Stiglmeier Park, Cheektowaga, NY

Visited June 28, 2022

Park Entrance:  I used Google Maps: Stiglmeier Park - Como Park Entrance, Como Park Boulevard, Cheektowaga, NY, and it gave me the same directions that my local friend would have used.

66 degrees when my friend Melissia and I arrived at 10:16 AM - 83 degrees Fahrenheit at 12:37 PM with little to no breeze

Public toilet building near the first parking lots.  Multiple porta potties available at the lots further into the park.  Not all had hand sanitizer so be sure to pack your own.

There is no admission fee.

Dogs are not permitted.  We only saw one small sign noting this.  All Trails also has a note stating "No Dogs".  Wesley stayed home today.

The trail is well marked but it would be easy to get caught in a loop so be sure to screen shot or download the map.  I have a link below.

We totaled 5 miles today; we walked 2.3 miles on the "right" side of the park as viewed when entering from Como Park Boulevard, and we walked 2.7 miles on the "left side across from the football field.  This park was beautiful and on a Tuesday morning we only shared the trails with one runner we passed a few times, one lady with a stroller, and one family with small children who seemed very excited to be there.  When we returned to our car, many people had arrived to make use of the picnic shelter across from the public toilet building. Trail markers we passed were for Hawthorn Hollow, Woodcock Walk, Aspen Grove, Seneca Trail, Cherry Glen, Indian Trail (AKA Trail 12), Grape Grove, Cattail Lane, and Cayuga Trail.  According to the trail map, Trail 1 (Hummingbird Lane) is handicapped accessible.

The trails were shady and cool but there were a few full-sun fields and parking lots to cross.  Future visitors will benefit from the ripening blackberries and grapes; hopefully they will save a few for the birds and wild creatures.  The variety of birds was wonderful to see and hear.  The trail along Cayuga Creek was beautiful and peaceful.  We saw a beautiful toad hop across the trail near this creek.

Except for a few spots on the Cayuga Trail and on the stairs, the trails were wide enough for two people to walk side by side, have a lovely visit, and stop to try to see the birds.

The trails have natural surface, gravel surface, and wooden boardwalk sections.  It was mowed in the grassy sections so shorts would be fine at this park. There was no mud on the trail.  The trails were mostly flat with a few wooden stairs.

The only trash we saw was all located at one viewing platform area.  Tim Hortons and the little hugs drink jug...that sort of thing.

The mosquitos were not bad today but did start to strike toward the end of our walk.

Parking: Paved.  Over 50 spots available.

There is poison ivy present, especially along the trail edge.

We saw robins, a mockingbird, a red-winged blackbird, male cardinal, and we heard a woodpecker. We saw evidence of sapsuckers but did not see any of them.  We saw a toad, a snail, chipmunks and gray squirrels.  There were mosses, ferns, mayapple, buttercups, forget me nots, milkweed, pink clover, cattails, phlox, vetch, multiflora rose, wild garlic, blackberries, grapes, some cool mini mushrooms (I do not know the names of most fungi), and a variety of tree species including shagbark hickory, sycamore, giant willows, huge cherry trees, gorgeous oaks, and maples.

Map of the park: https://tocny.org/documents/stiglmeier-park-map/

Nearby:

Santora's and 1927 Brew House, 1 Galleria Drive P102, Cheektowaga, NY 14225  

https://www.santoras.com/

We had a very polite waitress (Brooke B.), enjoyed a flight, the pretzel with cheese and mustard, and salads (mine was the sesame chicken salad).