Northampton Park Trail UpdateOverview
Overview
I went to the Northampton Park trail update meeting last night, which was run by Monroe County Legislator Robert Colby, and there are a few things worth passing along.
The county has finished the first part of a full trail study of Northampton Park. They’ve walked the entire system, documented all trails (including the unofficial ones), and completed the environmental review. They’re now in the design phase, where they’ll decide what stays, what gets closed, and what might be improved or added.
They’re hoping to have a draft plan ready by mid-summer. Once that’s out, there will be another public meeting, followed by a timeline for how changes will actually happen.
Trail Access and Future Plans
There was discussion about expanding trail access for different user groups, including horses, mountain bikes, and hikers.
The Parks Director seems open to adding more opportunities, but that doesn’t mean everything currently being used will be approved. The final plan will determine what becomes official.
Volunteer Opportunities
One of the more useful updates from the meeting is that the county is open to volunteers helping with trail maintenance.
This isn’t limited to big organized events — smaller groups can also coordinate work, as long as it’s approved ahead of time.
Volunteer Guidelines
- All volunteer groups need a designated point of contact to work with the Parks Department
- All work must be approved before anything starts
- Projects need to be scheduled in advance
- Work is limited to officially named and marked trails
- Hand tools only — no chainsaws or power tools
- The Parks Department can provide tools if needed
- If larger work is required, Parks staff may step in to handle it
- They are open to working alongside volunteers depending on the project
Volunteer Contact Information
Chris Kirchmaier
Assistant Director, Monroe County Parks Department
Phone: 585-753-1922
Email: legislatorcolby@gmail.com
Current Trail Conditions
There are still a lot of downed trees, especially from ash die-off. Some sections are in rough shape.
There’s clearly a willingness from the community to help clean things up, but everything has to go through the approval process.
Trail Use and Enforcement
The Parks Department and Sheriff’s Office do patrol the area.
The bigger issue right now isn’t people using the trails — it’s people doing work without permission.
Reporting Trail Issues
If you come across issues on the trail, you can report them through RTR using the trail report tool.
This helps flag problems for others and allows RTR to help coordinate maintenance efforts where possible:
What’s Next
Nothing is finalized yet.
Once the draft plan comes out, that will be the time to really pay attention and give feedback.