The lakeside cabins at the Town of Canandaigua's largest park are rented from April 1 through October 31. By the time you read this, that season is over. The rest of the park stays open, and the town has spent the past two years building the uplands and the land behind them into something larger than a summer spot.
The 7-acre lakeside portion is what most people picture when they hear "Onanda." The town's plans are concentrated on the other part, the 73 acres of hillside above County Road 16. That hillside is now the starting point of a planned trail system that will run west to the Finger Lakes Land Trust's Canandaigua Vista Preserve on Jones Road. You can walk both ends of it this month.
What stays open at 4965 County Road 16
Onanda began as a YWCA camp just before 1900. New York State and the Town of Canandaigua bought it together in 1989, and it opened to the public in 1990. The town calls it a year-round recreation area, and the house rules show what that means after October:
| At Onanda | Late fall and winter |
|---|---|
| Lakeside cabins | Rental season ended October 31 |
| Uplands hiking path | About two miles through the wooded hillside |
| Dogs | Allowed in the uplands on a leash or restrained; service animals only on the lakeside |
| Shore fishing | Allowed year-round |
| Car-top canoes and kayaks | Allowed to launch under the rules posted at the lake; no trailered boats |
| Winter use | The town lists sledding and snowshoeing on the uplands |
The dog rule matters most in November. The leash-friendly part of Onanda is the hillside, which is also the part getting the new investment.
The uplands got rebuilt from the ground up first
The Democrat and Chronicle reported in May 2025 that construction had started on the Onanda Uplands, with dump trucks, excavators and a bulldozer working while the main parking access road stayed open. By late November 2025, FingerLakes1.com reported that the new road and parking areas were nearly done, a new water main was in, and the required stormwater work was finished. The town's Highway Department was moving on to retaining walls and a new septic system meant to support future park structures and amenities.
Water mains, septic and stormwater systems are the work a town does before it expects heavier, year-round use of a site. The town has since announced that the Uplands parking lot is paved and open again.
Down by the water, the park picked up a small convenience this summer. Onanda Outpost opened in the historic Babcock Building, a partnership between the town and The Company Store, with a ribbon cutting on June 30. The town describes its stock as food, snacks, drinks, ice cream, camping basics, grilling supplies and firewood. The Democrat and Chronicle noted that it follows the same model as The Company Store's deli at the Motion Junction Inclusive Playground on the other side of town, which opened in August 2025. It opened as a beach-season stop, so check with the town before planning a November snack run around it.
Nearly 60 acres to close the gap
The bigger project is west of the park. The town bought nearly 60 acres next to Onanda to link its trails with Canandaigua Vista. When the Finger Lakes Times reported the deal, Supervisor Don Cotter said two property owners west of the park were willing to sell. He said the result would be "make your own adventure" hikes of about one mile up to roughly 14 miles.
Compare that with what's there now. The Onanda uplands path is about two miles. The Land Trust describes Canandaigua Vista's trail as a one-mile loop. Today they are two separate walks that together cover about three miles. Once connected, the longest route will be several times longer than both combined.
The money behind it, as reported by the Finger Lakes Times, came from three sources:
- $370,000 that earlier town boards set aside in the town's open space fund
- $230,000 in state stormwater protection funds that the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Council worked out with the Department of Environmental Conservation
- $400,000 from an anonymous donor
That adds up to $1 million. The single largest share is the private gift, at 40 percent.
In the town's own post on the project, Cotter describes the ground between the two parks:
"Hikers will be able to experience a wide variety of terrain: from the lake itself; through Barnes Gully, sometimes right next to it, sometimes hiking a ridge with scenic overlooks of Barnes Creek; through mature forest land and across open fields where I recently spotted no less than 30 Orioles flying in two flocks."
The opening target is spring 2027
When the Finger Lakes Times reported the purchase, Cotter said an official opening could happen "next spring." The town's current trail post says signage, street crossings and other work still have to be finished before the expanded trails open to the public, and it gives spring 2027 as the opening target.
For a November walk, that means the connector isn't a public route yet. The two ends are open, and the land between them is waiting on signs and safe road crossings. Stay on the marked trails at Onanda and at the Vista, and leave the new acreage alone until the town opens it.
The Vista end in hunting season
Canandaigua Vista is a short drive from downtown Canandaigua. It used to be a family dairy farm. The Land Trust started fundraising to buy the land in 2019 and secured it in 2020, then worked with volunteers and contractors to improve the trails and add an interpretive kiosk and a parking area. A neighbor kept the trail network going for years before that. He is a retired Finger Lakes Community College conservation instructor. The Land Trust also credits the Town of Canandaigua with early support that made the purchase possible. The town's role at the Vista end goes back to the start, well before the connector.
November falls inside the preserve's hunting season, which runs October 1 through December 22. The trail stays open the whole time, under rules the Land Trust posts for Canandaigua Vista:
- Hikers stay on the marked trail at all times.
- Hunters are at least 150 feet from the marked trail.
- Hunting on the preserve is bow-only, including during the regular gun season and the late bow and muzzleloader season.
- Dogs stay leashed and under full control, and shouldn't chase wildlife or bother other visitors.
Wearing something bright on a walk this time of year is a good habit. The trail-only rule matters more here. It is what keeps the preserve open to hikers through the season, and it is the same kind of discipline the connector will ask for when it opens.
More open land on the same road
The connector isn't the only conservation deal along County Road 16 this fall. On September 21, 2026, the Canandaigua Town Board voted to put up to $750,000 from its Open Space Capital Reserve toward a $5.7 million purchase of about 67.47 acres on Marella View Lane and West Lake Road/County Road 16. The rest of the funding is expected to come from a $2.8 million state DEC Water Quality Improvement Project grant, about $1.7 million from a separate DEC shoreline grant, and $500,000 from Friends of Canandaigua Lake. The vote was subject to a 30-day permissive referendum. The town's notice frames the purchase as open-space preservation and source-water protection. It says nothing about trails or public access, so treat it as protected land and not as a future hiking spot.
Taken with the nearly 60-acre trail link and $1 million in connector funding, it adds to a pattern. The west shore south of the city keeps getting more protected acreage, and Onanda's hillside sits close to the middle of it. For now, a November loop on the uplands path followed by a drive over to Jones Road for the Vista loop covers both ends of the trail the town plans to open in spring 2027.
Mary has spent years on the Finger Lakes shoreline and pays close attention to how places like Onanda Park shape everyday life on Canandaigua Lake's west side. If you're curious how this stretch of County Road 16 is changing, or want a local's take on the lake beyond the summer season, reach out to Mary St.George (REAL Broker Finger Lakes). Call Mary for a Lakefront Consultation.
