Skip to main content

Recreation

Recreation in Erie County Parks

Erie County Parks offers many opportunities for both active and passive recreation. Our department maintains several recreation amenities, and many others are made available through numerous partnerships we hold with area recreation organizations. 

For more information on activities available at each park, view our activity matrix, or click on any of the links below for location and partner information!

Snowmobiling

The NYS Snowmobile Trail crosses several Erie County Parks, and we are pleased to partner with Erie County Federation of Snowmobile Clubs to ensure sections of trails are groomed, maintained, and repaired. Snowmobiling in Erie County Parks is only permissible on the marked Federation trails after January 1st of each year, if deemed open by the trail association (see links below to check trail status). Snowmobiling is not allowed in any area of any Erie County Park other than a designated snowmobile trail. 

Explore the NYS Interactive Trails map to see what is open/closed.

More information on snowmobile trails in Western New York.

Tennis

Tennis courts are located at the following parks: Ellicott Creek, Emery Park, Chestnut Ridge, Como Lake, Akron Falls, Grover Cleveland Golf Course, and Sprague Brook Parks. 

Erie County Parks partners with the Summer Classic Events and the Chestnut Ridge Conservancy, as well as the USTA, to offer tennis lessons and tournaments at the Chestnut Ridge Tennis Courts. 

Pickleball

Erie County Parks has striped most tennis courts with either hybrid or exclusive pickleball courts. Exclusive pickleball courts are available at Como Lake Park, Ellicott Creek Park, and Sprague Brook Park. 

More information about pickleball.

Disc Golf

Erie County Parks partners with the Niagara Regional Disc Golf to maintain disc golf courses in four County parks: Emery Park, Ellicott Creek Park, Chestnut Ridge Park, and Como Lake Park. 

More information on disc golf courses, including maps

Cross-Country Skiing

Groomed cross-country ski trails are available at Elma Meadows Golf Course, Sprague Brook Park, and Grover Cleveland Golf Course. Ungroomed cross-country skiing is available just about anywhere in the Park system. 

Park/Trail (groomed)

   Details

Sprague Brook Park XC Trail

Marked with red signs and white arrows. Trailhead is at warming hut off Camping Loop A. 

Approximately 2 mile loop. 

Groomed single track.

Elma Meadows Golf Course XC Trail

All trails are marked. Trailhead is at parking lot.

Trail A: 2.2 miles

Trail A + B: 2.25 miles

Trail A + B + C: 3.45 miles

Groomed double track.

Grover Cleveland Golf Course XC Trail

2.4 mile trail

Trailhead is off the parking lot and is marked.

Groomed single track.

Youth Ski Nordic is a local cross-country ski instructional program for children and families which meets at Elma Meadows Park for weekly practices in the winter.

The Buffalo Nordic Ski Club is a local organization which provides lessons and information on cross-country skiing in Western New York. 

Mountain Bicycling

Erie County Parks is proud to offer excellent formalized multi-use trails which are suitable for mountain biking in two County Parks: Sgt. Rademacher/Hunter's Creek Park and Sprague Brook Park. Erie County Parks partners with the WNY Mountain Bicycling Association to ensure trails are clear and maintained and well marked. 

More information on mountain biking in Erie County Parks.

Mountain bicycling is not permitted in any other Erie County Park other than Hunter's Creek and Sprague Brook Parks.

tennis net

Hiking

Most Erie County Parks offer some level of hiking trails, ranging from fully-paved/easy to variable and difficult. We truly offer something for every type of hiker at every level of mobility! Formal trail maps are available for Franklin Gulf Park, Chestnut Ridge Park, Hunter's Creek Park, and Boston Forest is coming soon! Erie County Parks is proud to work with the Foothills  Trail Club and the Finger Lakes Trail Conference to ensure the sections of Finger Lakes  Trail and Conservation Trail passing through Erie County Parks are well marked and maintained. 

More information about the Foothills Trail Club.

More information about the Finger Lakes Trail.

Bark Parks

Erie County Parks is proud to offer two formalized dog parks within two parks, Ellicott Creek Park and Como Lake Park, with a third to join the pack soon! 

More information on the Lancaster Unleashed Como Lake Bark Park.

More information on the Ellicott Creek Island Park Bark Park, run by the Friends of Ellicott Creek.

Cricket

Erie County Parks offers a cricket ground at Ellicott Creek Park to host teams and leagues from the region. We partner with the India Association of Buffalo to ensure the ground is well-maintained and programmed throughout the season.

More information about cricket in WNY.

More information on the India Association of Buffalo.