Gates Town Park offers something for everyone

The largest park in Gates, Gates Town Park is set pretty far back from Lyell Road on a road that isn’t even paved. This adds a bit to its charm, so don’t go begging the Town of Gates to pave this over any time soon. After a short, bumpy ride you’l find the trees clear and a great expanse of a park opens up in front and to the right of your vehicle.

Gates Town Park playground

Play area

Immediately to the left as you come in to the park proper is a considerably large playground. Make sure to take a look at the virtual tour (above) for even more detail of the playground area. There’s a large structure with three slides, multiple ladders, and plenty of opportunities for excitement. Beyond that, there’s a small play structure for the smaller children visiting the park.

There are two swing sets: one with a tire swing and another that has two big kid swings and two toddler swings. We’ve never seen a tire swing at a park before, so Gates Town Park definitely gets points for this unique feature! The play area also includes another “tire” play area with some tires buried in the ground to bounce on.
Soccer goal at Gates Town Park

Athletic Field

Somewhere around 90% of this park is composed athletic fields. Gates Town Park has four soccer fields and a baseball diamond. As you navigate through the virtual tour it is plain to see how well-kept the fields are. The park also hosts Gates Youth Soccer League (GYSL) games.

If you’re a disc golf player, you’ll be very happy to know that there is a 9 hole course that follows the perimeter of the park. The Greater Rochester Disc Golf Club (GRDGC) has their own info page on the course. It’s a fair bit more comprehensive that what we were able to ascertain, so here’s the direct link to the info page.
Gates Town Park pond and dock

Trails and Water

Easily, one of the most attractive features of Gates Town Park is the pond and dock. The pond itself isn’t terribly large and the dock could probably hold about 10 people on it. While not being spectacular itself, it’s more the idea that this even exists at all at a small park in Gates. It really adds to the charm of this park and adds credence to the statement “something for everyone.”

On our first visit to the park, we weren’t able to explore all the trails, but along the edges of the park there were a number of obvious trails. Some looked to lead to nearby houses (i.e., not public trails, more like easy access for neighbors), but others looked to be maintained trails through the surrounding woods. On a future visit, we’ll check these out!