Tifft Nature Preserve, East Aurora, NY

Visited May 16, 2021

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

The parking lot was full when we arrived just before 11 AM on a sunny Sunday but a spot opened up.

66 degrees Fahrenheit with a cool breeze from off Lake Erie, overcast but the sky cleared

No toilet facilities available until the center opens.

Dogs are not welcome at this site. This is a good day for Wesley to stay home and rest up for his next adventure.

No gnats or mosquitos bothered us today.

No cost to access these trails.

Parking for approximately 20 vehicles. The parking area is gravel.

The center was closed but a gentleman was at the gate with a table of trail maps, materials including a beaver tail, a bird nest, and sheets for kids to do a scavenger hunt. I have been looking forward to returning to this site. We have not visited in more than a decade when we came on a guided tour with our daughter’s Girl Scout troop. I remember loving the boardwalk by the water and being amazed at how well the 264 acres have been restored to a natural habitat.

I was joined by my daughter, her boyfriend, my friend Melissa and her husband today! It was so nice to have someone to turn to and say, “Did you see that?!” We went to enjoy the birds but the painted turtles stole the show. We were rooting for tiny turtles as they scrabbled to crawl out of the water onto logs with their larger turtle friends.

I would budget at least two hours minimum to explore the trails and have time to watch the turtles sun themselves, the dragonflies dance in the air, and the birds hunt over the water. Also, we were glad we were not in a rush because we felt like we needed to give space to the serious birders and bird photographers with their giant lenses. The trails are pretty easy to navigate with the trail map; there are sign posts at each intersection. The trails are gravel, mowed grass, or boardwalk. Most of the trails are well drained but there were a few muddy sections where waterproof hiking boots are a better choice than sneakers. Overall, the property was well kept but the litter in and near the water was disturbing...we watched a tiny turtle try to eat a cigarette butt before, thankfully, moving on; it was too far out in the water for us to do anything to help. I felt like a needed to bring a net or pool strainer to clean while I was on the boardwalk. The site had many visitors today, especially on the boardwalks.

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 a few inclines to the mound where we could view Lake Erie from the park; the rest of the trails did not have hills or slopes.

Today I saw robins, cardinals, goldfinches, wood ducks, herons, Canada geese and goslings, a swan, a turkey, red-winged blackbirds, snails, and MANY painted turtles. There are apple, maples, ash, cherry, willow, and other varieties of trees.

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

There are geocaches on the property to add to the fun. Check out www.geocaching.com for more information about this activity.

For more information about Tifft Nature Preserve and a trail map PDF:

https://www.tifft.org/

Nearby:

Griffon Brewery and Gastropub (25 min./ 19 mi.)

634 Main Street, East Aurora, NY 14052

https://www.griffongastropub.com/

Buffalo Cider Hall (13 min./9 mi.)

155 Chandler Street, Buffalo, NY 14207

https://blackbirdciders.com/

JP Fitzgeralds (16 min./ 9.7 mi.)

4236 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY 14075

https://jpfitzgeralds.com/

Wonderful food, service, and beer menu. I strongly recommend calling ahead for reservations.

Hamburg Brewing Company (19 min./11 mi.)

6553 Boston State Road, Hamburg, NY 14075

https://www.hamburgbrewing.com/

Beautiful indoor and outdoor dining areas, good food, not too far from Erie County Fairgrounds

Erie County Fairgrounds (18 min./9.2 mi.)

5600 McKinley Parkway, Hamburg, NY 14075

http://www.the-fairgrounds.com/

Big Ditch Brewing Company (9 min. 4.1 mi.)

55 East Huron Street, Buffalo, NY 14203 (a Pay and Park lot is right across the road from Big Ditch)

https://www.bigditchbrewing.com/

We visited this place today and enjoyed their Sunday Brunch menu. The dining area is indoors and outdoors, and the restrooms and dining area were very clean. The food and beverages were great; the service was friendly and efficient.