Best Local Parks to Explore This Spring in Western New York
Best Local Parks to Explore This Spring in Western New York
From giant sculptures and scenic waters to ancient rock formations and hidden trails, these local parks are perfect for spring adventures.
Our favorite local parks are opening on the heels of Earth Day and Arbor Day. Fresh on our minds (hopefully) is our unavoidably linked relationship with earth, water, and sky - all things “nature.” What better way to honor “Mother Earth” than to appreciate, care for, and enjoy her bounty? Living here in the Southern Tier of NYS, we experience this bounty daily. We are blessed with a unique geography that keeps us tuned into nature.
In spring, green is our favorite color as the hills surrounding us burst out into the fresh lime green. Mother Nature displays the art in nature as she sits at her easel creating masterpieces. Her artistry turns trees, recently mere skeletal outlines against the sky, into masterpieces filled with verdant leaves and bright spring flowers. Icy waters turn into inviting blue, reflecting the benevolent blue of the sky. Nature beckons and we respond.
ART IN NATURE: GRIFFIS SCULPTURE PARK
A place to enjoy both Mother Nature’s art and human-made art together is Griffis Sculpture Park and Essex Art Center off Route 219 in Ashford, NY, open every day from May 1-October 31, sunrise to sunset. One of the oldest and largest sculpture parks in America, Griffis Park is filled with over 250 giant steel sculptures in the shape of giant animals and insects, heads, bathing Amazons, a fat-man world, kings and queens, and even a castle.
Caution: This enchanted world turns mysterious, strange, and even a bit goose-bumpy in the fog, so pick a sunny day if you are faint of heart and startle easily. It is a pack in/pack out park. Whatever you bring in, please take out. There are picnic tables throughout the Mill Valley section of the park, so bring a lunch but remember, no fires are allowed so leave the hot dogs and marshmallows at home.
Be sure to take the kids because they are best able to climb, which can be done on most of the sculptures. It’s also good exercise because the terrain is hilly. Wear solid shoes or boots. Well-behaved dogs on the leash are ok BUT there are no receptacles on-site to receive your puppy’s offerings, so plan to pick up and take home.
There is no indoor plumbing, but there are porta-potties. Oh, and leave the fishing poles and swimsuits at home. Neither fishing nor swimming is allowed at the park. But you won’t mind because over the 400 acres, there is so much to see and so many trails to hike.
There are two sections of the park: Mill Valley Road and Rohr Hill Road, with the latter being a good choice if you wish to see much of the sculpture in the park from your vehicle.
The Arts don’t stop with the sculptures. Griffis hosts a full season of events: Sunday Sound Series, guided drum circles, Summer Festival, workshops, etc. Their 2026 season events are not firmed up yet, but the Night Lights event will happen again once September rolls around; tickets are available through Eventbrite. For more events and dates, check their Facebook page or website at www.griffissculpturepark.org.
The Ashford Hollow Foundation and the Griffis family who remain very much involved with the park encourage you to get up close and personal with the sculptures in this area, which have been made by Larry Griffis, who founded the park, and over 50 international artists. You’ll never think of the term “art in the park” in the same way after visiting Griffis Sculpture Park.
HEAD TO THE WATER: ONOVILLE MARINA
Now, to take you off terra firma and onto the soothing roll of waves in a boat, you needn’t go far from Ellicottville to get out onto the wide open waters of the Allegheny Reservoir. Created by the development of the Kinzua Dam in 1965 for flood and drought control and hydroelectric power, Onoville Marina sprang up after the little hamlet of Onoville was flooded in the damming process. Now known as one of the Chautauqua-Allegany region’s finest, yet most affordable marina and park, Onoville is open for the 2026 season!
Seasonal camping sites are already sold out, but transient sites might still be available. And you can make a great day out of visiting. Bring your own boat to launch or rent one and explore the 91 miles of shoreline and hidden bays. There is the Onoville General Store or the Turtle Pit to grab some snacks to munch on your trip, then when you come back to shore, you can hit up one of the local restaurants around the Marina for a good meal to end the day.
The area is “God’s country” - beautiful for a day trip and bonus for birders - your chances of seeing bald eagles and osprey are very good! For more information, visit http://OnovilleMarina.com. Onoville Marina Park is located at 704 W. Perimeter Road, Frewsburg, NY, phone 716-354-2615.
EXPLORE MASSIVE ROCK FORMATIONS: ROCK CITY PARK
For a complete change of pace and likely one of the coolest places (temperature wise) to spend a day is Rock City Park in Olean, NY. Driving up Rock City Hill to get to the park, and even in the parking/camping area before you enter the museum/gift shop which then leads to the park, there isn’t much there to inform of the adventure you are about to have when you step out on the rocks and begin exploring.
You may wonder what’s so special about the rocks in Olean? As soon as you set foot on the flat rocks that lead you down, down into the cavernous rock formations below, you are transported to the age of The Flintstones. 315 million years ago, well before Fred and Wilma, that location was under the sea. What you will walk on is prehistoric sea floor which happens to also be the world’s largest exposure of quartz conglomerate (aka, ocean spar/puddingstone). This majestic geological spectacle of enormous rock formations is often referred to as the Eighth Wonder of the World. Imagine!
It's been a park since the late 1800s, and the area surrounding the park is known to have been a “getaway” for Al Capone (folks in Olean called him “Uncle Al”) and his gang. History greets you at every turn. The museum shop displays photos of the “old days” when women in long full dresses, parasols, and big hats and men in full suits arrived by trolly to a magnificent hotel, enjoyed the sites, rode the merry-go-round, and danced the night away in the dance hall. Following the paths down into the rocks and caves previously inhabited by Native Americans, fox, and bear, visitors find an old mechanism from the oil drilling days of yore and very challenging (but worth the climb) original “stairs” to a lookout point that the natives used.
There are mighty, building-sized rocks that mysteriously balance on edge, giant faces peering at you from others, and here’s where Fred and Wilma come in, living in what could be a row of 100-foot-high apartments along a “road” lined up as perfectly as if the engineers used modern survey tools to lay them out. Yet, nature created this magnificent wonder. And rest easy, you are never alone because Bigfoot (yes, THAT Bigfoot) keeps appearing along your travels. But never fear, we are assured he is very friendly. Rock City Park is located at 505 Rock City Road, Olean, New York 14760, phone 866-404-ROCK, www.rockcitypark@hotmail.com
ADVENTURE ON A SMALLER SCALE: LITTLE ROCK CITY
Closer to Ellicottville, please enjoy the wonders of Little Rock City which can be accessed via Whig Street off Route 353 or at the top of Murder Hill (Route 242) out of Ellicottville. Turn onto Hungry Hollow then to Little Rock City Road where it dead-ends into the area.
Very much in appearance (on a less grand scale) like the Big Rock City, yet different. One would think this area was formed by glaciers, but not so. It was built rather, by mountain building events. There are unpaved forest roads built in President Roosevelt’s CCC time, but generally kept up. Here, you can rough camp, hike, picnic, mountain bike, rock climb, etc. Google tells us that there is “generally a portable toilet located at the main parking area.” But remember, there is likely no internet service to be found. It is state land so no recreational vehicles or four-wheeling are allowed on the trails. It is pet friendly (clean up rules apply), and plenty of parking is available, even for buses and RVs. Take a day and enjoy the sights.
For those of you wanting to do more than look and enjoy, you are invited to participate in I Love My Park Day at Red House in Allegany State Park on Saturday, May 2. Find out more and/or register at https://tinyurl.com/4xk49v7k.