Genesee Valley Chapter of ADK

East Bay (Wayne County)

Segment: East Bay Road Launch and Takeout
Length: 4 to 10+ miles depending on areas explored. A full day trip from Rochester.
Difficulty: Class 1

Maps: Delorme Page Number 73
USGS (7.5"): Rose, Sodus Point

How to get there:

From Rochester take Route 104 east to Route 14 north at Alton. After less than 0.5 miles northbound on Route 14, at the stop sign in Downtown Alton, turn east on Old Ridge Road for about 3.6 miles, crossing a low bridge over the southern tip of Sodus Bay and climbing a hill for about a mile, until you reach the corner of Route 414 south on your right and Lake Bluff Road on your left. Take Lake Bluff Road north for 1.8 miles, then east on the un-named road to Lummisville and Wolcott for about 1 mile then north 2.2 miles on East Bay Road. The launch is on the right after crossing a creek, down a short dirt road with ample parking.

Description:

East Bay is about 1/2 the size of Irondequoit Bay and lies between Sodus Bay and Port Bay. The delightful difference is, East Bay is separated from Lake Ontario by a gravel bar. Only the smallest of boats with shallow draft can get into Lake Ontario from here, meaning you may see a water-ski boat or two on the open bay but most of the time if you visit you will see only fishing boats, and rowboat sized ones at that. The land surrounding East Bay Marsh is owned and supervised by NYS-DEC. It is prime wetland, open in the fall to waterfowl hunting.

This is a place to explore. It is nearly ideal for family or novice canoe trips. From the putin, the channel takes you north and then east about 1/2 mile in a clear channel in the cattail marsh. As you reach a junction point, you are wise to pause and study the landscape carefully, because it can be very confusing to find your car again.

Cross the creek coming in from your right, and continue northeast for about 1/4 mile, staying to the east side of the widening water as much as possible. You are looking for another creek.. Glance back occasionally, on your return you will want to get the channel you came out from, not the other channel on the West that comes into view as you go north. From the hillsides to your right and where they dip to water level, you can figure out where Mudge Creek comes in from the South, but it may take some exploring in the lillypads to find the channel! Mudge Creek carries a small current, not enough to prevent you from paddling upstream (south) for about 1.5 miles where you will eventually meet a road and obstructions. The creek may have a beaver dam to carry over. When you go as far as you can, turn around and retrace your paddle.

At this point you have a choice. If the wind is low, you can turn north and take East Bay across open water a mile or so to the gravel bar at Lake Ontario. On a non-windy day this is a good paddle and the gravel bar makes a good lunch stop. Retrace your strokes after lunch.

If it is windy, skip the open water of the Bay and just turn south, back toward your car. When you get to that first creek, the one you crossed over at the 1/2 mile point (you did follow the directions and take note of where you were, didn't you?), now its time to take it. This creek follows a channel south which comes to another boat launch, passes under a bridge, and proceeds south a couple of miles. Depending on the water level and weed growth, you will eventually turn around and come back as you went. This time, your car will be a west turn and back the channel you originally came out much earlier in the day.

If you still have energy left, or if you didn't go out on the open bay because of winds, you can carry a canoe from your takeout spot across East Bay Road to the west side of the culverts and put in there to explore the marsh some. It is good for an hour or more.

This trip is for spring. The wildfowl are nesting and the creeks yet to choke with weeds. Or late fall, after the rains have started again. In the summer, in blazing sun, in a marsh, full of bugs, is probably not the season for this trip! One last note: you can get out of the boat at the putin, at the bridge on the south creek, and at the gravel bar. Other than that, solid ground is essentially non-existent. Beware and plan necessary stops accordingly.

Nearby attractions:

Chimney Bluffs State Park (totally unimproved, no services) is less than 2 miles north of where you are parked for the East Bay trip. The bluffs are tall sand dunes showing erosion from the lake and wind. Park at the very end of East Bay Road and, if the water and waves are low, walk the beach westward to see the bluffs from water level. It is also possible to scale the very steep bluff just west of the parking area and then walk along the very edge of the top of the bluffs. Use care, these are non-maintained trails and usually last year's trail can be seen here and there, partly slid down the cliff into the lake! If you have the time, a round trip is possible by walking the beach west about a mile until the bluffs come down to water level, then walking back east to your car along the top edge of the bluffs.