Longboarding - Rochester Wiki

Longboarding is the act of riding, on or performing tricks with, a longboard. ... developed by skateboarders who wanted to go faster and recreate the feeling of surfing and snowboarding on hard surfaces. Wikipedia Definition	WikiMedia Commons Image
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Longboarding in Rochester Area
Our area has a wide range of hills offering something for riders of all skill levels. Below you will find simple lists of great hills to carve, cruise, slide, or bomb down. The list below is what I have skated and enjoyed in Rochester. Some can be reached just by skating, others require access to a vehicle. Add these places in your session and comment about what you think! Feel free to edit and add your own longboarding locations. WillChesebro - August 30, 2008

Longboarding Resources and Links

Mapping Resources

If you haven't used Google Street Views yet, try it out. For a cool prospecting tool turn on Street View and Terrain. Find some hills with Street View data and take a virtual longboard. Here is my Armchair Ride down Richs Dugway Rd.

Contributor Content

Original content from WillChesebro posted on August, 30, 2008.

University of Rochester

The UR campus has a handful of hills for a wide range of skill levels

Interfaith Hill - When standing in front of the Chapel, either head down towards the fraternity quad, or carve down towards the main entrance to the school. Try taking a hard carve to the right when heading towards the entrance and bomb down a quick, steep drop to the Genesee River bike path.
Danforth Hill - Located behind Susan B. Anthony Halls (home to the Danforth Dining Center) Tower Rd. is the steepest hill on campus. Carve it, bomb it, or bring your sliding gloves to practice.
Phase Hill - Start this one on the footbridge that sits above Intercampus Drive. Head down Hill Court Rd. and bear right at the first fork to go between the dorms and with traffic (or bear left, traffic is typically pretty tame there). As the road cuts left, head straight across and turn right to go over the bridge into the River parking lot. You can turn right and take the steeper finish, but it spits you out fast with no visibility onto Wilson Blvd, so have a spotter or take your chances late at night.
Towers Footpath - Located between Spurier athletic center and Susan B. Anthony, this is a walking path leading to Towers (Anderson and Wilder dorms). Be sure to scout ahead for people on the path before enjoying.
Library Road - Start this where Library Road meets Intercampus Drive. Just watch for oncoming traffic first, especially buses. Waiting for a break in traffic is a bit like waiting for that perfect wave.
Intercampus Drive - While not the steepest, it is the longest hill on campus, making for a great cruise. Watch the speed hump.

Mount Hope Cemetery

Mount Hope Cemetery has a great array of hills to make for a great day session. Bear with the slightly vague directions below, or just go there and ride to get to know it for yourself.

The Bomb - I call it this because that's what we usually do on it. Enter on Mt. Hope near The Distillery and take a right. Head up passed the reservoir on your left and ride it back the way you came. Stop by Frederick Douglass's grave too, just look for the signs!
Scenic Skate: 1-4 - To get to the starting location, head like you're going to The Bomb. Take the first left by the reservoir at the round-a-bout. You'll be skating on higher ground, on your left will be a downhill with unkept roads. Eventually bear right at the fork and that's the start! Ride it all the way to the other side of the cemetery to the other Mt. Hope Ave entrance. The reason it's 1-4 is because during the ride, you'll have a fork with four different paths, all with a varying degree of difficulty. We numbered them from the left. 1 is the hardest, then 2. 3 and 4 offer a bit of a longer ride. All are equally amazing and offer a beautiful view of Rochester's oldest cemetery.
Death Knell - I've never attempted this hill from the very top. Head to the top of The Bomb, but head down the other side of it instead. It offers some serious speed, turns and ends by the other Mt. Hope entrance. Bring your sliding gloves if you want to be able to make all the turns, or walk down it a bit first like we do...one day though...

Highland Park

Longboarding in Highland Park on Google Video

Trails - The footpaths in the park are great to speed and carve through. A good warm up is riding through the South Ave. entrance and taking the path towards Highland Ave. The reservoir side of Highland Park where the lilacs grow is clearly the best side, just watch out for pedestrians.
Bellvue Drive (StreetView) - Start this where Reservoir Ave and Bellvue cross. Just watch the finish, as it spits out into Mt. Vernon Ave. which can be relatively busy (it is easy to stop before you're in the street though).

Ellison Park

Bring your discs because both of these hills run by the Ellison Park Disc Golf course

Blossom Road - Two hills here, when you finish one you can ride it out and walk up the other! The west hill is fairly straight - gotta wait for that "wave" though with traffic flow. Start with a carve and work it into a bomb, you'll be moving on this smooth pavement. The east hill is nuts. The pavement is a bit rough at points, so watch your grip so you don't slide out. It has a bend and cars can come flying up it, so stick to your lane. Both can push you up to 30mph if you crouch it out. Remember to give any cars behind you a friendly wave!
N Landing Road - Smooth ride. Starts off nice, plateaus a bit, then sinks quick with a sharp right turn - slide it or carve it out, your choice. The ending is iffy though, as it dumps you right into 286 - use the grass or slide.

Turk Hill Road

The Rochester suburbs are home to many amazing hills for a longboarder, but I am only just getting to know them.

Hop in your car - this series of hills is located out near the Eastview Mall. Turk Hill Road intersects with Victor-Pittsford Road (Rt. 96). Drive down it about a mile or so when you enter from Rt. 96. You'll go up a long, easy hill that's good to carve...but when it peaks, you've got a killer hill that drops big on the other side! Keep heading down it and it drops huge again! It's only two lanes for two-way traffic cruising anywhere from 35-50mph, so watch yourself. Worth the trip though.

West Henrietta Road

West Henrietta - The hill finishes by a gas station where West Henrietta meets Calkins Road. Head to the top, wait for that perfect break in traffic, and enjoy 2-4 lanes for your carving pleasure...or if you have a need for speed, just bomb it!
Business Park - Better during non-business hours during daylight. Head to the top of West Henrietta but then take a right into the business park complex on Methodist Hill Drive. Then take the first left and ride the parking lots to the bottom.

Mt. Hope Avenue

Head to the Mt. Hope - Highland Ave intersection. Wait for a break in cars, hit the cross-walk button to get the red light to buy you extra time, then go! Not the steepest, but still a nice long cruise. Watch for cars, of course. Take an early left on McLean St. to head into the UR campus, or continue riding it out down towards the Ford Street Bridge.

South Avenue

Right about where South Ave meets Robinson Dr. (next to Highland Park) is a nice hill. Take it on your way to the Tap & Mallet!

S. Goodman Street

Where S. Goodman runs through Highland Park. Longer hill, good speed, watch for cars though, as its hard to see around the bend to make sure its all clear.

Pinnacle Hill ¹

Located where Culver Rd. meets Monroe Ave, this historical hill of Rochester is now home to a school that I cannot find the name of using Google. The campus has 3 hills though, and all are quite steep (bring your gloves). Beware of construction, the busy roads at the end, and security that will eventually tell you to leave.

Parking Garages

Too many to list!

Strong Memorial Hospital - Ideal for a late night session, and usually no more than 2 or 3 rides - work it into an evening session at UR.
Monroe Ave & Averill Ave - Dead at night, and may require using a tree to climb in through the second floor.

Comments:

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2008-09-02 00:08:13 I do a lot of flat land longboarding around Park Ave, sometimes with my dawg. —BadFish

2008-09-04 06:24:53 Pinnacle hill area is not Colgate Rochester, it's Hillside Children's Center. Colgate is up near the corner of Highland and South Goodman. —DottieHoffmann

2008-09-04 08:00:37 Sorry, I accidently scrolled on the Google Map after searching for the Intersection and switched from Cobb Hill Resevoir to Highland Park. Dottie is right, it is the Hillside Family Of Agencies at 1183 Monroe Ave. Footnote has been changed. —BradMandell

1Hillside Family of Agencies Street View Map and Info