Genesee RiverWatchYork Landing – Fowlerville – Genesee Valley Greenway Trail – 2.7 miles one-way.
Use Google Maps to find York Landing Road on the west side of the Genesee between Rt. 20 near Avon and Rt. 63 in Piffard. York Landing Road is a .2 mile long dirt road ending in a large parking area next to the river.
In the days of the Genesee Valley Canal (1840-1878) York Landing was the site of a canal port for loading grain headed to Rochester. An old photo shows a dam on the river and a large grain handling building.
At low water, parts of this infrastructure are still visible in the riverbed.
You can walk down the short path to the river; however, care should be taken as the path is steep and will be slippery after a rain. At high water levels there is a sharp drop into the water and no easy way to get out. At low water levels, there is a beach with flat rocks, making a nice place for a picnic.
Walk north up the Genesee Valley Greenway Trail through alternating forest, pasture, and farmland. This stretch of the trail has small rises and curves making a nice break from the straight line dictated by the old canal and successor railroad in other sections. At 2.7 miles you will come to Fowlerville Road where there is another large trail parking area midway between the river and the hamlet of Fowlerville.
For an additional treat, visit the Abbey of the Genesee off River Road south of York Landing Road where you can walk the grounds, join them for prayer and buy their Monks’ Bread products. Check the Abbey website for details.
I read your Article with great interest, but was hoping to see the old photo of the dam and grain handling facility at York landing! I suspect that it was The Dam and mill originally built by Erastus Bailey in 1831, subsequently passing into the hands of Job Halladay Ensign in 1849. It is featured in the frontispiece of “The History of the Town of York” written by Mary Root and published in 1940 in Caledonia (!). Job Ensign was my Great Grandfather, and he owned and operated it until after 1887.Eventually the derelict mill passed into the Hands of Rochester Light and Electric Co and was washed away during Spring flood waters. I have family pictures of My grandparents, extended Fowlerville family and infant mother (1915) hanging out in the open framing of the derelict Mill.