Senior Hikes, Pints in the Park, Festivals, More Throughout 2025
ERIE COUNTY, NY— The Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry is filling up the 2025 schedule with family-friendly activities throughout the year at county parks and encouraging residents and visitors to plan to be a part of the fun. With events happening throughout the year and spread across the Parks’ system’s 10,000 acres, there is something for everyone to enjoy. 2025 marks the centennial celebration for the Erie County parks system, which was formed in 1925 and has been growing since then.
“Our Erie County Parks are bustling with activities for those who want to get out and enjoy them or can be tranquil places of quiet for people who want to get away for a while and just enjoy nature. Either way, everyone can find something they enjoy at one of our parks,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Have a picnic, play some golf, bring a blanket and read a book, enjoy one of our inclusive playgrounds, take a hike, or attend a festival. Whatever you enjoy, our parks are waiting.”
Visitors are always encouraged to check out the Parks’ website before coming out to ensure the activities they want to take part in are taking place.
Erie County Parks 2025 Activities include:
DPW Day! Saturday, May 10 10 AM- 2 PM at Como Lake Park casino area. It is time to celebrate the important work of our Department of Public Works! Enjoy a touch-a-truck style event with all your favorite big machines! Climb around and ask questions, enjoy food trucks, trivia, games, and more! From 10 AM – 1PM will be “quiet hours”, but 1 -2 PM will be horn-honking fun!
2025 Senior Hiking Club - A collaboration between Erie County Parks and Erie County Senior Services.
- Wednesday, May 21st @9:30 am at Ellicott Creek Park, meet at the Friendship Center. This will be a low impact walk on a paved surface, with a nutrition program from Erie County Senior Services at the Friendship Center following the walk. Sturdy footwear, hiking poles/sticks, water and a snack are recommended for all hikes.
- Wednesday, June 18th @ 9:30 am will be an “Urban Trek” hike from Seneca Bluffs Habitat Park to Higgins Park. Participants will meet at 9:30am at Seneca Bluffs Habitat Park parking lot for a moderate impact walk which includes tours of two City parks as well as a “trek” from one to the other. No restrooms available on this hike!
- Wednesday, August 20th @ 9:30 am at 18 Mile Creek Conservation Park. Meet in the parking lot for this moderate impact/low accessibility walk. There are no restrooms available for this hike.
- Wednesday, September 10th @ 9:30 at Franklin Gulf Conservation Park. The meeting location is TBD for this hike, which is a strenuous, high impact hike. No restroom is available on this hike.
- Wednesday, October 1st @ 9:30 at Sprague Brook Park. Meet at the Cross-Country Ski Loop parking lot for this moderate impact walk. Restrooms are available in the park but not at the meeting location.
Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Forestry Troy P. Schinzel said, “2025 will be a very busy year in our parks, with a tremendous amount of both active and passive things for any interest. We have beaches, traditional golf courses and disc golf courses, inclusive playgrounds for people of all ages and abilities, many newly repaired shelters and restrooms, and just about any other park-related amenities you can think of. We are looking forward to a great year in our parks.”
2025 NFTA Parks Adventure Bus
Erie County Parks is once again partnering with NFTA to offer the free Parks Adventure Bus! On select Saturdays throughout the summer the bus will take patrons from the main station downtown to Erie County Parks. Swag bags for all visitors will be distributed.
• June 14, bus runs from 8:30 AM – 6 PM. Reinstein Woods and Como Lake Park w/Ranger hike.
• June 21, bus runs from 8:30 AM – 6 PM. Chestnut Ridge Park w/2 trips including a stop at the Eternal Flame trailhead!
• July 12, bus runs from 8:30 AM – 6 PM. Emery Park w/collaboration with Buffalo Niagara Disc Golf to offer "Disc Golf 101"!
• July 19, bus runs from 8:30 AM – 6 PM. Akron Falls Park w/Ranger hike to falls.
• August 2, bus runs from 8:30 AM – 6 PM. Reinstein Woods and Como Lake Park w/Ranger hike
• Sept 27, bus runs from 9 AM – 3 PM. Fall Fest at Como Lake Park. This very popular free event has vendors, hay wagon rides, live music, food trucks, kid's activities, and MORE!
• Dec 13, bus runs from 9 AM – 3 PM. Santa Land returns to Chestnut Ridge Park.
2025 Pints in the Parks with Resurgence Brewing Company
• June 6 - Chestnut Ridge Park, 3 PM – 9 PM. This event will feature live music, a merch tent, WingNutz food truck, children's activities, City of Buffalo Animal Shelter truck (and pups!), and yard games. Fun for the whole family! Bring a lawn chair and some friends! Chestnut Ridge Park events will take place at the top of the sled hill behind the toboggan chutes.
• June 7 - Elma Meadows Park, 3 PM – 9 PM. The event will feature a Resurgence beer truck, live acoustic music and local merchandise for sale. Chiavetta's chicken BBQ will be on site and Explore and More will be offering free children's activities. Yard games will also be available. Bring a chair or blanket and some friends for an afternoon of fun in the park!
• June 13 - Ellicott Creek Park, 3 PM – 9 PM. This event will feature live music, a merch tent, Chiavetta's BBQ chicken on site, children's activities and yard games. Fun for the whole family! Bring a lawn chair and some friends! Events at Ellicott Creek Park will be held at Shelter 6 next to the Casino.
• June 28 - Como Lake Park, 3 PM – 9 PM. This event will feature live music, a merch tent, WingNutz food truck, children's activities with Explore and More, City of Buffalo Animal Shelter truck (and pups!), and yard games. Fun for the whole family! Bring a lawn chair and some friends! Events at Como Lake Park will be based at the Gazebo.
• July 19 - Ellicott Creek Park, 3 PM – 9 PM. This event will feature live music, a merch tent, Chiavetta's BBQ chicken on site, children's activities and yard games. SE2 Silent Disco will be on site renting headsets for a fun (quiet!) dance party! Tickets available at bit.ly/silentdisco71925
• July 26 - Chestnut Ridge Park, 3 PM – 9 PM. This event will feature live music, a merch tent, WingNutz food truck, children's activities, City of Buffalo Animal Shelter truck (and pups!), and yard games.
• Aug 22 - Como Lake Park, 5 PM – 9 PM. The last Pints event of 2025 will feature live music, a merch tent, Chiavetta's BBQ chicken on site, children's activities, AKG Art Truck, City of Buffalo Animal Shelter truck (and pups!), and yard games. Fun for the whole family! Bring a lawn chair and some friends!
Upcoming events:
May 31st - Blues and Brews @ Sprague Brook Park, 12 PM – 4 PM. A collaboration with 42 North Brewing Co., enjoy a beautiful afternoon of live music, food trucks, vendors and more. Parking is available at the casino.
Park Ranger Programs:
Sunday, May 18, 10 AM – 12 PM, Spring Reservoir Exploration at Akron Falls Park. Wherever land meets water there are likely to be interesting processes and living things. Come with Ranger Roy to look at what is happening at the edges of the Akron Falls Park reservoir in Spring conditions. We will try to get a look at living things at several different size scales and learn about their life cycles in the springtime. Meet at Shelter 10 in the Park.
Friday May 23, 6 PM – 8 PM, Ranger Meet and Greet w/ S’mores! Come hangout with Rangers Greg and Austin at Sprague Brook Park and learn about the Ranger Program! Bring your camping or ecological questions and pick the brains of your Erie County Park Rangers. Roast marshmallows, talk about your favorite camping gear, learn how to start a fire and more. This is a meet and greet event so come and go as you please! No registration is required.
Visit the Erie County Parks Rangers at the Bisons! Park rangers will be at select Bisons games this year to meet & greet families and talk about our programs. You can catch them on May 17 (vs. Worcester), June 12 (vs. Columbus), September 7 (vs. Syracuse), September 16 (vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre), and September 20 (vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre).
2025 Erie County Amateur Golf Championship:
Saturday July 12 – Sunday July 13 @ Grover Cleveland Golf Course. Erie County’s top amateur male and female golfers will compete in this annual event to see who tops the field in 2025! The site of the 1912 U.S. Open, Grover Cleveland golf course provides a test of skill, patience and shot making that is unmatched. Spectators are welcome.
Golfer registration can be obtained at https://www.golfgenius.com/pages/5269282
Fall Fest 2025
Saturday September 27, 10 AM – 4 PM at Como Lake Park Casino area. This very popular free event has vendors, hay wagon rides, live music, food trucks, kid's activities, and MORE!
For more information:
On the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, visit https://www3.erie.gov/parks/
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