Click on thumbnail image for map of the area
There are a few good ice climbing areas in the
Rochester, NY area, mostly south of the city an hour or so.
Angel
Falls in Hi Tor's Conklin Gully
Angel Falls in Conklin Gully (also known as
Parish Glen)
in the Hi Tor Wildlife Management area near Naples, NY is one such
area.
From the north end of Naples on route 21, drive northeast on route 245
for
about two miles and turn right on Parish Hill Rd. Park in the DEC
designated roadside parking
area (park alongside the road and creek) just before the first bend in
the road about 200 feet from route 245.
Cross the creek and scramble up to a pronounced old lumber road and go
left
up the hill. Continue following along the ridgeline, which soon turns
into a foot path. Go about a 1/2 mile, until
you enter a major dip down into a stream bed. Go left and you can see
that
the stream falls straight away in about 100 feet. There are good trees
to
use for top-roping. Rappel to the base of the falls and begin climbing.
This
falls is 120 feet high and requires a serious undertaking, thus is not
recommended
for beginners.
Click on thumbnail image for map of the
area
Another great ice climbing area is Clark's Gully
at the southern end of Canandaigua Lake, also part of Hi Tor. Going
north
on route 245 from the Angel Falls Parish Hill road turnoff, continue a
few miles and turn left onto Sunnyside Road. Cross West River and keep
left
on West Avenue. The approach to the falls from the bottom of the gully
is
just around the corner on dirt roads on the right hand side of the
road.
There is also a DEC parking area close to the Sunnyside Road and West
Avenue
junction. Hike up the stream bed for two-tenths of a mile and crampon
up
a 15 foot steep cascading waterfall. Just above this section is a 7
foot
and then an 18 foot waterfall set in a narrow channel. Continue to the
base
of the upper waterfalls for an enjoyable day of ice climbing.
A better approach is from the top of South Hill.
Proceed on West Avenue and veer right onto South Hill Road. Drive to
the end of
the plowed part of the road and park there. Hike up the road
about
1/4 mile until you see a chimney standing all by itself. about 200 feet
off
the road.
At the chimney, turn left and follow along the
rim of
the obvious gully below the chimney. Stay on the ridge which will
gradually arc to the right, then leftward and then straighten out.
About a half mile down, there is a ramp-like
ridge
that leads sharply left down into the stream bed. At the stream, go
right
and in about 200 feet it will come to the uppermost falls, which is
about
75 feet high.
You can leave a rope there and rappel down it,
free-climb it or descend along the left edge of the stream. Continue to
a 15 foot
cascade and then down to the larger waterfall about 300 feet
downstream.
Set a sling around the exposed roots of a large tree on the left side
(north)
of the stream and use this as an anchor for top-roping.
Karin at tree
anchor
suitable for toproping
Rappel to the base of the falls (100 feet or so)
and begin exploring routes on the lower half of that waterfalls.
Bruno & Karin
working
Clark's Gully waterfall
