Great place to get information on this spectacular village. I have lived here all my life and it's…read morea wonderful wonderful place to live. They've got to do something with Chautauqua lake though.

Of the many small villages within the New York State, the Village of Lakewood is one of the better,…read moremore pleasant villages to be found. Bordering on the west shoreline of Lake Chautauqua it has a lot to offer, such as boating, swimming and in the winter ice skating and cross country skiing. The homes here are lovely with many of them, such as the old Packard Mansion, summer home of J. Ward Packard, founder of Packard Motor, historic though this particular residence has now unfortunately been converted into multiple condo complexes. The village is also within easy access and reach of the City of Jamestown and the Villages of Celeron and Bemus Point which likewise boarder Lake Chautauqua.

The park is a great adventure! From lost gold to counterfeit cash operation in its history!read more

Amazing hike!!! Can be easy or as hard as you'd like!! So much fun going through the rocks and…read morecaves!!! Must try!!

Very nice and well-maintained grounds. We enjoyed a pleasant walk around the park, including stops…read moreat the beach area and the marina.

Great location and hike out to the point but a little sprucing up would help this beauty. We may…read morecome back for the beach though we were warned about blue algae in the area. The trails were clean and maintained but the structures were dated and showing age. It feels like this park represents the area in the sense that it's saying "look at how we were when" instead of embracing the awesome it can be today. I'd love to see this park and area be vibrant, be about the now and the beauty that exist here.

first, why are there 3 separate listings for this park?…read morestayed recently in one of their cabins; enjoyed hiking, campfire, relaxing, walking around the lake. others have noted the many amenities and opportunities to recreate here, so i won't. snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the winter, so it's a year round destination. some of the cabins have heat, beds, kitchens!

Beautiful, spacious park with lots of amenities and plans to build more bath houses and lockers…read more Lots of cabins by the creek. Good size lake with canoe, kayak and peddle boat rentals ($15 an hour). Nice trails and rocks to climb. Could use more restrooms near the trails, though. Nice gift shop and restaurant in same bldg as the lodge. Benches around the lake and grassy area and a beach area is close to picnic tables and the boat house. Bike rentals available too. Very well maintained park. Police around also. Great place for camping and beautiful scenery.

Perfect if you have any small children, ideally ages six or under. This wouldn't be a good spot if…read moreyou were going with teens or just adults. I had never been here before in in spite of frequenting the Chautauqua area, my whole life. But, I finally had an occasion because my tiny niece was the perfect age for this place. There were a ton of rides that were perfect for her as a three year-old. Also, they had rides that were good for ages 4 to 6 as well. She really enjoyed the little roller coaster. Watch out that it is actually a little rough for the adults to ride on because it does jerk a little. Also, there were some really cute little boat rides, including one that took took the children around in a circle. There was very little that she was too small to ride on, so it was completely fantastic. Also, we were able to get her a wristband that gave her all inclusive access to rides. For a few rides that do require adult accompaniment for littles, the adult gets to ride free. There's a food spot towards the bottom of the hill and I highly recommend it. I was able to get platters of fries and corn, dogs and pizza, for not too much money. This is a clutch when it came to reducing the chance of overstimulated little kid meltdowns. Also, it was very sunny, and there was very little shade, so bring the sunscreen. Also, they have free boat parking. So, boating over and walking in is a great option if you happen to have or be renting a boat.

There one ATM is down and do they loss on on card sales and the pretzel was rubbery with a spongy…read moreStyrofoam texture wouldn't recommend no rides other than go cart for older kids/teens .

We Did the blue, red and yellow trails around the ponds off of Vail rd . Before that we started…read moredown the Cattauragus creek trail on other side of gorge but we decided we were not up for THAT challenge this time w/ 300 ft decend and climb. Fall colors were perfect and temp in 60s was great. Area is Somewhat developed but trails are rough and narrow in many places.

Have been going to Zoar Valley since my Dad started taking me back in the late 40's. The only…read morereason I gave it 4 stars is that it is not an area to mess around playing superman and such. There are people that need to get way to close to the unseerable overhang. They can and have taken a very long drop to the bottom. Play safe and it is a great place to enjoy hiking and swimming. Seem to have lost my pics. Figures.

A treasure that is my sanctuary People come from thousands…read moreof miles away to visit this pristine park Crazy a lot of locals don't take advantage of beautiful beaches and trails

This is a lovely venue year round. There's Lake Erie, beaches, boat rides, bike trails,…read morelighthouses, bird watching, kite flying, and sooo many photo opportunities. This December, I drove the loop stopping at multiple lookout points and beaches with my big boy camera and phone camera and was not disappointed.

This is an update to a review I originally wrote 11 years ago, and somehow, I love Allegany State…read morePark even more now than I did then. I've been coming here since I quite literally fit into a bucket (not exaggerating). Allegany has been a constant for me and probably the beginning of my love for everything outdoors. Growing up, my family spent Columbus Day weekends camping here, originally along McIntosh Trail and later at Summit Trail near the Art Roscoe Ski Area and fire tower on the Red House side of the park. Now, they go extra fancy and stay on Bova Trail. Over the years, Allegany became the backdrop for countless adventures from tent camping, cabin stays, hiking, geocaching, and just being together outdoors. These days, instead of Columbus Day, I usually start the year here by staying in a cabin and doing the First Day Hike with my dad. While my most recent visit wasn't the best, it doesn't erase the years of great memories before it. I've visited Allegany in every season, but autumn will always be my favorite thanks to the foliage. The trails shine in summer and fall. I've backpacked the North Country Trail through the park, hiked nearly every trail, and uncovered some lesser known gems along the way. I participate in the park's hiking challenges, serve on the board of the Allegany State Park Historical Society, and appreciate organizations like Friends of Allegany for the work they do to protect and enhance this place. The Red House Restaurant serves up some good times and great food, too. From Thunder Rocks to the Bear Caves, beaches, creeks, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, geocaching (including night caches and GeoBash!), and endless quiet corners, Allegany surely offers something for everyone. It's located a mere hour and 45 minutes from Buffalo and to me, it's a crown jewel of the New York State Park system. My advice? Do a little research before you go so you can make the most of your visit. Stop by the Administration Building on the Red House side, explore Thunder Rocks or the Bear Caves, and camp if you can. And whatever you do... don't feed the bears!

Beautiful place! I didn't explore everything and it was my first visit…read more $7 to drive in. A huge lake A small dock to launch from in a canoe/paddle board A beach. Paved trail to ride bike (or electric scooter, etc.) 2 trails I saw for hiking in foot. 1 mile trail and 5 mile. Maybe there's more somewhere. This was near the building with the restaurant, gift shop, etc. I took the shorter (1 mile). It was really nice and shaded by the trees. Not too challenging. I saw the restaurant inside and outside. The inside was just a casual area upstairs. I thought the patio was a muncher better option. There's a nice outdoor area with wooden lounge chairs to take in the view. Gift shop is average ... clothes and trinkets with Ellicottville on them, snacks and drinks. There's some rooms with taxidermy showing you names of different animals; especially birds and their eggs. I saw a creek off the bike trail and many people were swimming in there. I saw a wetland area. Didn't see anything there (no animals).

This one is going to be a partial review. Why partial? Well, we barely scratched the surface of…read morewhat's at this beautiful state park and I want to come back to see more. On our way from Ohio to the other side of PA, we took a detour to get a look at where the modern petroleum industry got its start in this country. One big downside is that because this was ad-libbed, we entered the per se, "wrong side" of the park which doesn't have a much to see as the other side. Let me explain: As the below map shows, the park is laid out in a thin vertical line. Instead of arriving at the northern end where the Drake Well Musuem is, we showed up at the southern tip by the Egbert Farm Day Use Area. The big problem with that goes back to the adlibbing and not knowing that the bridge that leads over Oil Creek is long term closed to vehicles. It's possible to go around but it's a PIA and we didn't have enough time. www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/OilCreekStatePark/pages/maps.aspx We saw Coal Oil Johnny's House, some of the Blood Farm Area and walked a bit of the snowy/muddy Gerard Trail before we ran out of daylight. uncoveringpa.com/things-to-do-oil-creek-state-park Jim at unoveringpa.com has a great list of stuff to do in the park and later this year I'm hoping to do a longer tour of the area and hit this place up for a few days along with Cherry Springs and Hyner Run. We didn't spend a long time here, but the appetite has been whet for more.

This park is an intriguing blend of history and nature. This is the site of an oil boom town, and…read morethere are a number of historical indicators left memorializing it. An interpretive trail is located near the visitor's center that lets you stroll what used to be an old street in the town. None of the actual buildings remain, but the signage is great. There is a train visitor center where a train still runs through at times. There is also a nice playground and picnic tables available. The Blood Farm area is also beautiful - there's a nice large green space near the Oil Creek, with picnic tables, a playground, and shelterhouses. The Blood Farm Interpretive Trail provides an enjoyable short hike with some information about how the Blood Farm became a site where oil was discovered, and you can still find stopped off oil wells, old equipment and old farm buildings to view. Several waterfalls can be found here during certain times of year; unfortunately, the friendly staff told us that they weren't really running at the time of our visit. Very interesting park!