Deer Lick Preserve

Visited July 24, 2021

Point Peter Road, Gowanda, NY

78 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny

On this Saturday morning, there were three vehicles at 10:00 AM and one vehicle at 1:00 PM.

Pets are not welcome at this site.

There is an outhouse but it past primitive.

I would allow at least three hours or more to hike the trails. I did not explore them all but logged 5.2 miles using the white, yellow, and red trails. (Be sure to pack in water with you and bring your trash home with you.) The trails were dry today but there were muddy sections. The trails were single file with sections that were wide enough to walk side by side. Long pants were not needed today except for one grassy section on the red trail.

I passed only two young ladies as I left Bear Point during the entire three hours I was at the site.

I wore long pants and bug spray; the mosquitos were hungry today with the warm temperatures and the recent weeks of rain.

No cost for parking.

Parking in an unpaved lot. Will host 5+ cars.

Today I saw a rich variety of species of trees and plants at this beautiful, peaceful place. I saw moths, butterflies, dragonflies, a snail, mosses, ferns, goldenrod preparing to bloom in September, grapevine, American honeysuckle, sweet pea, black raspberry, daisy, buttercup, birds foot, milkweed, clover, plantain, and jewelweed. There were birch, beech, oak, maple, hemlock, pine, tulip, American basswood, apple trees, and ash trees. Many mushrooms and fungi were flourishing due to the past two weeks of rain and the warm weather.


For more information:

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/central-deer-lick-conservation-area/

Milkweed near the parking area

Unpaved lot

Deer Lick has been a registered natural landmark since 1967.

According to this sign some of the tall trees on these premises are the tallest of their species in the northeast, including a tulip tree and an American basswood.

Don't get too excited when you see the outhouse just off the trail near the parking lot and the informational kiosks.

The tail is wide enough for a vehicle for the first part of the walk.

Sweet pea and yarrow at the start of the trail

Grapevine grows throughout the property.

Deer hoof print

Blackberries will ripen in a few weeks.

American honeysuckle

One of the muddy sections on the trail

Another muddy section of trail

I turned left here to stay on the white trail to get to Bear Point, the gorge viewpoint.

This is the trail as I turned left as shown in the picture above.

Bridge on White Trail

There are a few severe dropoffs, especially near Bear Point.

View from Bear Point of Cattaraugus Creek below.

A lonely umbrella in the woods

View from Bear Point

I turned right here to return to the car using the yellow trail.

View of the falls from the trail

An obliging log provided a bench to enjoy the sounds and views.

The trail crosses the water.

View to the right

View to the left

Tiny feather on the trail. From a woodpecker's belly?

I turned right to explore the red trail.

Nice pasture views on the red trail

Apple trees on the red trail.

The last of the black raspberries of the season as I returned the the white trail.