Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area, Valentine Flats, Gowanda, NY

Visited June 6, 2021

Valentine Flats Creek Access Parking Area,

10112 Valentine Flats Road, Gowanda, NY 14070 (Cattaraugus County)

Google Maps brought me to the parking lot listed above.  It will hold 20+ vehicles.  We were the first vehicle of the day.  Another hiker reported that parking on the field side of the lot is not allowed. I did not notice any signage, but I can imagine the farmer would appreciate that side staying clear of vehicles.  The last mile as I approached this lot was dirt road.

78-82 degrees Fahrenheit, sunny, light breeze 8:45 AM-10 AM

Large porta potty available at the parking area.

Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails.  Wesley joined me on this trail.

There were mosquitos, but long pants and bug spray kept the worst of them away.

No cost to access these trails.  

The red trail to the water and then back to parking is a 2.7 mile hike. I would budget at least two and a half hours minimum to explore the water at the bottom of the trail. The only trash we encountered was broken glass at a bonfire site near the end of the trail.

The trail is a natural, dirt trail.  It was dry; I would not want to try it when the steep part of the trail is wet and muddy. People visiting this site may wish to wear a swim suit and bring water shoes; the people we passed on our way out were dressed for water play but there is a section of trail near the swamp and cattails where the greenery hugs the trail and an area further on that has poison ivy growing up the trees bordering the trail so as always,  I recommend long pants.  This trail is considered moderate difficulty due to the slope and tree roots.  The majority of the walk to the water was downhill and flat.  That left an uphill walk as we returned to the parking area, but truly, the destination was so beautiful we did not mind.  The flats were beautiful with towering slate and sandstone walls, mostly shallow water flowing over slate and small waterfalls.  We arrived early and were greeted by morning sun slanting through the trees’  foliage on the path and glinting off the water at the flats.  Arriving early and having this beautiful place to ourselves added to the magic of the place, I am certain.

There was an interesting site along the path, a gravestone for “Thomas Dutton, Died 1825”.

Today I saw a garter snake near the swampy area but it also saw Wesley and me, so it vacated the trail. By a tree root on the bank of the Cattaraugus Creek, we saw a very pretty toad.  Many birds were singing while we were on the trail hinting at the beauty that awaited us. There were oak, ash, tulip, hemlock, maple, cherry, and other varieties of trees.  We saw wild grapevine, mayapple, ferns, cat tails, black raspberries, buttercups, multiflora rose, poison ivy, and Virginia creeper.  I would imagine that this trail is breathtaking when the leaves change in the fall.

This hike is part of the Summer 2021 WNY Hiking Challenge.  For more information:

https://outsidechronicles.com/challenges

For more information about the park and a downloadable map:

https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/36931.html

Nearby:

Zoar Valley Multiple Use Area: Holcomb Pond Loop  (see my write up for more information on that hike)

Zoar Valley, Forty Road: For those who can't imagine a hike with a steep incline, I recently learned that the parking at Forty Road allows access to Cattaraugus Creek without the hilly hike down into and back out of the ravine. (6/13/21)