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Information
Location:
1133 Mt. Hope
Avenue Rochester, NY
14620
Directions.
Phone:
(585) 428-7999
Days / Hours:
All year. Open daily
from dawn until dusk.
Office is closed
holidays.
Maps:
Cemetery grounds;
Google Map;
Topographic;
Bird's-eye view
Admission: Free
Handicap accessibility:
Only the main office.
Pets:
Allowed, on leash. Must
clean up after.
Accommodations:
Maps and
information available at
the office or entrance
kiosks. Restaurants and
shopping along Mt. Hope
Ave.
Best time to visit: Year-round with
fall adding
spectacular color (try
late October), and
winter adding an eerie
calm. Spring and summer
are best for flowers. |
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The breathtaking
geological landscape, the eclectic mix of
monuments in various states of decay and
repair – from the well-kept and pristine to
the illegible and crumbled, and the tales
they all have to tell - make Mt. Hope
Cemetery one of New York State's best locations for
photography.
We put together our
original page on Mt. Hope based on photos
taken in the colorful
autumn months,
and Kelly
and I were excited to return and see how
the cemetery appeared in winter. Heading out
on a calm morning after brief snowfall, I
expected solemn surroundings with a nice
layer of undisturbed snow-cover. To my
surprise, even just hours after sunrise, the
grounds of Mt. Hope were painted with signs
of life, not something one would expect from
an urban cemetery in the middle of winter. Squirrels, bunnies, and
even foxes left their prints in the freshly
fallen snow. I followed a clean set of fox
tracks that wound in and out of family plots
and up and down the hilly landscape of the
cemetery. The tracks led me around most of
the northern grounds, I snapped photos all
the way, all while crows and wintering
songbirds kept busy in the trees.
I wasn't the only human
visitor there, at least 3 dozen other people came
to walk, jog, or photograph that morning.
Each said a friendly "hello" as they passed.
A fellow photography enthusiast asked about
my efforts that day. He was there on a hunt
for famous graves to snap shots of. It seems
as though, even on a cold morning, the
cemetery serves as a popular recreational
activity for the community.
The muted colors of winter
were prominent, with grays and browns
filling most of the gamut for each scene.
The cemetery is not without bright colors,
as the plastic flowers and wreathes that
adorn many graves shine like beacons. Pine
trees add a splash of green to the overall
monotone landscape, and golden accents can
be found in places where fallen leaves of
autumn poke through the snow. Although not
as vibrant as can be found in other seasons,
the scenery here is certainly not barren,
and if you explore, there are plenty of
photographic opportunities to behold. |
