Location: 1651 Five Mile Line Road, Town of Penfield, Monroe County
Size: 24 acres
Why You Should Visit: Irene Gossin Nature Preserve offers a pocket of greenspace in a highly developed area of Penfield. With its mix of habitats including a wildflower meadow, wooded wetland, and young forest, there’s always something to see. On a hot day the woods are nice and cool, and the meadow is abuzz with butterflies, dragonflies, and birds. The Preserve was donated to Genesee Land Trust to honor Irene Gossin, an environmental activist, music teacher, and the first female Supervisor of the Town of Penfield elected in 1971. This Preserve is a great spot to visit with younger kids.
Parking and Public Transit: There’s a four-car parking lot along Five Mile Line Road which shares a driveway entrance with 1665 Five Mile Line Road. Once you turn in to the driveway, stay to your right to find the parking lot. If this parking lot is full, visitors can park across the street at Rothfuss Park and safely cross the road to access the Preserve. There are no public transit options to Irene Gossin Nature Preserve.
Trails: The trailhead is located next to the parking lot and begins with a grass trail approximately 6’ in width, with slopes between 0-5%. The trail leads visitors to the back meadow, where a ¼ miles grass trail winds around the meadow. Near the bench, another trail leads visitors into the woods. This trail is narrower at 4’ and is compacted soil, with occasional uneven features including rocks, roots, and leaves. This woods trail is approximately ¼ mile and is a loop through the woods, with two wooden bridges with railings and ramps.
Benches and Shade: There is one bench at the preserve overlooking the meadow near the entrance to the woods trail. The trail around the meadow doesn’t have much shade but the woods are completely shaded and a great spot to cool off on a hot day.
Restrooms: There are no restrooms at Irene Gossin Nature Preserve. There are public restrooms either across the street at Rothfuss Park (available in the summer) or approximately 3 miles north at Tim Hortons, 819 Ridge Road in Webster.
Access Barriers: The woods trail has sections of uneven terrain with occasional stones, roots, and leaves. All trails can be wet in the spring.
For more details on accessibility: Visit the Birdability map here.
Photos by Lori Coleman, Mindy MacLaren, Adam Montoya, Molly Sauter, and Genesee Land Trust staff
Getting There
Driving Directions: From Rochester take Atlantic Avenue (NY-286) east into Penfield. Take a left on Five Mile Line Road and after 0.6 mile you will arrive at 1651 Five Mile Line Road. Look for a small gravel parking lot on the left side of the road. If the parking lot is full, we invite you to park across the street at Rothfuss Park and carefully walk across the road to access the preserve.
Approximate Address of Parking: 1651 Five Mile Line Road, Penfield, NY 14526
GPS Coordinates: 43.16194444, -77.47555556