Knox Farm State Park, East Aurora, NY

Visited May 9, 2021

437 Buffalo Road, East Aurora, NY 14052 (Erie County)

We used the main parking lot.  Google Maps tried to take us to the entrance on the right just past the main entrance with signage.

45 degrees Fahrenheit, overcast then rain

A toilet facility is available between the parking lot and the dog park.  It was not locked today..

Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails. There is more than one dog poo trash bin on the property and there is a trash bin near the parking lot.

No gnats or mosquitos at today’s temperatures.

No cost to access these trails today. (I do not see any notes about fees on the website.)

Parking for 50+ vehicles.  The parking area is gravel.  When we arrived at 1:00 PM on Mother’s Day, there were 30+ cars.  When we left before 3:00PM after the chilly rain started falling, there were less than 10 vehicles.  

I would budget at least two hours minimum to explore the trails.  We explored five miles of the trails. I also recommend downloading a trail map and using a GPS or other trail guide because there are many small adjoining trails so it is easy to lose orientation.  There are dirt, gravel, and paved trails.  The trails are in a field that is frequented by many singing red-winged blackbirds and some of the trails are wooded.  This property is a beautiful rural area that used to be a working farm.  My dad remembers visiting as a young boy with his dad to see a nice pair of horses.  This is a very popular park based on today's attendance.  We met many people on the trails...folks walking solo, folks, with dogs and without, couples, families, all ages enjoying the park.

Most of the trails were well drained but there were a few very muddy areas.  Waterproof boots are recommended.  During warmer weather, shorts would be sufficient here.  I usually recommend long pants for hikes but these trails do not appear to be overgrown where long grasses would be a problem.  There were no steep inclines or difficult terrain.  I would consider these as “easy” trails.  These are the same difficulty as the Lake Erie State Park trails.

Today I saw robins and red-winged blackbirds. The blackbirds were trilling and singing the entire time were were there...so peaceful.  There are pines, maples, cherry, and other varieties of trees.  Many flowers along the trails such as dandelions, horsetail, spring beauty, violets, and stands of mayapples.

The park has a dog park and bathroom facilities.

The trails are part of the WNY Summer 2021 Hiking Challenge.  https://outsidechronicles.com/challenge

For more information about the park and trail maps:

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/knoxfarm/details.aspx

Nearby:

Griffon Brewery and Gastropub

634 Main Street, East Aurora, NY 14052

https://www.griffongastropub.com/