written by guest blogger, Pat Atkinson

In these days of social distancing, what better activity to do on a beautiful early spring day than to take a walk down one of my favorite paths on the west side of Canadice Lake. The morning grey, cloudy skies soon gave way to a brilliant blue ceiling framed by stately conifers and leafless hardwoods. This walking path which borders the west side of Canadice Lake takes you through part of the Hemlock-Canadice Lake State Forest and is about 4 miles in length from the parking area on the northern tip of Canadice Lake to the southern tip. The relatively flat path is an easy walk for most travelers and dogs are welcome but, must be kept on leash.

On May 14, 2014, heavy rains that dumped up to 5 inches of rain in four hours in some parts of the Finger Lakes washed out roads and flooded many homes and businesses. Particularly hard hit was the village of Penn Yan on Keuka Lake, but other areas of the Finger Lakes also saw damage including Hemlock and Canadice Lake area. Many sections of this walking path became impassable. Over the past few years the state has made remarkable improvements to the path including installing new drainage pipes, deepening the ditches, and resurfacing washed out areas with soil and stone. Below are a few images of the trail that I captured yesterday. For more information about Canadice Lake be sure to read D.E. Bentley’s beautifully written blog from last June. Her blog can be found on the FLM Blog page.