Visits to The Y at Watson Woods at 9620 Dry Run Rd. in Painted Post are now even more inviting.
A new lighted, half mile walking and biking trail at The Y at Watson Woods, featuring 50 maple trees planted alongside the trail, will be available for the more than 10,000 guests who visit the 400-acre family event and retreat center each year.
The nearly $40,000 of improvements were made possible by a pair of grants provided by Explore Steuben and the Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes.
Brain Dana, executive director of The Y at Watson Woods, said the trail will be a boost to guests visiting the family event and retreat center, which features indoor meeting spaces, several hiking trails, sports courts, a climbing tower, a disc golf course, pickleball, cornhole and more.
“When I first got here five years ago, a huge part of the experience was getting out and enjoying the nature that we have here,” Dana said. “Without this trail, people were using Dry Run Road because a lot of folks arrive here on a Friday night for a family reunion, with their church or an event, and they thought the road was our driveway.”
Dana called the project a grand slam that would not have been possible without these grants.
“Thank you so much to Explore Steuben and the Community Foundation for your support of Watson Woods and making this possible,” Dana said. “Now that we have this incredible asset that not only is a huge safety asset to the facility, getting people off the road and giving people access to our property, but it is also an incredible activity for biking and hiking and exercise and wellness.”
Sara Shaut, Community Foundation Vice President of Programs, said the Community Foundation was approached to support this program to plant the trees that are now shining along the trail.
“We were excited to support this program,” Shaut said.
Kevin Peterson, President & CEO of Explore Steuben, said providing the funding for the trail was a natural fit.
Dana said Explore Steuben donated $26,000 to complete the trail and the Community Foundation added $13,000 to install the trees.
Elise Johnson-Schmidt, of Johnson-Schmidt Architects and a board member at The Y at Watson Woods, called the new path with young trees that will someday shade the trail a real win that helped to beautify the property.
The Y at Watson Woods opened at Watson Homestead in 1956. The name was changed in 2022 through collaboration with Watson Homestead, Corning Inc., and the Rochester YMCA, which acquired the property.
“We are a kid’s camp, family center and conference and retreat center,” Dana said. “We run 12 months of the year serving kids, families, churches, school groups, and more. A pinnacle of everyone’s experience at Watson Woods and what makes us unique is that we have great indoor spaces to meet, eat, learn, and grow. But we also have a close connection to natural beauty and access to almost 400 acres of hiking trails and outdoor activities. It’s the core of everything that we do.”
This article originally appeared on The Leader: New trail lined by 50 trees debuts at The Y at Watson Woods | Exclusive
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Smith, Corning Leader | USA TODAY Network
