland Oregon the trails here are bunny slopes. I'm not saying that there isn't good hiking just not Portland hiking.
I think Rochester has great outdoor things to do and many beautiful places within a small radius. When the weather is good in Rochester, there is no more beautiful place! Lots of parks, lots of beach and water, lakes, Bristol area and Naples are gorgeous. They have awesome bike paths too. Not real crowded either! I think you will love it. But, it is cloudy, rainy, cold and snowy there for a LONG time. That is why I moved to north Texas but I so miss the all the beauty and different outdoor things to do in NY state. You can't beat a ride to Naples on an Autumn day or walking on the beach or down the Charlotte pier! The Finger Lakes area is great too and you have to hike up or down the gorge at Watkins Glen at least once! BEAUTIFUL!
I'm from Portland, Oregon and recently moved to Rochester. There are tons of trails in Portland, so I'm assuming you mean hardcore hiking. I haven't discovered any hardcore hiking like you'll find on the coast or in the gorge AT ALL in the upstate New York. So it depends upon what you mean by "hiking."
Hello pdxlibrarian,
I'm actually from a smaller town in Oregon - and Portland does have lots of great places to get away within the city, and definitely within an hour away. Here's my best effort to be more specific. I do like both - a few times a year I like to go on a longer hiking/backpacking trip. But for that I'm willing to drive and the distance to the Adirondacks would be fine. But on a weekly basis, I like to have somewhere close by I can go, for instance, for 3-5 miles or 1-3 hours of walking in the woods. A walk in a small picnic area state park is nice for a busy Saturday afternoon, but ideally I'm thinking of of something longer than that to be regularly accessible. The same could apply for cross country skiing (ideally, 1-3 hour outdoors time range regularly, within an hour's drive, and able to go for longer within several hours).
Thanks for clarifying. There are places to hike long distances within an hour's drive in the Finger Lakes region, about an hour away from the city. There are not any hikes like you describe within the city or even a 10 minute drive away that I know of. The Adirondacks are closer to 5 hours away, definately not a day trip -- more of a weekend trip. There are, in the city, parks like you describe though, that are nice for a quick stretch.
Also, to clarify, I'm not sure any hiking here, even in the Adirondacks would merit backpacking. To me, mountains are things that are either actively volcanic, covered with snow 100% of the year, or both. The Adirondacks seem from my West Coast perspective like big hills. It is great fun to walk around in them though and one can go quite a distance.
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Skiing is close
